Invest in outsourcing, don't exploit it, says Deadline boss

Deadline Games' CEO Chris Mottes believes that developers and publishers have a duty to invest in and support outsourcing companies, rather than taking advantage of cheap labour for quick rewards.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz Mottes said that it's not only important to help the industry grow, but it's also a socially responsible move that shows maturity for a relatively young business.

"My philosophy on outsourcing in general is a little different than others in that, in our experience at least, particular if we are looking for cost savings in outsourcing, it is very difficult to ensure that the quality you are going to get through the whole production is going to be consistent," commented Mottes.

"If there is a sweatshop mentality just to do the cheapest possible product, that is going to boomerang and hit us in the back of the neck eventually.

"If the staff is just being whipped through to produce assets at as high a rate as possible, then they don't really put their soul into what they are doing, and that is never going to give you a good result on any product anyway. Clearly, it is a mixture of commercial and social interests that I feel go hand-in-hand," he said.

Deadline Games, developers of Total Overdose and its PSP spin-off Chill Con Carnage, intends to invest in outsourcing companies to help guide studios to create stronger material and also advance staff training for future projects.

"The way I would like to approach it is to partner, or even have some sort of ownership of, the companies down there - because with the right set-up they can be nurtured to become full production houses," detailed Mottes.

"But in terms of outsourcing, I believe it is more long-sighted to work with "insourcing" where you can actually control the quality level of the productionâ¦of the work that you are going to get by having a stake in that company. But you can also do something which is more important - you can invest in the employees," he said.

The full interview with Chris Mottes can be read on GamesIndustry.biz today.