RPG Roundtable #5, Part One
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The most important thing to consider when deciding to develop for PC, console or both, is the intended audience. Is the game something that people will enjoy playing sitting on their couch with a bag of chips nearby, holding a controller in their laps? Will it be fun sitting at a desk, looking into a spiffy flat screen monitor, hands outstretched using a mouse and keyboard? If the answer to either of these questions is "Well, not really", then the answer is simple. Don't go PC and console with it (and yes, that also means don't pawn it off to some sucker developer to port it for you, either). If you do, there's a good chance you will inevitably end up sacrificing elements of your game on one platform or the other (or both), and that can disappoint a good chunk of your player base. To me personally, the potential for greater sales on a different platform doesn't justify releasing a mediocre title.
Based on the above thoughts and considerations, the decision was made that Dungeon Siege II would be a PC-only title. RPGs and adventure games are two genres that don't typically do as well cross-platform, and I think the reason is that they involve long time investments for the player. Keeping both types of gamers invested for that sustained amount of time effectively on each platform is a serious challenge for a developer.
