JCalCGM
10-25-2006, 12:02 AM
3D Realms is no stranger to helping third party developers create and publish games; their Apogee operation was one of the biggest PC shareware publishers of the 1990s. Now in 3D Realms' CEO Scott Miller's recent blog he states that the company is going back to a similar kind of set-up and will be helping as many as six third party developers with creating new games. FiringSquad got a chance to chat briefly with Miller (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=12889) about their plans and how this new development might affect their internal development team working on Duke Nukem Forever. Here is a snip:
FiringSquad: As PC games move into digital distribution, will 3D Realms self-publish these new titles from third party developers via that method or work with traditional publishers as you have with 2K Games for the Max Payne titles and Prey?
Scott Miller: None of these games will likely be released in the next two years, so that's still a question we have time to consider, as the landscape changes. I personally believe that digital distribution is going to soon wash over our industry like a tsunami, and we are seeing early signs of this shift even today, with 2K's announcement with regard to Steam. I still believe that traditional pubs will remain the powerhouses they are today, if for no other reason that they are the banks of our industry, providing the most accessible funding needed to make games. They are maybe a handful of top-tier independent studios worldwide who do not need external funding to make a game, so publishers will have their place for years to come, I'm certain.
FiringSquad: As PC games move into digital distribution, will 3D Realms self-publish these new titles from third party developers via that method or work with traditional publishers as you have with 2K Games for the Max Payne titles and Prey?
Scott Miller: None of these games will likely be released in the next two years, so that's still a question we have time to consider, as the landscape changes. I personally believe that digital distribution is going to soon wash over our industry like a tsunami, and we are seeing early signs of this shift even today, with 2K's announcement with regard to Steam. I still believe that traditional pubs will remain the powerhouses they are today, if for no other reason that they are the banks of our industry, providing the most accessible funding needed to make games. They are maybe a handful of top-tier independent studios worldwide who do not need external funding to make a game, so publishers will have their place for years to come, I'm certain.