Bethesda discusses what it takes to be a successful publisher ahead of Dishonored 2 release
Bethesda Softworks, publisher of potential game of the year Dishonored 2 which hits store shelves on 11 November, have dismissed talk of establishing a new blockbuster franchise as they outline the secrets of their success in a cuthroat industry.
Instead of consciously seeking to emulate hit titles such as Doom and Skyrim Bethesda’s VP of marketing Pete Hines told gamesindustry.biz that the publishers sole aim is to build the best game possible rather than get sidetracked by future concerns such as sequels and downloadable content.
Hines said: “I think we try pretty hard, and certainly my focus is always, that you can't spend any time thinking about your game as a franchise. You have to focus on that one thing. Whether it's DLC, Dishonored 3 or anything else is completely irrelevant when you're making Dishonored 2, because if that game isn't great and you don't do everything as well as possible none of it is ever going to matter.
"This comes up a lot, with people asking, 'What are your plans for DLC?' If we don't do the game well nobody's going to want any DLC, because we won't have any players around to buy it. The focus is on making Dishonored 2, and then my team has to do a good job of talking about what these guys are doing so it sells well. Then we move on to what's next."
Developed by Arkane Studios Dishonored 2 has been deluged with awards before it’s even been released, hinting that it could sit alongside the likes of Fallout, Doom and The Elder Scrolls as an original franchise.