Interesting Times indeed...

Anyone who pays much attention to video games beyond the store shelf is probably aware of the current fiasco with publishing juggernaut Activision. Almost all of the internet already hated CEO Bobby Kotick for his public comments on "taking the fun out of making video games" and talk of releasing games as part of TV peripheral hardware rather than console software. Activision's unpopular reputation as of late has only been worsened with the legal suits and dismissals between the publisher and members of developer studio Infinity Ward. Many employees have already resigned and found a new home in Respawn Entertainment, created by Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella in partnership with EA games. While the controversy continues to storm, Bungie Software recently announced a ten year deal with Activision, leaving many to collectively reply with "WTF?"

Details have emerged with the Bungie/Activision deal revealing what could possibly be an interesting new trend between developers and publishers, retaining the rights of an intellectual property. Part of the drama surrounding the Activision/former-IW members law suits is the ownership of the Modern Warfare title. For the casual gamer, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a game that made $1 billion in two months, the title is simply Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare is the brand and the title is a key part in ensuring the success of a sequel. It has a reputation when it comes to multiplayer gaming, just as among many solid platforming games, Mario is the most recognizable. But with Respawn participating in EA Partners and Bungie's deal giving them the rights of the new IP, what we're seeing now in the game industry is the beginning of a movement which has affected other industries from comics to film: the ability for the creator to own their ideas.

Every creator has the dream of coming up with the next Harry Potter, Mario, or James Bond, that timeless concept that goes on to have them swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck. Their idea is their baby, and they don't want to just hand it over to let them do what they will. As more and more creators start standing up and keeping their babies, we'll see some very interesting things happen:

• BETTER QUALITY GAMEPLAY - How many times has a game been passed on to another studio and you felt that it just wasn't as good? Sure, the Knights of the Old Republic games are both solid titles, but what about Spyro the Dragon? Insomniac Games' baby hasn't had the chance to bounce back yet.

• BETTER QUALITY STORY - It's a lot easier to tell when a series was put together by the same people. Compare the pre-Christopher Nolan Batman movies. If you handed someone Batman Returns and Batman Forever who didn't know much about Batman before, they wouldn't really know what's going on. The Jak and Daxter Precurser trilogy has that pay off where those of us who were with them for the whole ride really got to see the big picture in the end.
  

• DEVELOPERS WHO CARE ABOUT THE FINISHED PRODUCT - Not to say that an employee can't care about what they're doing just because they didn't create it or own it, but it's clear to see with franchises like Guitar Hero where it was just being shoveled onto the market. A lot of emphasis is placed on the yearly cycle of releasing a game, but as GTA4 showed everyone, if you put out a quality product, people will wait for it.

Creator ownership is a trend I want to see continue and expand, not just as someone who likes to create something, but as a consumer. You get the best thing you can get when people care about it. Congratulations to both Bungie and Respawn because those are the first steps to stand out and bring us into what I think are going to be some very interesting times.