Eidos Montreal Founder Criticizes Modern Execs for Prioritizing Spreadsheets Over Passion
Eidos Montreal founder and former general manager Stephane D'Astous recently shared his thoughts with Thunderpick on how the gaming industry—and the people steering it—has evolved over the past 15 years. According to D'Astous, the landscape has changed dramatically, with new players emerging and old ones shifting in influence.
"The big players 15 years ago are not necessarily big players [now]," D'Astous said. "There’s new players. 15 years ago Tencent existed but it wasn’t the 800-pound gorilla it is today… If you look at the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia that has unlimited resources buying up EA, 15 years ago who would have said that EA was on the chopping block to be bought?"
The Shift in Decision-Making
The scale of the companies involved in gaming in 2026—and the size of their financial resources—has led to a noticeable shift in the industry's vibe. D'Astous noted that the people with the most money and decision-making power are fewer in number, but their financial influence is greater than ever. "They don’t have the same DNA of the decision maker 15 years ago; it’s much more Excel than passion-driven."
While this might sound like a nostalgic view of the past, it's hard to ignore the current state of the industry, marked by numerous layoffs, controversial corporate decisions, and the prevalence of "golden parachutes." These developments make it difficult to deny that things have taken a turn for the worse compared to D'Astous's earlier years in the industry.
The Impact of the Pandemic
D'Astous attributes some of the current issues to the influx of money during the Covid-19 pandemic. "Thousands of projects were given money during Covid," he said. "When I saw some of those… I said, 'That idea was funded? Oh my god, this is bad news'... We’ll see the end results of that bad decision of this investment [a few years from now]."
As company sizes have grown, so have executive expectations. D'Astous mentioned that he has been asked to create "a Witcher 3-like game with a limited budget in less than four years with a new team" multiple times. These requests reflect the baffling and unrealistic expectations of those holding the purse strings.
A Future of Profit Over Passion
It doesn't look like this trend is set to change anytime soon. Videogame companies are more focused on boosting their revenues than they have been in recent memory. This environment is not ideal for risk-taking or "passion-driven" game development, especially within the traditional studio system where D'Astous built his career.
The industry's current trajectory suggests that the balance between financial pragmatism and creative passion is tipping heavily toward the former. Whether this shift will ultimately benefit or hinder the long-term health of the gaming industry remains to be seen.
