A few years ago (pre-covid), the company I work for went to the GDC (game developers conference) to approach the larger game studios and developers (Microsoft, Activision, Sony etc.) to develop games in Las Cruces, NM, saving 30% on development costs. Their answer was “Not Interested”.
I was shocked by this week’s news of Microsoft laying off 10,000 employees including gaming divisions such as Xbox and Bethesda all while attempting to purchase Activision for $69 Billion. Thought to myself, “You should have been interested”
I’m not a corporate businessman, I’m a creative, a marketer who creates content for the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA) in the New Mexico Borderplex. I hear your words, “Never heard of it”, and I can tell you most people haven’t. I’m just a fan and geek of video games and comic books. I’m not an influencer or journalist. I don’t stream on Twitch, but play on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and Steam Deck, and I’m on a Vampire Survivors kick. I listen to unlocked, remastered watch Spawn Wave every morning before I arrive at work.
It breaks my heart to see people who pour their lives and passion into games, comics (Amazon laid off 50% of comiXology the same day as MS), and digital media only to have their lives come crashing down around them. The large developers said that they were not interested in developing their games in Las Cruces or the Borderplex Region, even if it would save them Millions of dollars in development costs. I was shocked! When a game is running $150 million dollars to make, how can the studio turn down $45 million dollars going back into the game development? I’m sure to billion-dollar corporations like Microsoft or Sony it’s a drop in the bucket and may not matter to their bottom line, but it matters BIG time to the employees it affects. The 30% back on game development may not mean a lot to large corporations like Take2, but to the small indie game developer, it will have a greater impact. An additional $3 million to the existing $10 million budget might equal several jobs, more resources, or more polish time.
I want to see the gaming industry start to not only care about their employees, but also care about their employee’s families, and their quality of life. Most of all want to see game studios change the status quo. It’s not about staying in California, Seattle, or Boston because that’s where games are made. It should be what’s best for our developers to thrive creatively, allowing them to deadlines while maintaining the best quality of life without worrying about their lives chasing because corporate wasn’t interested.
So yeah, 30% back on production cost may not be enough to interest corporate game production, but it IS enough to keep people employed and happy doing what they love.
