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GodGames' Mike Wilson Interviewed
9:50 AM | Eddie Park | Comment on this story
IMG readers may remember yesterday's article, titled "Game Over for Gathering of Developers," which reported that Gathering of Developers was officially calling it quits. GameSpot recently contacted Mike Wilson, founder of GoD, and managed to receive some more details on this sobering news.
First of all, the rumors have been confirmed that GoD will close its offices at the end of the month and hand everything over to Take Two Interactive. Take-two still intends to publish titles such as Myth III and Duke Nukem Forever under the GoD label. Apparently, talks were already underway for the transfer at this summer's E3, where Kelly Sumner, CEO of Take-Two, asked Wilson point-blank what he intended to do with GoD.
Reasons cited for the shutdown include lack of money, loss of purpose, and loss of heart. On the money side, GoD never managed to start with the venture captial it was originally shooting for. Unsuccessful titles such as Kiss: Psycho Circus and The Blair Witch Trilogy also hurt it monetarily.
GoD was originally founded to be a haven for independent publishers, with the idea that current publishers were too greedy and underhanded in their dealings with game developers. Ironically enough, to stay afloat, GoD eventually had to sell itself to one of those developers it was trying to defy: Take-Two. Apparently, there was also tension between GoD and its developers due to that loss of purpose:
"There was a lot of distrust between the developers and Gathering because of the inconsistent way Gathering followed its own core beliefs," explained Ritual Entertainment co-founder Jim Dose, commenting on the fact that what was once billed as an independent publisher soon became a marketing label for an established public company. Wilson cites himself for the loss of heart, based on the fact that he no longer considers himself a gamer, saying "I'm not a gamer now and I haven't been for a long time. I always told myself if I ever hit that point I would get out."
For more on the demise of GoDGames as well as what the future holds for the current team, be sure to peruse the full article at GameSpot.
 IMG - Game Over for Gathering of Developers?
 GameSpot - Mike Wilson of GoDGames Interview
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