They Really Said That? – The Most Ill-Advised Statements In The Gaming Industry

The gaming industry is filled with many outspoken individuals, from developers to PR reps to CEOs. Considering the amount of time they spend in front of conference crowds and the gaming press, they're bound to provide us with some quotable gems from time to time. Oftentimes, these statements are puzzling, insulting, or downright wrong. Here are some of the most memorable from recent years.

PETER MOLYNEUX - Designer, Fable

Quote:
"It's gonna be the best game ever made."

Where:
Game Developers Conference, 2002

Why it was a bad idea:
Statements like this are probably never a good idea no matter what the game, as gamers are notorious for creating unrealistically lofty expectations. If the designer of the game gives the gaming community a quote like this, they will expect no less than the best game ever. While Fable was a successful game and was met with generally positive reviews, many of Molyneux's statements during development were either overhyped or simply not true. Back when it was still called Project Ego, he stated that the game would include trees that grew in real time and many "future-altering" consequences to every minute action the gamer performed. If you crushed a flower, it would affect the future natural habitat. Spend too much time in the sun and you'll tan, stress yourself out too much and you'll get bags under your eyes and age faster, carry a sword with one hand and that arm will grow more muscular, carve your initials in a tree and you'll see them there 10 years later. Molyneux promised countless features in the early stages of development, and very few of them made it into the final game. He didn't lie to gamers, but he spoke at length about elements of Fable long before he knew if they were feasible or not...never a good idea when you have legions of fans expecting nothing short of perfection.


SATORU IWATA - President and CEO, Nintendo

Quote #1:
"Customers do not want online games."

Where:
Speech to the Japan Economic Foundation, 2004

Why it was a bad idea: 
Microsoft's Xbox Live service has over 20 million members, and Sony's Playstation Network has over 29 million. These numbers and the millions of online PC gamers prove that yes, gamers do want online games. Xbox Live and PSN have been huge successes, and the majority of games for their respective consoles have at least some form of online functionality. Gamers love the ease of playing and communicating with friends over the internet, and multiplayer-heavy titles like Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 are consistently massive sellers. It seemed that Nintendo finally succumbed to the fact that gamers want to play online when they announced that the Wii would feature Wi-Fi. However, a cumbersome online setup and the lack of easy methods of communication leave the Wii severely behind when it comes to gaming over the internet.

Quote #2:
"When you turn on the Revolution (Wii) and see the graphics, you will say, "Wow."

Where:
Nintendo Press Conference, E3 2005

Why it was a bad idea: 

BILL RITCH - producer, Genji 2

Quote:
"Being based on history, the stages of the game will also be based on famous battles which actually took place in ancient Japan...so here's this giant enemy crab..."

Where:
Sony Press Conference, E3 2006

Why it was a bad idea:
Have you seen what ancient Japanese battles looked like? They looked like this...

 ...not like this...

BOBBY KOTICK - President and CEO, Activision

Quote:
"The goal that I had...was to take all the fun out of making video games." Also said he has tried to instill "skepticism, pessimism, and fear" into Activision employees and that the employee incentive program "really rewards profit and nothing else."

Where:
Speech at the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference, 2009

Why it was a bad idea:
Game developers typically aren't the standard corporate employees. Walk into a development studio and you'll probably see bearded guys with Star Wars t-shirts and Nerf guns at their desks. It probably doesn't fill them with much optimism when their top brass is publicly (and proudly) claiming to the press that he wants to keep employees "focused on the deep depression." There is inherent fun in the process of making video games, and most of the development side of the industry has a blast doing their jobs. While Kotick has made it clear that profits are the driving force behind his interest in the gaming industry, I'm sure the teams at Infinity Ward, Neversoft, and Treyarch have different opinions on the matter.


JOHN ROMERO - Designer of Doom, Quake, and Daikatana

Quote:
"I completely love playing and designing games and always will. I am so into games that I listen to game music all day. That may sound strange, but you can guarantee I'm a hardcore gamer and would never let you down by designing a crappy title."

Where:
Interview, mid 1990s

Why it was a bad idea:
The interview was conducted during the four years Romero spent designing one of the most notoriously crappy titles ever made. Daikatana was shown at E3 1999 via a demo that ran approximately 12 frames a second. After countless delays it was finally released in April of 2000, and was met with universally awful reviews and mediocre sales. Since the Daikatana debacle, Romero spent his time working on N-Gage games and a canceled FPS for the "Cyberathlete Professional League." A tough demotion, considering that Time magazine once claimed "Everything that game designer John Romero touches turns to gore and gold."