Game Theory Ep 4: Risk Vs. Reward

Look at the charts for almost any week in the year and you'll see it dominated by one thing: sequels. Sequels and genre staples are big sellers but they're also often accused of stagnation - sticking to a formula means your audience knows what to expect, but how much room can that possibly leave for true innovation and creativity?

Do gamers have a right to complain about seeing the same games ideas again and again, when they're not buying the games which try to break the mould? Publishers and developers might well want to start trends instead of follow them, but when you've got a £100 million budget riding on the results, it's hard to be brave enough to take those risks.

In this fourth episode of Game Theory, Scott Steinberg looks at the difficult decisions behind risk and reward, asking industry legends such as Charles Cecil, Mike Capps, Lorne Lanning and Dave Perry what they think about the increasingly dangerous financial commitment involved in creating a game, from App Store break through to AAA market leader.