Ashley Cheng (BethSoft producer), who I think is making a run at getting the community manager job Bethesda opened, responded in his (personal!) blog to a thread on the QTT forums (that thread, in turn, was in response to glittering gems of hatred). Ashley Cheng, apparently, "gets it":<blockquote>For me personally, 1997 right up until 2000 was a golden age for computer role playing games. Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Planescape Torment -- I played some of the best RPGs in my life during that period. In general, the aforementioned Fallout fans yearn for those RPGs. They may not want to play those exact games specifically, but it is safe to say that current RPGs on the market are definitely not to their liking (to say the least).
(...)
The general consensus of the thread was that these passionate fans are irrelevant, that they are too fanatical and small a blip on the market to really matter. Yet, I can't help but think of The Long Tail. Practically speaking, current major publishers and developers no longer make those types of games anymore, and retailers won't sell games that haven't come out in the past year or two. But you can still find them at places at www.gogamer.com or www.gametap.com. I would be curious if their sales of older titles is substantial enough to raise the eyebrows of major publishers and make a case for these niche titles.
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Perhaps the RPGs of the late 90s will make their way back somehow -- those big, beautiful beasts of RPGs. Yet, I imagine, much like adventure games, when they do return, they won't be anything like they were back before iPods ruled the earth.</blockquote>Link: Before iPods ruled the earth..., Ashley Cheng personal blog
Thanks Briosafreak.
(...)
The general consensus of the thread was that these passionate fans are irrelevant, that they are too fanatical and small a blip on the market to really matter. Yet, I can't help but think of The Long Tail. Practically speaking, current major publishers and developers no longer make those types of games anymore, and retailers won't sell games that haven't come out in the past year or two. But you can still find them at places at www.gogamer.com or www.gametap.com. I would be curious if their sales of older titles is substantial enough to raise the eyebrows of major publishers and make a case for these niche titles.
(...)
Perhaps the RPGs of the late 90s will make their way back somehow -- those big, beautiful beasts of RPGs. Yet, I imagine, much like adventure games, when they do return, they won't be anything like they were back before iPods ruled the earth.</blockquote>Link: Before iPods ruled the earth..., Ashley Cheng personal blog
Thanks Briosafreak.
Looks like there's a digg for this already:
iGame, niiice.