eToyChest’s Devil’s Advocate column is dealing with the whole Clover fiasco/tragedy this week, and they’re looking at it from a refreshingly logical point of view.

“Capcom were, on the one hand, attempting to nurture originality and creativity in games, and yet on the other invested the kind of money, and expected the kind of returns, that only blockbuster titles are capable of recouping,” writes columnist Luke Plunkett. “As a result, Capcom can blame, as they put it themselves, ‘extraordinary losses’ on the decision to close Clover Studio, but in reality they have nobody to blame but themselves.”

Plunkett goes on to compare Clover to an indie film studio, suggesting that Capcom should have provided them a budget befitting their arthouse style. “Had [Shaun of the Dead] received the budget of King Kong ($200,000,000)…it would have been a colossal failure. Yet this is exactly what happened with Clover when Capcom poured big-budget money and expectations into their games.”

Finally, he suggests that the demise of the studio may well have last implications for the entire industry. “Sadly, the legacy of this failure goes beyond the mere financial implications for Capcom: by confirming other big publisher’s fears about original content, Clover’s demise may have delivered a death-knell to any lingering notions that the likes of EA may start producing some genuinely creative, original games.” Sobering.

[edited by alistairw]