14 DAY TRIAL // A culture of negativity which is gaining adepts among the public is the biggest challenge that innovative video game designers will have to deal with in the future, according to one of the developers linked to the Call of Duty franchise.
In a longer interview with Nowgamer Josh Olin, who is the community manager at Treyarch, has stated, “Too many developers who try new things are getting burned by “pundits” and angry entitled fans who look to be contrarian, sometimes simply for the sake of being contrarian. The only thing this attitude aims to achieve is stunt that creativity and innovation even further, which is something that no rational gamer looking to be entertained would want to do.”
As the video game industry has become more popular and created huge franchises that have an audience in the millions, some fans have become so attached to the experiences they love that they react strongly to any changes that a developer or publisher tries to push through in a new installment.
The Call of Duty franchise is one of the most popular in the world, creating the best selling title of the year in both 2009 and 2010 and first-person shooter fans are some of the most vocal when it comes to even small changes, like the damage that one particular weapon deals in multiplayer matches.
He added, “More and more gamers seem to forget what this industry is all about. It’s a creative industry – the most creative form of entertainment in existence.”
Treyarch is responsible for the development of the very successful Black Ops video game and are probably now in the initial stages of development for another Call of Duty title.
Publisher Activision has already confirmed that a title in the franchise will arrive in 2011, but it has not said who is developing it and when in history it is set.