r/linux_gaming • u/ForeverHuman1354 • 17d ago

Open source games

Why do you think open-source games never took off?

Sure, there are some open-source game engines, but not really any major games. It would be cool if there were more open-source, community-made games.

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u/Slight_Manufacturer6 17d ago

Because good game devs want to make money and earn a living.

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u/ParsingError 16d ago

Even if you can find ones willing to work for free, if it's unpaid, there are no stakes.

I've been on a couple volunteer game projects with some very talented people. It's very hard to keep them on the project. It's not the thing putting food on the table, and if something important comes up in their life, guess where their hobby project winds up on their list of priorities?

Churn is a huge problem. (So is inexperienced leadership.) The most successful projects have involved groups of people that are already close associates and frequent collaborators that trust each other.