5 ms·

Digital Foundry leaves IGN, now independent [video]

93 points by zdw 1y ago

matthewfcarlson 1y ago
It feels like I’ve seen most places that went independent die out but I don’t have any data to back it up.
- mrbungie 1y ago
  As a videogamer I hope Digital Foundry survives this, because they give lots of data-based insights about the industry, especially from a tech perspective. And as a follower and fan of their videos, I must add that these guys seem smart enough to figure it out.
- reaperhulk 1y ago
  DF already has a vibrant Patreon community so they’re not starting from scratch on funding themselves. I’m excited to see what they can do going forward.
- SlowTao 1y ago
  I get the sentiment but I have to give it to DF, they have been taking the slow and steady route. That is a path to success in their field.
ekianjo 1y ago
so Independent that I need to sign up to read that post.
- eigenspace 1y ago
  Read what post? It's a link to a video...
coro_1 1y ago
They produce nice material. Sometimes they're so focused on frame-rates it's annoying though.
- tills13 1y ago
  I mean that is what normal people care about, too. If the game is a stuttery mess, it is more negatively perceived than if the game is graphically meh imo. _As someone who does care about framerate_, I do what you are getting at, though.
  - famahar 1y ago
    I'm curious what you think of games at low frame rate for artistic intention. I'm making a game and locking it at 30fps not for technical limitations, but because I actually like feel of it compared to the overly smooth high FPS. The game I'm making isn't fast paced so it feels appropriate. I sometimes lock my games to even 14fps.
    - newZWhoDis 1y ago
      [flagged]
      - snarky101133 1y ago
        That was indeed snarky. Also depending on the game and style lower frame rates can be perfectly fine and possibly preferable. Not every game is a 240fps fps. Movies are still 24fps, games have done 24fps for a more cinematic look and some animation is even done at 12fps (Spiderverse was animated on the twos)
        tuna74 1y ago
        Spiderverse was animated on twos for specific characters in specific scenes. Movies have to be very careful when moving the camera not to turn into a blurry mess. With higher frame rates you can move the camera much more freely and the audience will still be able to see what is happening.
        freehorse 1y ago
        If the audience plays it on a 30fps device then not much should change really
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
blitzar 1y ago
£500k in revenue in 2023 - not great for youtube money.
- deng 1y ago
  Yes, they're surely not getting rich, but it's commendable that except from selling their own merch, they do not go the raycon/nordvpn/brilliant/younameit route. With Adsense alone I'm pretty sure this would not be sustainable, but they have a pretty successful Patreon.
  - AIPedant 1y ago
    Not quite true, they got in trouble recently for running a Nintendo ad without properly labelling it (until it was pointed out, the video is fixed now): https://youtube.com/watch?v=V10wHzV5zp0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=V10wHzV5zp0 Screenshot of original video: https://www.resetera.com/threads/digital-foundry-posts-an-ad-video-from-nintendo-on-their-own-youtube-channel-comparison-zelda-switch-1-vs-2-up-now-says-ad.1165791/page-2#post-138609519 https://www.resetera.com/threads/digital-foundry-posts-an-ad... It is a bit shameful that games journalists didn't cover this at all - seems almost like an omertà. Even assuming the mislabelling was an honest mistake, running the ad in the first place makes me trust them less. Worse, I used their videos when deciding to buy a Switch 2! I would have been much more skeptical (likely ignored them entirely) if I had known they were taking money from Nintendo.
    - deng 1y ago
      They labeled it as "sponsored" when it should have said "ad". I mean yeah, it's weird to simply repost a straight ad on the main channel, but at least that's clearer than integrating it into their own content. The description also always made clear that it's content provided by Nintendo. If you believe that this influences their view of the Switch2, then by all means, get your information elsewhere. From what I've seen, they've actually been more critical of Switch2 than most other outlets, highlighting the issues with the blurry screen and also the rather lackluster line-up from third parties, mainly because Nintendo is intentionally stingy with dev units.
seanalltogether 1y ago
I hope they are successful. What I appreciate about DF is their ability to explain what techniques the developers chose to use in the rendering process. Game engines are so buzzwordy these days and they're often good about showing in the videos which rendering techniques are turned on or off based on settings.

93 points by zdw 1y ago

matthewfcarlson 1y ago

It feels like I’ve seen most places that went independent die out but I don’t have any data to back it up.

mrbungie 1y ago
As a videogamer I hope Digital Foundry survives this, because they give lots of data-based insights about the industry, especially from a tech perspective. And as a follower and fan of their videos, I must add that these guys seem smart enough to figure it out.
reaperhulk 1y ago
DF already has a vibrant Patreon community so they’re not starting from scratch on funding themselves. I’m excited to see what they can do going forward.
SlowTao 1y ago
I get the sentiment but I have to give it to DF, they have been taking the slow and steady route. That is a path to success in their field.

ekianjo 1y ago

so Independent that I need to sign up to read that post.

eigenspace 1y ago
Read what post? It's a link to a video...

coro_1 1y ago

They produce nice material. Sometimes they're so focused on frame-rates it's annoying though.

tills13 1y ago
I mean that is what normal people care about, too. If the game is a stuttery mess, it is more negatively perceived than if the game is graphically meh imo. _As someone who does care about framerate_, I do what you are getting at, though.
- famahar 1y ago
  I'm curious what you think of games at low frame rate for artistic intention. I'm making a game and locking it at 30fps not for technical limitations, but because I actually like feel of it compared to the overly smooth high FPS. The game I'm making isn't fast paced so it feels appropriate. I sometimes lock my games to even 14fps.
  - newZWhoDis 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - snarky101133 1y ago
      That was indeed snarky. Also depending on the game and style lower frame rates can be perfectly fine and possibly preferable. Not every game is a 240fps fps. Movies are still 24fps, games have done 24fps for a more cinematic look and some animation is even done at 12fps (Spiderverse was animated on the twos)
      - tuna74 1y ago
        Spiderverse was animated on twos for specific characters in specific scenes. Movies have to be very careful when moving the camera not to turn into a blurry mess. With higher frame rates you can move the camera much more freely and the audience will still be able to see what is happening.
        freehorse 1y ago
        If the audience plays it on a 30fps device then not much should change really

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

blitzar 1y ago

£500k in revenue in 2023 - not great for youtube money.

deng 1y ago
Yes, they're surely not getting rich, but it's commendable that except from selling their own merch, they do not go the raycon/nordvpn/brilliant/younameit route. With Adsense alone I'm pretty sure this would not be sustainable, but they have a pretty successful Patreon.
- AIPedant 1y ago
  Not quite true, they got in trouble recently for running a Nintendo ad without properly labelling it (until it was pointed out, the video is fixed now): https://youtube.com/watch?v=V10wHzV5zp0 https://youtube.com/watch?v=V10wHzV5zp0 Screenshot of original video: https://www.resetera.com/threads/digital-foundry-posts-an-ad-video-from-nintendo-on-their-own-youtube-channel-comparison-zelda-switch-1-vs-2-up-now-says-ad.1165791/page-2#post-138609519 https://www.resetera.com/threads/digital-foundry-posts-an-ad... It is a bit shameful that games journalists didn't cover this at all - seems almost like an omertà. Even assuming the mislabelling was an honest mistake, running the ad in the first place makes me trust them less. Worse, I used their videos when deciding to buy a Switch 2! I would have been much more skeptical (likely ignored them entirely) if I had known they were taking money from Nintendo.
  - deng 1y ago
    They labeled it as "sponsored" when it should have said "ad". I mean yeah, it's weird to simply repost a straight ad on the main channel, but at least that's clearer than integrating it into their own content. The description also always made clear that it's content provided by Nintendo. If you believe that this influences their view of the Switch2, then by all means, get your information elsewhere. From what I've seen, they've actually been more critical of Switch2 than most other outlets, highlighting the issues with the blurry screen and also the rather lackluster line-up from third parties, mainly because Nintendo is intentionally stingy with dev units.

seanalltogether 1y ago

I hope they are successful. What I appreciate about DF is their ability to explain what techniques the developers chose to use in the rendering process. Game engines are so buzzwordy these days and they're often good about showing in the videos which rendering techniques are turned on or off based on settings.