Once businesses move from private to public sector, the risk tolerance takes a nosedive. You all of a sudden have shareholders that want a steady return and don’t necessarily give a shit if that comes from a F2P game with a ton of gimmicks and microtransactions or a true stellar game.

Management therefore goes with “proven” low risk strategies that may generate a smaller return but also won’t break the studio (and lose them their job) if they fail.

My personal view is that it comes down to risk analysis. Great for generic “business” or investment, but bad for innovation. They start playing “not to lose” instead of playing to win.