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One thing that I’ve always enjoyed about the games industry is the spontaneity it offers. Compared to other mediums of entertainment, the video game biz is one in which shocking things can either happen on a daily or weekly basis. With key announcements such as corporate buy-outs or major game reveals being made when we least expect it, there’s a lot to keep people both busy and occupied – even when they’re not glued to their console or PC.
Take for example what transpired this past Saturday, a day in which is seemingly an otherwise uneventful time for video game news to occur. Somewhat coming out of the blue, acclaimed (and somewhat reviled) game developer Phil Fish went on Twitter and was once again brutally honest and entirely unfiltered in saying things he needed to get off his chest. But this latest Twitter post by Fish wasn’t just one that was the obviously letting off steam as he did two things: announced the cancellation of Fez II and also gave his notice of resignation as a game developer.
One of the more polarizing and wholly honest figures in the games industry, Phil Fish is a guy that some people love and others can’t stand. I think there won’t be any major arguments as to the effectiveness and overall enjoyment that Fez offered, save for of course small glitches that weren’t fixed, but when it comes to Phil Fish the man and game designer, people just can’t seem to stand him.
After all, in an industry that is sometimes entirely scripted in what can and can’t be said in addition to people wanting to play nice with others no matter what, Fish certainly stuck out like a sore thumb to an extent given how he would literally say whatever was on his mind via the outlet that is Twitter or in an occasional interview. Being open, a bit abrasive, egoistical/arrogant, and sometimes entirely honest ultimately made Phil an easy candidate for people not to like – a thing which led him to become an easy target to bash at times.
If you’re not totally up to date on the news, here’s what ultimately transpired to make Phil Fish go through an atomic bomb of emotions on Twitter and decide to blow up his career in a way that I consider somewhat admirable, both in the way he did it and simply from the perspective of being an actual human being with emotions.
Notable video game personality Marcus Beer decided to call out both Phil Fish and fellow indie game developer Jonathan Blow (Braid) on the latest episode of Invisible Walls on GameTrailers.com. While both Fish and Blow have been under the radar to an extent concerning their actual projects, Beer called both developers out for being open in their feelings regarding an interview inquiry made by Game Informer and other media outlets; the basis of which surrounded the at the time rumor concerning Microsoft’s change of stance concerning indie games on the Xbox One.
Now as a chap that considers himself a journo/blogger of some degree (I have to at least have a small bit of cred by now don’t I?), I can in a way understand why Game Informer would reach out to both Jonathan and Phil since they’re some of the most notable developers in the indie scene thanks to creating games that some people consider masterpieces. Though, ultimately reaching out to these noteworthy developers in the gaming scene may have been a bit premature, especially considering the status of the news/rumor at the time, which Jonathan Blow went on to comment via his Twitter account.