Interview with Dorian Richard of Atari about Neverwinter Nights 2
In an interview with Dorian Richard, the Atari external producer for Neverwinter Nights 2, the interview discusses the relationship between publisher and developer, and touches on some of the challenges of creating a sequel to a title like Neverwinter Nights.
GT: What kind of mistakes do publishers make during the development process?
DR: The publisher’s producer needs to be good at spotting red flags and should have a good working relationship with the developer so she can help them work through issues in a productive way. Publishers often find out too late that there’s an issue that can no longer be addressed. A good publisher keeps on top of that stuff, as long as the developer is being responsible and open with them. A bad publisher won’t take notice of problems until it’s too late. But again, the publisher really needs to work to establish trust with the developer (and vice versa) or none of this works.
GT: What are the most common challenges you face when interacting with developers?
DR: There’s inexperienced developers, and there’s experienced developers. Inexperienced developers tend to lack staff with sufficient scheduling and managing experience. They might be good at certain development tasks, but they don’t know how to read warning signs and manage people, so they frequently fail to recognize when a big slip is looming. They don’t plan for likely emergencies, like a key team member getting sick or having a family emergency.”
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