Why today's demanding players inhibit innovation

- Ubisoft Toronto managing director and Assassin's Creed veteran Jade Raymond discusses the modern challenges facing game developers in a new interview with Official Xbox Magazine. As the video game industry has grown, Raymond's found that players have become increasingly picky, and developers need to strive for flawless, immaculate products if they hope to answer their demands. The trade-off, however, is that reaching for perfection makes you less able to take creative risks. "Before, there were only, say, two million people playing games -- they were real fans and they were playing every game. They were willing to forgive bugs, and try things that weren't as much fun because they were different. Now, there are 30 million people buying and they only buy the top five," she says. "It's not very forgiving. It does limit innovation, because if something isn't working as you get towards shipping, you have to cut it or revert [back to] what you know does work."