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BusinessQuiet 10d · day 10

South of Midnight Director Says Xbox's Funding Was Unsustainable

Creative director David Sears questions the business logic behind Microsoft's prestige-focused game investments after the studio's spinoff.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 9d ago4 pieces NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • South of Midnight's creative director says Xbox's decision to fund prestige games with poor commercial prospects was unsustainable, even as he's grateful the studio got to make the game.
  • Sears warned colleagues during development that the funding would eventually stop 'with really traumatic results downstream'—a prediction that came true with Xbox's restructuring.
  • Compulsion Games is now independent and seeking new partners, with its next project likely very different from South of Midnight given Sears' critique of the funding model.

“The Microsoft of today is much 'more humane' than the company he knew in the '90s, as demonstrated by the fact that it let studios spin off in the first place instead of just shutting them down entirely.”

David Sears, Creative director, Compulsion Games · Kotaku ↗

David Sears Creative director, Compulsion GamesCompulsion Games Developer of South of MidnightXbox / Microsoft Publisher and funderBen Hanson Interviewer, MinnMax

South of Midnight Director Says Xbox's Funding Was Unsustainable
kotaku.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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  1. 1

    Sears says unsustainability was foreseeable but funding was still right decision

    Sears acknowledged that while he would not have funded South of Midnight himself due to its poor business case, he was grateful for Microsoft's support and the opportunity to make the game. He expressed that the funding model, though doomed, felt like a 'golden era' at the time.

    “I wanted to make it. No doubt. Obviously. Because we made it. Would I have turned off someone else's money flow before South of Midnight? Yeah. Because I'm not completely selfless. It just seems like, in hindsight at least, it was unsustainable.”
    — David Sears
    • nesbot@mastodon.social

      South of Midnight Creative Director says he would not have funded the game if he were Xbox, calls open money tap unsustainable https://www. resetera.com/threads/1677167 # gaming # videogames # resetera

      nesbot@mastodon.socialMastodon10d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Sears questions Xbox's funding strategy in interview — In an interview with MinnMax's Ben Hanson, creative director David Sears reflected on Xbox's decision to fund prestige games with limited commercial prospects, calling the approach unsustainable and acknowledging he had warned colleagues during development that 'the money tap' would eventually close.

  3. background

    Xbox spins out Compulsion Games — As part of Xbox's restructuring, Compulsion Games was spun out from Microsoft with its IP and an unknown amount of financial runway, ending direct Xbox funding.

  4. background

    South of Midnight launches and wins awards — South of Midnight was released and subsequently nominated for and won numerous awards including a BAFTA, despite being a prestige project Xbox knew would not generate significant revenue.