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Originally Posted by Kamikaze Midget  Videogame publishers are stuck in a Hollywood mindset: bank on what has come before.
That may change as indie games are on the rise through the console download markets (as well as online and free-to-play models).
Squareenix gets a pass because they can do whatever they want. 
Yeah, 4e could totally have a good game like this.
But since they're saddled with Atari's boneheaded game design for a few more years at least, they probably won't. |
The publishers are actually a lot worse then Hollywood.
Look at most indy productions or low budget films, follow one of the lines, and you'll reach a big publishers. Hollywood understands that niche markets exist, and that there's money to be made in them, so instead of trying to force everything into one umbrella as the video game industry is, they actively branch out to a bunch of small umbrella, knowing that profit is profit.
The movie drag Me To Hell was amazing. It was also risky, in that it's branch of comedy/humor hadn't been done for some time, and it was a big departure from the hordes of violence porn that had become the horror genre. And it did fantastically. It's also something that you wouldn't see come out of the video industry.
My ranting aside, your last bit hits the biggest problem square on.
Atari has the license. Which means you won't be seeing a good D&D game for some time longer, as the good ones that've come out while they've held the lisence have been due more to the developers actively fighting against Atari then working with them.
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