And for another useful and not-at-all ridiculous comparison, we have a new studio called People Pilot:
Each project team at People Pilot will be comprised of contractors: “It works well for audio, so I’m betting it will work for art and technology too,” says founder Roland Peddie.
EDIT: I just an image that perfectly captures Roland Peddie’s statement here:
Following Peddie’s excellent logic, I expect we’ll soon be seeing:
- 80% of the industry made redundant (after all, audio teams do fine with only a handful of staff)
- …along with most of the Project Managers and Producers (small teams don’t need all that “management” stuff)
- This silly concept of “fun” will be ditched entirely
- And this obsession with “game engines” will also vanish. Really, it’s pretty simple, guys: just look at the audio frameworks. That’s how it should be done!
Incidentally, there’s a huge difference between audio contractors and normal contractors. Audio contractors are:
- desperate for work (short supply, long demand)
- relatively constant quality (see above: survival of the fittest)
- non-critical to a project (as in “critical path”)
- don’t live each day with the option of doubling their salary tomorrow by taking a job in mainstream IT
…so it’s a hell of a lot easier working with them. I fear that Mr. Peddie is going to have a rude awakening when he starts hiring code and art contractors. It’s essential with contractors, but “reliability” isn’t a word usually associated with artistic personalities. Good luck to him, but … I suspect it’ll just end up as another notch on the board for “this “Hollywood” model is inappropriate for the games industry, and overall a pretty dumb idea”.