[Foiden]

A lot of times, that fact is just unavoidable. Particularly when you are on a large enough team that has extra costs. A one-man show can survive staying on the non-mainstream if they are lucky enough to still turn a profit, such as this case. However, there have been some companies that went for a better choice than going just mainstream. Sure, mainstream gets the money you need, but it's always nice when a company decides to do spinoffs of a series for the mainstream, while still supporting your non-mainstream fans.

In a way, Battletech/Mechwarrior kind of comes to mind. That is, having a series to satisfy your gathered fans, and then branching off mainstream appeal series that work to get the casuals in. Sometimes this works wonders because *some* casuals like the universe but want something with much more substance and/or story, so they end up becoming new fans of the non-mainstream Versions. Then you have a much larger non-mainstream audience with the addition of the used-to-be casual gameplayers. Mechassault is probably as far from the strategy of Battletech that it could get, being a very arcade deathmatch-style game (moreso than even Mechwarrior 1). A mech Version of a FPS, basically, but with special abilities thrown in mildly-resembling the systems in that universe. But it spurred new interest in even the table-top turn-based games. Not a bad way to sell your games. You get the mainstream dollar, and you promote your heavier strategy Versions that you are still supporting. Of course, this only works for big companies, but I guess that's the point we're talking about. Of course the small companies can afford to support the niche market, since their internal costs is so small.

I guess this is a bit of a food for thought for the idea that MM may get big due to increasing sales. Of course, you do run the risk of some head of publication screwing you over and pressuring you to stop with your development of the non-mainstream game just because it isn't raking in the megamillions of the mainstream product. That's a sad fact and could happen to anybody who gets a publisher like that. Maybe the safe thing is to sell just the game with a mainstream publisher, but make sure you keep the rights of the game-universe to yourself. That way your less-mainstream more substance game stays with the people you know will allow you your freedom and is running with the lower resources to make good money off it. Too bad console development has gotten to the point of being so expensive, it's becoming go-mainstream or die. At least half of Sega's sufferings go to this alone. (Too man people to pay, and too much always trying to make new innovative game instead of countless sequels) Perhaps, this is the real main thing that puts the Personal Computers in the undying spot for gaming.

[ March 12, 2003, 15:39: Message edited by: Foiden ]