STOP MAKING OATMEAL
Leah Hoyer, CEO and creative director at Level Headed Games, on why she feels fear of failure is prolonging the games industry recession
I
t is well understood that the games industry is facing some very tough times right now. Projects are being cut, studios are being shuttered, and a painful
number of great people have lost their jobs. But the thing that makes this sad state even more tragic is that those decisions are largely being driven by fear, which is the exact opposite of what our industry needs right now. In 2020, while the world was dealing with the
pandemic, the games industry was in the right place at the right time. This fueled a period of cavalier development and untenable long-term revenue projections. Now that the industry has experienced the inevitable calming of the COVID gaming frenzy, games leadership has made a dangerous overcorrection. While I often decry the hubris of some parts of this
industry, right now it feels like the industry giants have lost faith in their ability to make the magical experiences they are known for. Where has all of that Big Dev Energy gone?! Because of the current
state of the industry, we’ve seen most of the larger games companies investing in things they feel are “safe bets,” which are based on
46 | MCV/DEVELOP April/May 2025
known IP and/or largely mirror other existing games. Portfolios are shifting even more towards sequels and further installments of long-standing franchises. But today there are very few safe bets. In 2024, we saw AAA failures of anticipated reboots, wildly popular genres, and famous pop culture IP. While the next installment of EA Sports FC (formerly
FIFA) or Madden or Call of Duty will provide a strong, predictable revenue stream, those audiences are largely set. If we want to grow our industry again, we need to
reach players in ways that we currently aren’t. Doing this takes risk and investment into original ideas. But if every game is risky these days, shouldn’t we be prioritizing the ones that could actually grow the industry — the ones that might be the next big thing?
PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS Years ago, before I made video games, I developed animated television shows for Disney. It was my job to find and shepherd the next hit animated series idea for Disney Channel. For a few of those years, I and the rest of the team were constantly told that “We need our SpongeBob!” Because it was such a breakout success, a belief formed that more shows like Spongebob Squarepants were all any kid wanted to watch. But the reality was exactly the opposite. The viewers already had Spongebob, and no attempt at mimicking it was ever
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