MMORPG News - The Price of Freedom @ Ten Ton Hammer

Ten Ton Hammer has a piece titled The Price of Freedom that discusses the challenges of indie MMO development, based on a keynote speech from IMGDC:

What comprises an independent game, much less an independent MMO? According to Williams, the issue is simply a matter of who has their say in the development process. "With an independent game, creative control rests with the developer rather than in the hands of a publisher or distribution partner." Williams intimated that too often, money is quite literally the currency of control, and that attempts to fund a development process-intensive game like an MMO can seriously impinge upon a independent developer's ability to realize his or her original vision for a game. Using a distribution platform like Valve Steam is an option, but Williams noted that indies often get disadvantageous terms, surrendering a hefty chunk of the post-launch revenues for money received up front. He went on to delineate the somewhat unpleasant fiscal alternatives: 1) bootstrapping - working from savings accounts and etiolated credit cards to design a game in the developer's spare time, 2) loans - extremely hard to get for a high-risk entrepreneur like a game developer, 3) investors who are willing to pony up money in support of the design (and without a will to push their own ideas), 4) (suggested by the audience) working through a university or educational institution, offering up much of the design process as a teaching tool.