[plug] Loki no longer! :(

[Grahame Bowland]

On Fri, 2002-01-25 at 15:19, Theodor Gutmann wrote:
> First the obvious question: are there any games for Linux??
> Yes!!..........lots.
> Many are ports of popular Windows games such as the Quake series,
> Civilisation: CTP, Myth, Soldier of fortune, Descent 3, Unreal
> Tournament and Tribes 2 to name a few- and they install and run  just
> the same, if not better ( there are benchmarks scores available ). There
> is but one problem with games under Linux- NOBODY BUYS THEM!.
> 
> Whether it is because Linux geeks are short on cash, or they are so used
> to open source philosophy that buying software is a major hurdle, who
> knows, but Linux game company Loki filed for bankruptcy protection. Loki
> was the crowning glory of games for Linux, consisting of a group of
> talented programmers with a solid service to SELL - they'd port Windows
> games to Linux in return for a share of the profits of the ported game.
> All the game company needs to do is hand over the source to Loki and
> then wait for the cash from the sales to roll in.
> But the sales DID NOT roll in, Loki ran out of investment capital.

I don't think it's any of this stuff. The fact is that:
 - most Linux people have access to a Windows box
 - it's so much easier to buy Windows games than Linux games
 - they're only ports of existing Windows games, without any special 
   added features and with introduced bugs/the occasional missing 
   feature
 - some of the games couldn't multiplayer with the Windows versions 
   of themselve

So when confronted with the choice of getting the easy-to-install,
easy-to-buy Windows game or the Linux version that might not work
completely, most people just opt for the easiest and buy Windows. You
can't blame people for that. People want stuff to work, people don't (in
general) care that Linux is free, open, good or right. And Loki's
software wasn't an embodiment of those principals anyway.

Perhaps Loki would have sold more games to Linux people if they'd
actually developed cool new games - then this whole easier option
wouldn't have existed. Given that RedHat x.x is so easy to find these
days you might have found people installing it just to try the latest
Loki demo CD.

They had nothing to make people want to switch to Linux and buy their
product, and their was no particular reason someone dual-booting would
buy the Linux program.

It might have been more sensible to be a consulting company at first,
contracting to existing games houses who already have their own
distribution channels. Given the price of pressing a CD, you might even
have found a Windows and a Linux version in some boxes. Although perhaps
that is wishful thinking.

Have fun
Grahame

-- 
Grahame Bowland                       Email: grahame at ucs.uwa.edu.au
University Communications Services    Phone: +61 8 9380 1175
The University of Western Australia     Fax: +61 8 9380 1109
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