John-ShepardActivision is usually on the short end of the stick when gamers rate publishers on reputation.
Bigger publishers are often accused of "soul crushing" policies towards developers, as noted by GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview with Beenox studio boss Dee Brown.
But Brown defended Activision, saying that his team's experience with the mega publisher has been nothing but positive. Said Brown:
"I would certainly say from an internal perspective that the reputation Activision has acquired is probably unfair. Beenox was acquired in 2005, so it has been six years now that we've been with Activision. We had to work with Activision prior to our acquisition. There was a reason why I as the studio founder agreed to be acquired. It was because of their independent studio culture. I believed in that model, and I still believe in that model today.
Activision has always treated us as partners, rather than something to be controlled. They've been, from a creative standpoint, really, really great. When I look at Shattered Dimensions, what were asked for at the time was 'Please make a Spider-Man game.' That was the creative direction that Activision gave us."
Brown goes on to talk about the benefits of working with a licensed entity, which some developers can't really handle very well. Beenox is currently cranking away on The Amazing Spider-Man and we're enthusiastic, because this designer has given us several solid Spidey adventures over the years. As for the Activision defense, it's not exactly surprising…is it?