Brink

THE BUZZ: While Brink may not have received the reception they were hoping for, the folks at developer Splash Damage are promising big things for this new year.

EGM’s TAKE: Splash Damage CEO and game director Paul Wedgwood took to the company’s website today to talk a bit about where the developer would be going in 2012.

“We’ve enjoyed a fantastic first 10 years at Splash Damage and we’re looking forward to an even more exciting future,” Wedgwood writes. “A huge part of this is due to you – our fans – so in this update, I’d like to give you a quick glimpse of what you can expect from us this year.”

So, what will Splash Damage be up to in 2012? Wedgwood notes that his company has “several significant announcements” to make in the near future—revealing titles not only for platforms they’ve already released games on, but also “exploring spaces completely new to us.” The developer has also brought on some new staff, which Wedgwood says has been done in order to strengthen the Splash Damage team in “key areas”.

“Finally, we’ve got some special things planned to take full advantage of the changes our industry is experiencing,” Wedgwood writes to finish up his message to fans. “This is a hugely exciting time for everyone here at the studio and we can’t wait to tell you about all the cool things we’ve got in store for you this year.”

Reading Paul Wedgwood’s message to fans really made me think for a moment about this whole video games industry. It’s really easy to find ourselves bashing publishers or developers for certain choices or mistakes in products. Sure, maybe Brink wasn’t the product that many players wanted—but we all make mistakes. We’ve gotten to a point where we’re ready to crucify game creators for one misstep, and I think it puts us in a dangerous situation.

Do we need to make sure developers know when we aren’t happy about their games? Absolutely? I just worry that the more we’re willing to throw them under a bus for one bad game, the fewer chances those developers will take in the future.