I mean, that’s how production works. It’s an investment. The company invests in the games, spending their own money, and then sell it to make that money back and profit. That’s how it works in every other industry. And, the most similar thing to compare it to: video production. Movies, tv, etc.

This stupid method is what ends up creating all of the problems with game production, namely that stupid “crunch” shit. They take peoples money, creating impatience in the customer, and then squeeze the programmers in order to deliver when the company creates this sudden ticking clock because they didn’t want to do business like every other company ever. Invest in the product, make it good enough to profit. If you fail, it’s your money lost, just like it is for movie studios.

You’re definitely right the journos are pouring gasoline on this fire, but it’s an entirely self-created problem for the studios.