Blockbuster games are "creatively bankrupt"

The blockbuster games business has become "creatively bankrupt" with a glut of me-too games that are failing to deliver new experiences to consumers.

That's according to Matthew Wiggins, co-founder of Wonderland Software, who revealed insight into why his small team – and a number of other new developers – has started afresh with the intention to deliver alternative gaming experiences on digital formats.

"I think big elements of the games industry are in a rut right now, with so many games being produced that are me-too," offered Wiggins in an interview published today. "How many gritty first person shooters or Gears of War clones does the world need? We're just not interested in replicating those sorts of experiences."

The Wonderland team has experienced big budget console development while working for Lionhead, with Wiggins pointing to his old employer as evidence that not all console studios are content to churn out copycat experiences.

"I think something that Lionhead, and previously Bullfrog, do really well is to constantly try out new ideas and set out to make great experiences that people haven't seen before.

"Regardless of what is finally delivered, if you haven't at least started trying to create something new, what is the point? And so, much of the industry is fairly creatively bankrupt in my opinion - slightly better particle effects, or slightly grittier characters, are not a good reason to throw millions of dollars and years of the developers lives at."

Wiggins, who has also worked for Electronic Arts and Linden Labs, added that he expects the development business to split between high-end blockbuster work and smaller independent businesses – with mid-tier studios either closing or being swallowed up by the majors.

"Over the next five years, I expect a lot of the mid-range games studios to either be acquired or close. If you're in the triple-A PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 market you need to be knocking out blockbusters of incredible quality - companies like Lionhead, Naughty Dog and Blizzard will survive and prosper, whereas the teams who are not at the peak of the market will flounder."

His comments on studios that sit between the indies and the giants of development echo those of investment bank firm IBIS Capital, which told GamesIndustry.biz this week that those businesses are at risk because they provide less return on investment with only modest sales.

"In the middle, where good-but-not-great games often lurk, the scale of blockbusters can't be matched in terms of investment," said IBIS' Tim Merel. "This can have an impact on game quality, although it doesn't have to, but definitely has an impact on marketing and distribution. The economics of this space have become increasingly challenged, so from an investment point of view what should be a lower risk investment actually becomes higher risk than a blockbuster franchise.

"In other words, you invest less, but dollar for dollar the returns you are likely to see for the risk tend to be worse. It is driving many good independent studios out of business on a global basis, which I think is very sad for some excellent shops and for the industry generally.

The full interview with Matthew Wiggins, in which he also discusses leaving Lionhead, and future opportunities on Apple formats, can be read here.