Gearbox Software head Randy Pitchford has a long history with the folks at Valve, which is probably why he’s able to speak with just candor when it comes to what he believes are serious missteps on behalf of the acclaimed developer.
Coming off a series of comments criticizing Valve over their digital delivery platform Steam, Pitchford recently told the UK gaming publication OPM that Valve’s avoidance of PlayStation 3 support bears similarities to the kinds of “childish and narrow minded” attitudes that fanboys are famously known for having for or against a particular console, AnalogHype (via Develop) reports.
"I noticed something on the net not too long ago. Doug Lombardi (Valve's VP Marketing) had to take a swipe at the PS3 again, and I thought it was foolish. I read it the same way I read fanboys. Like there's a guy who brought the Sony platform and he's a Sony guy, so he decides he's going to spend a certain percentage of his time bashing Microsoft. And there's a guy on Microsoft doing the same thing,” Pitchford explained.
As for his own stance on the PS3, Pitchford said, “The PS3 is awesome. I think Valve...I don't know why they are doing that. It's weird. But yeah, the PlayStation platform's really cool. It's different to others and it's certainly a challenge to be able to develop software for. But that's where the fun is, right?"
Valve has rather famously criticized the PS3 for being too difficult to program for, and as such, Sony’s console has received very little in terms of support from the developer. Then again, I don’t think anyone would criticize Epic Games or Insomniac Games for having “fanboy”-like attitudes towards the 360 and/or PS3 because they work exclusively on their respective consoles of choice. When developers say things like, “We prefer working on the 360 because we find it easier” and “This game could only be made on the PS3,” it doesn’t strike me as fanboy-ish; it just sounds like developers expressing their personal technological preferences (which are oftentimes dictated by exclusivity deals, but those deals wouldn't have been agreed to in the first place if the developers didn't feel some kind of reasoned draw to a particular console).
I’ve contacted Valve to get their take on this, so I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
Do you think Pitchford’s characterization of Valve’s attitude toward the PS3 is fair/accurate?
Source: AnalogHype (via Develop)
Comments
Displaying 1–20 of 78
12342
croachtnt
I love using Valve for my PC games and I can understand them saying that they want to wait to do things properly on the ps3. But with the rising popularity of the ps3 and fact that many other developers have been able to do it, it begins to sound more and more like excuses
tekhead73
To be clear I am a big fan of the Half-Life series and by default was a fan of Valve, but
with these recent statements Valve is showing how lazy they are. They used the same tired old engine in the latest H-L. episodes and even with Portal (which I Loved!!). What I want to know if it is really so hard to work with the PS3 then why has Crytek with the introduction of CRYengine 3 allow real time game dev on PS3, 360, & PC and wait for it this the great part all at the SAME TIME, yes same engine, same game , on all 3 they made it scalable to adjust for the strength & weaknesses of each platform.
http://mycryengine.com/
blackleo81
"Its easier to develop games for the 360 vs the PS3..." If that is the only reason why you choose one system other the other is because you don't like the challenge then why should I buy your games any way they all could be just half-ass attempts. I thought developers love challenges not giving up. Also if you only making games for one system aren't you losing money from the system that your not making games for? Then your company gets bought out by EA and they rape your original idea but system loyalty is a great thing to have but not when it comes to making money.
crackingcody
i love when ps3 and sony fanboys get defensive about these things. and i also love the bogus "Only on Ps3" slogan that they say for every game that is on the ps3. we all know that is a lie because they are now bringing metal gear solid and final fantasy to the 360. i guess they are now possible on both. lol. and ps3 can keep haze.
orangecrow
all I know is that i own a 360, there for i am going to buy only 360 titles. thanks you Valve for choosing 360 as a home for Left 4 Dead, because when it's all said and done i am all4number1
grek176
i'd say something but you would probably get angry
hewho0wns
L4D on ps3 would be amazing. I loved on the 360. L4D is the only good 360 exclusive (In my opinion)
Kyuss023
Both consoles have things to offer, if you have the money to buy both then great. Randy's description of fanboys is very accurate, I mean you must have a very childish frame of mind to get so worked up over gaming systems. In the end they are both great systems and if you must choose one, it's up to you. Personally I consider myself a PC gamer because there are things the PC can do that consoles lack I.E. Modding. Exclusives are strictly business; I would love to see companies developing more multiplatform games than exclusives, but please no quickly put together ports, do it right..
KilledFirst
Fanboyism is running awry with all game developers. Take Infinity Wards COD MW2 for example. Everything to report about the game is done through the eyes of the 360, I have yet to see a single instance where the PS3 is used to report anything about the game. I guess this means that Activision and Infinity Ward are going to use their bottom of the barrel servers for the PS3 version, fueling the 360 fanboys argument for paid versus free online play.
I have both systems and I still see no benefits to paying to play except when it comes to games like COD where the developers are fanboys to the 360. M.A.G. has 256 players at once and I still have yet to see any lag that's on the same level as any of the COD's on the PS3. I can only guess what the excuse will be from both Infinity Ward and Activision.
KilledFirst
It's Valve, Who cares? None of their games interest me.
bigmonstefan
I don't think that valve's stance on not developing for the ps3 is all that bad, but I do think that they are making their choice for the wrong reasons, but whatever. I've got plenty of other games to play on my ps3 and left for dead isn't that high on my want to play list (not that it's bad, that's just how competitive my "want to play" list is. Maybe I'll care when episode 3 comes out in 2028 and then half life 3 in 2074. Can't wait for those years.
Silky08
Someone put more oil on the flames of console war! do it! fast! No more reasoning! ANARCHYYYY ANARCHYYYYY
santsax97
Randy Pitchford is a PS3 fanboy so he is bashing Valve for being a X360 fanboy (who cares)
Sesslersprodigy
whoever this guy is doesnt no what he is talking about. When people are experts at making games for one type of console they dont really want to change because they know what they can do with it. So when they dont make many games for ps3 because they dont have the xp for it, and he complains it makes him sound childish. I dont hear him complaining about any other exclusive company, but its wrong for valve to do. This dude doesnt make sence at all. I have a ps3 and a perfectly good computer, i have played almost all vavle games on PC and i have played the orange box on ps3. The games that they make take a lot of time and hard work (half-life2 took 5 years...i think...) and for them not wanting to put it on ps3 because it takes even more time doesnt bother me. This guy needs to stop complaining and grow up.
JewUnit666
the ps3 may be harder to develop for but the reward is sooo high if you work with it and go the extra step(god of war 3, killzone 2, uncharted 2, heavy rain, and many others that are coming) Valve should atleast try it and see, i mean to simply rule out its too hard to develope for when valve hasnt put a ps3 game out is dumb, valve saying its too hard and not even developing one game for it just almost makes them a bad developer
gamersince1995
mhmm I WANNA MAKE A POLL
HOW MANY USERS HERE USE
PC
MAC
OTHERS?
gamersince1995
HHAHA PS3 AND WII AND SOME PC WTF!!!!
ddc2494
I can care less about Left 4 Dead, we all know Wii Play is better than it.
Just look at the sales... ;-)
ddc2494
@lucidity
Well at least they take quality time to build games look at the flops Microsoft has had this year, Champions Online, Darkest of Days, Halo Wars, and even though it did not come out this year may I remind you of Too Human? According to sources that took 6 Years and 100 million and was one of the biggest flops in history.
Also what did I tell you about sales? They dont mean that much, but whatever though we all know Wii Play is 10x better than that Halo trash and its 4 hour DLC anyway ;-)
myMaddness
I might be confussing Insomniac with Naughty Dog but isn't IG owned by Sony? Please clairify this for me.
Displaying 1–20 of 78
12342
Add a Comment