Clover Studio
Okami... best game I've ever played. It's original, artistic, innovative, enthralling, addicting... not to mention, very long and very cool... everything you want in a game! (Well, you'd probably run into some penny-pinching psychiatrists who like to tell you game addiction is a disease, but I abstain.) It was made by Clover Studio, a Japanese subsidiary of Capcom, for the PlayStation 2. This, you probably already know, but I'm giving some essential background.
An awesome company. A lot like Cyanworlds, maybe. They focus on new and better ways to make games that aren't some rehash of something you've seen thirteen times before. Something that people would like to see stick around and pump out even more awesome stuff, right? Wrong! Capcom announced today that they are in the process of dissolving Clover Studio. (Here's the Kotaku article.) Why? Here's a quote from the official english press release:
Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has met the goal of developing unique and creative original home video game software, however, in view of promoting a business strategy that concentrates management resources on a selected business to enhance the efficiency of the development power of the entire Capcom group, the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has been raised and passed at a Board of Directors' meeting.
So, basically, Clover did everything they were built for! They successfully developed unique and creative games that, as far as I know, people are just going crazy over. However, Capcom decided to disband them to promote a business strategy that focuses resources on "enhancing the efficiency of the development power" of the rest of Capcom. What does this mean? They want to churn things out faster. How do you think they're going to do that? They're going to pump out sequels. You're going to see Resident Evil 52, Megaman 326, and Devil May Cry 21. Things that "sell well"... Things that don't take much brain power to make... Things that are a sure bet and not "dangerous" for the company.
As Nintendo said during E3 2006, the video game industry is lined with the wreckage of companies who didn't change and adapt... companies who were too afraid to try something new. They stuck with what they knew and they died. Companies like Nintendo and Clover Studio and Cyanworlds... they like to push the boundaries of new and exciting things that've never been done before. And you know what? They ARE successful. People love new things. Of course, there's always the chance that your product will flop and your company may die, but the company will die anyway. But just don't make bad products! Listen to what the people want and you'll be successful.
Unfortunately, companies like Sony and Microsoft and Electronic Arts and Capcom and Ubisoft just can't quite see that. The irony is that they're the gargantuan mammoth corporations who can AFFORD to make mistakes, but they have so much money, they just want to keep making more and more and more in the easiest way possible. I can't believe how these guys are so blatantly ignoring games like Uru Live and Okami and are tossing the creative companies aside to rot. Not only are they killing these companies and hindering creativity, but they're slowly and surely killing themselves with ever overdone games like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid and Rainbow Six.
On the bright side, there's a rumor flying around (as reported on by Wired) that the reason Capcom is dissolving Clover Studio is because Clover wanted to break away from Capcom, and Capcom was just making it official. If this is true, then that would make Clover an independent developer who wouldn't be tied to a single publisher and/or platform. If this is true, and they're able to find someone to snatch them up, we could be seeing more of their games on multiple platforms, which is better for us and better for them. Just think... it would be possible to see Okami on the Nintendo Wii after all! Using the Celestial Brush with the Wii Remote would be heavenly. Granted it is a long shot, but just the possibility that Clover will surive is enough to make Capcom's stupidity less heartbreaking.
We shall see... Clover will be officially separated from Capcom by the end of March 2007.