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[IGN] Are Developers or Publishers More Important in How You Choose Games?

IGN: What credit is more important when you choose a game to buy?

  • Developer (Sony Santa Monica, Game Freak, Respawn Entertainment)

  • Publisher (Nintendo, Sony, 2K, EA)


Results are only viewable after voting.

3liteDragon

Member
Where do your allegiances lie?
Infinity Ward, FromSoftware, and Insomniac are just a few of the hundreds of development teams out there but they and plenty of other top developers regularly take input from publishers like Activision, Bandai Namco, and Sony during the process to help their games reach the finish line. While some franchises and developers tend to be exclusive to specific publishers, there are a number of them that work across the industry with many different publishers. Call of Duty regularly cycles its developers yearly while FromSoftware has partnered with Sony and Bandai Namco for big successful titles like Bloodborne and Elden Ring.

Even Insomniac worked with Xbox Game Studios on Sunset Overdrive before Sony put a ring on it and officially made them part of their first-party family. Let's use Call of Duty as an example. The series regularly cycles development teams between installments but is owned and published by Activision. Some fans will only buy CoD when developed by their preferred developer. Would you still buy a new Call of Duty if it was suddenly published by EA or Take-Two?

Would you take a chance on a Call of Duty developed by a new studio that's never done it if Activision published it? How about if one of your other favorites like Assassin's Creed, Final Fantasy, or Mario were developed by someone else?

That brings us to the topic of game developers vs. publishers: Are developers or publishers more important in how you choose games? How do you feel about developers and publishers? Which has a more significant effect on your decision to buy a game? Are there any games you consider an automatic purchase based on the developer or publisher?

Who deserves more credit for a game's success or failure? Are there any developers or publishers that give you concern when considering buying their game? If the next installment of your favorite franchise were to change to a developer or publisher you didn't care for, would you still purchase it?
 

Topher

Gold Member
Silly question. That's like asking if people are more excited about Rock Steady's Suicide Squad or WB Game Montreal's Gotham Knights. Who is going to answer "doesn't matter since they are both published by WB."
 

Dynasty8

Member
Developers lol...can't believe this is even a question. I couldn't care less what Namco Bandai does, but the second From Soft is involved with the development, I'm all over it.

Same with EA/Respawn and plenty of other companies.
 

Camreezie

Member
Differs on the situation. I trust most games Nintendo Publish and wouldn't go near most EA or Ubisoft ones but id make an exception for certain IP or teams e.g Dead Space and Visceral
 

Astral Dog

Member
Both, depends on the case, try an informed purchase etc.

I guess people who buy games based mostly on the publishers go for either their familiar, well known quality brands or big marketing campaings,and they might miss out on some gems released by a smaller studio or other publishers

but Publishers sell the games.Not everyone is a super hardcore gamer nerd who knows all about developers and is into the industry

For example people will buy new games based on the Capcom/Nintendo/PlayStation label, and there's nothing wrong with that
 
In the end, the answer is developer, but it is a much more complex situation than just choosing between developer and publisher.

A good publisher will maintain quality control and pick up and work with good developers. They will unlock the potential of the developer if they invest enough money which is obviously the job of the publisher.

So developers have the talent... but the publishers have the money, distribution, and business platform that the talent needs to utilize their potential.
 

zac23or

Neo Member
If the game is from Developer A or Publisher B this is not important.
I buy a game if the game is good and it is not a casino game (EA games). I watch youtube videos, read some articles, to make a decision.
I don't pre-order, I often wait some time for the price to drop.

But if the Publisher or Developer has a bad reputation I am a little more cautious or put in a black list.
 
playstation-studios-ps4.gif




office space o face GIF
 

Kilau

Gold Member
There are some publishers I just generally ignore because they always shoehorn MTX or live service nonsense into their games. The game is ultimately the only thing I care about.
 

EekTheKat

Member
Neither - because we are effectively in an era where publishers and developers are cashing in on company name and IP's created by people who do not even work there anymore.

Generally speaking when looking at a developer these days, it's safer to assume all the old guard who actually made those games that you loved have moved on.

These days we're literally getting fanfiction being pushed as canon sequels. Only "modernized" for a current audience.

I go where the games are regardless of the publisher/developer name on the box. . If a dev worked on something great that I loved in the past and went indie I'll gladly give their work a go instead of buying into another souless cash in.
 
Neither - because we are effectively in an era where publishers and developers are cashing in on company name and IP's created by people who do not even work there anymore.
You had me here....

(because some studios have tried to do this and sneak their way into having a successful mediocre game based on merit)

Generally speaking when looking at a developer these days, it's safer to assume all the old guard who actually made those games that you loved have moved on.

These days we're literally getting fanfiction being pushed as canon sequels. Only "modernized" for a current audience.

I go where the games are regardless of the publisher/developer name on the box. . If a dev worked on something great that I loved in the past and went indie I'll gladly give their work a go instead of buying into another souless cash in.
...And then you lost me.

(too many wide brush strokes painted about an entire dev industry and pointing to what sounds like you missing your younger years i.e. 'the good ol' days')
 

anthony2690

Banned
I'd say a mix off both, especially when growing up.

I would tend to buy games from people who made games I liked in the past like Capcom/sega/namco/sqauresoft etc as I didn't have the internet and there was nothing worst than buying a bad game when you're young and don't really have money.
 

GymWolf

Member
The only people who cares about publishers are the woke mob on reeee or twitter.

First rule of the woke club, never buy something from evil publishers.
 

Pelta88

Member
Should have had a poll option for the actual Games these publishers and developers release.
 
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