Another day, another freak. Welcome to episode 15 of Controller Freaks where James joins Aaron and I once more for more discussion about many things…including such hits as:
Sonic ’06 and the train wreck that is Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear Rising rants, God of War Ascension (and the best segue ever), The Last of Us, putting PS3 games on next-gen systems, cliché Star Fox references, Heavy Rain vs. The Last of Us, Press X to Jason apps, how the new Dragon Ball Z movie will probably be bad, the Super Sentai/Power Rangers lesson you never wanted, cell phone screen revolutions, internet rumors (or how to rile up James), and Facebook mind games
Thanks for joining us once again. We’ll probably be back next week. Let’s hope the government doesn’t cut funding before then.
The story in part 3 of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us series may explore a "congregation of immune people."
Former Naughty Dog artist Gabriel Betancourt explains why the "sweet spot" for game teams is under 200 people and how AAA "factories" kill creativity.
There’s definitely some truth to this. When teams get too large, coordination starts to outweigh creativity—layers of approval, risk aversion, and tight deadlines can turn bold ideas into “safe” ones. Keeping a team under ~200 people sounds ideal for maintaining clear communication and a shared vision. That said, massive AAA projects also come with huge technical demands and expectations, so scaling up isn’t always avoidable. The real challenge is figuring out how to keep that small-team creativity alive inside big studio structures.
More than that, it's logistically untenable. Inevitably, when teams get too large, how do you keep tabs on accountability? I suspect this massive team size is a consequence of the perfectionism streak Naughty Dog has.
I wish we could have so many people working on something and it turns out great because I'm all for collaboration in spirit - the problem is too many people as part of the larger team and smaller units. Suppose for example that you have too many people in the art department; you will very often come up against fiercely competing visions for how things should look. That competitive vision will cause friction between team members, team doesn't work as a unit, the back and forth can further delay parts that the other departments are waiting for, etc etc.
A 200-person team says, to me, that we need to scale back game development. Even if it means we go back to PS2 era costs and scale, why not? Those games are still great fun, the budgets were in check, and you could literally break the 200-man team into like 10 20-man teams working on different projects.
In an interview, SEGA Sound Team lead composer Tomoya Ohtani revealed that Sonic’s global music success didn’t come from chasing trends overseas.
I think this is how Japanese devs need to think. Catering to the west is a terrible idea. I personally, seek out Japanese developed games because they bring a unique experience to gaming. They just stand out more that way.
What do you mean when you say this is how they 'need to think'. I understand the idea of wanting to do them without worrying about Western sensibilities but I also think a Japanese dev can do whatever the hell they want. They don't have to 'think' the way some westerner in a forum says they have to think. You think you are giving someone a compliment but you are really being weird. Its not about who you are but what you do. Last year's GOTY was a western studio that made a JRPG. You didn't see any Japanese people claim that a studio in a Western company had to think a certain way. And yes, I do understand thats not what you were saying but I think we should always challenge our own viewpoints. Personally I have love the unique experiences that devs in Japan bring and I agree they don't need to cater to Western sensibilities. I only take issue with you saying how they need to think. Thats dangerous.
What he’s referring to is when a company like Atlus does a game and one of the characters per se ; call one of the other kids a retard , they shouldn’t have to censor the final product because of snowflakes all the way in America that are constantly ranting on twitter . None of these folks are real fans and only look for stuff to cry about . If you start pandering too much they end up taking more than a leg and an arm . Japanese humour is so funny but I hate when it’s censored because of “ western sensibilities “
Everyone understood the meaning behind the message but you. “I think” you need to go to the mirror, look yourself in the eyes call yourself an idiot sandwich.
The sonic music is iconic the mega drive games were some of the best on the system but i wouldn't say they were free of western influence especially since 3 was composed in part by Michael Jackson
But honestly most of the crush 40 soundtrack music lives in my head rent free
Uhhh that's a strange thing for him to say. Even in the interview he admits to listening to a lot of western music.
I think its strange that the topic of Western catering comes up with Sonic at all. Sometimes things just are what they are.
