Developer Interviews – Fact Or Fiction

The inevitable hype train that leads the release of practically every MMO game today can be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand we can get a sneak peak at our favorite upcoming games or projects, but on the other hand it gives developers the perfect opportunity to spread misinformation in the hopes of increasing sales. I won’t pretend that the latter doesn’t exist as I’ve experienced it first hand and I wouldn’t say lying during interviews is a common practice in the industry but it’s concerning enough to warrant some attention.

The easiest example that comes to mind is the infamous The War Z. If you’ve not heard about the ridiculous PR campaign lead by the inexperienced developers, you’re one of a very lucky few. The developers were quoted lying about features after discussing things in certain interviews, and providing entirely different answers in a separate interview and they even admitted to misleading players with “art” work that was emailed to the press as screenshots.

Luckily for us the lies became more and more transparent as time went on. It’s easy for a developer to make bold claims for an unreleased game, but when a developer claims a feature is complete and ready during an interview, it’s quite easy to log into the game and check the facts. The War Z was even removed from Valve’s Steam as they misinformed the digital distribution giants regarding features that had yet to be implemented.

Thankfully The War Z is one of the very few recent examples that I could conjure. It’s not a practice I’ve seen occurring a lot in the last few months but it is something I’ve encountered a little too often in my MMO days.

Have you ever read about a feature or mechanic for an upcoming MMO only to be met with disappointment at release? Or maybe you’ve experienced the opposite and been surprised with unannounced launch day features? Leave a comment below.

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