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/sarcasm
Seriously - there have already been a number of free updates and we're about to launch the second paid DLC within just a couple of months of the original launch.
Yes - we have more things to do. We've got lot of other support issues completed and in testing and others on-deck. So, of the things we discovered after launch, we haven't yet covered everything. We got it. Visit our forums and see what the status of things are or become part of the meaningful discussion.
But, comparitively speaking, some credit, please? Support has been pretty strong and is continuing. I know it sucks if the issue that you care about it still outstanding, but there have been updates and a lot of ongoing effort - there are several people working through their holiday break!
The reality is that the PC is a platform that is in trouble. There are a few of us left that are doing the best we can because we truly care about the platform, but the numbers aren't adding up like they used to. Did you guys notice with the November NPC #'s that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 only did 180k units on PC? How many units were sold on the consoles? And that's CALL OF DUTY, with a great competitive multiplayer mode! The numbers aren't good on PC... That's a substantial understatement. When you factor all of the people with their fingers in the pie (retail, publisher, distribution and goods costs, etc), the revenue from those kinds of numbers can probably fund about two weeks of their development - not even enough time to do a complete build and QA pass, let alone develop a full game.
If publishersand developers balance their costs versus revenue incorrectly, there won't be a game to play because the studio or publisher will end up going out of business. There have been a lot of studio closures this year. It's a tough business.
But we're on top of it and we're using the value we've created in the past to reinvest in ourselves and in the games we make. This has funded the several updates that have already been launched and the updates that are underway and will be launched soon.
I know as a customer that I don't want to hear excuses and I don't care about reasons why things aren't perfect for me - I just want things to be awesome and I want them to work. I get it - I'm a gamer too.
But the PC is a complicated platform with millions of configurations, lots of varied expectations about how things should work and no clear standards for anything.
Complicating things for us is that our games are launched with a lot of different retail and digital distributors and each of them along with our publishing partner has rules, demands or standards that we're required to conform to. Some of these requirements aren't even optimal for customers - especially in the area of DRM (which I loathe the current state of), but we have to follow them and conform if anyone is going to actually get the game.
So - it's challenging.
As gamers, your words on forums can hurt the motivations of developers that care. When you hurt them, they don't think, "I should try harder!" They think, "Gah - this isn't worth it. I'm losing money over here and too many, many of which might even be pirates, hate me for trying... I'm going to just put my attention on a platform where the gamers love what I give them and I can actually be profitable." I've heard thoughts like that all around the development and publishing side of this industry - from astonishingly relevant drivers of this industry, too.
So please think about this guys - not just for us, but for all PC game developers that are still carrying the torch.
I know things on the PC are often not perfect. I know sometimes you have issues that affect you that are frustrating. Or, you have a game that chose to do things a certain way and you would've done it differently. I know this.
But consider that for the people who are trying at all, you guys can encourage. Encouragement will generate pride and will generate extra effort and care and love beyond what the numbers can justify. Many of us do what we do not because it's making us rich, but because it's what we love. For that inspiration, feeling encouragement from fans goes a LONG way towards motivation and effort and, ultimately, results.
I love you, Shack!
-Randy
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