Rock, Paper, Shotgun points out an interesting list compiled by veteran developer Simon Roth from Frozen Synapse developer Mode 7. The list shows companies that no longer collect any kinds of royalties from games they once had a hand in making. The point of it is to show what happens when a publisher buys out a developer and then kills that developer off.
This applies to any scenario you can think of too. For example, if one of the games on this list is re-released on Steam, GamersGate or Good Old Games, the developers that originally made them still don't see a dime of that money. The moral of the story is that it's probably a good idea to stay independent if you are a developer and to retain the rights to your game when you do have to sign a deal with the "devil."
You can check the whole thing out here, but some examples including Looking Glass Studios, Eidos, Pandemic Studios, and my favorite developer Mythos Games (whose founders were responsible for the X-Com series).
Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Comments
Re: The Perils of Becoming Owned
AAA games cost too much for independent developers today.
Re: The Perils of Becoming Owned
Yeah, but there is a lot more industry then the AAA games.
Re: The Perils of Becoming Owned
Yeah, it's sad that Westwood Studios and Bullfrog sold out to the big guys... as it destroyed what I felt was great about some of their games.
Hmm, does Maxis qualify for that list?
I also believe it's best to try staying independant... Everything gets ruined once the big companies get their hands on things... they are only in it for the Money and the Glory... which then results on losing the heart and fun of gaming. :(