Highlights
- Leaked information from game developers like Rockstar and Insomniac Games can lead to inflated expectations, making it difficult for the final product to meet consumer demands.
- Greater transparency and early insights into game development processes could help manage expectations and involve fans in shaping creative work.
You would not think the games industry has much in common with the United States government, but it is nearly as secretive, and just as obsessed with guns and explosions. However, unlike when secrets come out of Washington, recent leaks from Rockstar and Insomniac Games are a public disservice and something I hope does not end up as an irreversible trend.
If you are not familiar, last year’s GTA 6 leak revealed much about the in-development state of the upcoming release, and, last month, Kotaku reported that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 creator Insomniac was attacked by criminals who wanted $2 million to avoid the public disclosure of the data they stole. Insomniac Games and parent company Sony refused, and true to the hackers’ word, they leaked a look at the in-development Wolverine game, along with plans for other Marvel media with mutants. These kinds of peaks behind the curtain risk raising expectations for what eventually comes out to such an extent they cannot possibly be met by those working on these games.
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A GamesRadar article filed shortly after its 2007 launch revealed Bioshock was first envisioned to take place on a tropical island filled with some Nazis and before The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was revealed, Nintendo showed off a less cartoonish demo at a 2000 convention. Now, it’s fair to say that the way those two games ended up is probably better than their earlier versions, but sometimes there can be elements in those early reveals that can inflate expectations. Let’s remember, some parts of the leaked Grand Theft Auto 6 footage showed what appeared to be a metro system, and we all know what a big deal it was when this was removed from Cyberpunk 2077 before its initial release, only to be added back in later on after a wave of negative reactions to the game’s initial market debut.
The Better Options?
So, where should the industry go from here to avoid similar catastrophes and the crushing of gamers’ hopes and dreams? For starters, there should be less secrecy across the board. I’m not saying any hack or attack for ransom is justified (they never are), but greater transparency about big-budget projects and ideas would certainly dissuade some criminal conduct. If fans could peek under the hood early on at the kind of games which cost $100 million or more in ways apart from polished marketing moments like trailers, hands-on previews deep into development, and hype footage, they would understand how games are made more than they do now.
It would be a bit like going back to the era of game demos or, at the very least, a more aggressive form of early access. Would this be so bad? I certainly do not believe it would be, and it would be nice to pick things apart and help play a hand in shaping great creative work.
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