Concept art for Chronometer, an Introversion game that never was.2008 wasn't a great year for a lot of people, and the folks at indie developer Introversion--creators of the absolutely brilliant DEFCON--were among the afflicted. A bigger operation, particularly a publicly held one, might try to whitewash some of the financial misfortunes a company had suffered. Introversion cofounder, lead designer, and lead developer Chris Delay opted instead for a bracing level of transparency, providing a detailed, three-partaccount of how this tiny, idealistic UK developer came to the brink of oblivion last year.
I don't want to spoil too much here, because it's a riveting read, thanks largely to Delay's frank tone and the critical eye he turns towards both himself and Introversion. He never tries to shift blame for the bad decisions and unforeseen pitfalls that put the developer in such dire straits, which is a remarkably rare and difficult thing to do. It is, as Delay himself describes, an "increasingly depressing" story, but the good news is that Introversion is still around in 2009, and Delay seems to be of the mindset that things can only get better from here. Let's hope that's true.
