What's Happening at PAX?

Lot's of interesting stuff going on at PAX this weekend. The one that surprised me was the once Independent studios praising Activision for allowing them to still surf at lunch time.



Dan Amrich, former games journalist and current social media manager of Activision, hosted the panel, asking panelists from Raven, Vicarious Visions and High Moon Studios about the pressures of their parent company and the challenges with working with outside IPs.

Jennifer O'Neal, executive producer at Vicarious Visions, found herself wondering about the lost creative opportunities with being a subsidiary. But talking with her studio heads, she found they felt felt as if they were "not in as risky of a position as we were when we were independent."

Yet at the same time, she said that Activision allowed them to be able to spend their money more freely on technologies such as motion capture, which as independents would be too risky or impractical a move.

Peter Della Penna, head of High Moon Studios, was grateful for Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's support of the "independent studio model," which allowed his studio to, among other things, continue to surf during lunch breaks.

"You're good for a reason," he said, speaking for Kotick, "and the key to that is the studio culture." The responsibilities Activision placed on the studio of keeping on budget and delivering quality games never changed High Moon into something it was not.

No more singing Activision praises, lets watch Inside Gaming's video about the first day, it's awesome.