Modes of game development

The Tent Pole Buisiness

The Tent Pole Business model is similar to the business model alot of hollywood studios, The plan is that  pubilsher releases one blockbuster game, that is accompanied with Marketing and investing, The money made from the Game supports development of the other creative games.

For example, Grand theft auto brings in alot of money for rockstar, which allows them to invest in smaller gamjes, like bully, manhunt, and future games like max payne 3 and la-noire.

 Another example, EA rely on the annual updates of madden and fifa to create cash for reaseacrh and development of other games.

Hollywood Model

Hollywood model - The idea is to contract out parts of games design to other companies to order lower development costs, so instead of having a permanant in house development team of 50+, developer can have a team of 10-20 piecing the work together undertaken by specialist external teams.

For example, Stunt teams, director of photography, scriptwriters, etc - all elements are contracted out, just like in the production of a AAA blockbuster movie.

Independant game development

Independent game development - unitl recently games development was a costly buisinees, usually requiring a development was a costly business, usually requiring a developer to have a publishing contract in order to pay for the development and the lincense fee required to develop for a particular console. 
However, now there is a growing 'indie game' market thanks to open source software, apples app store and xbox live marketplace small teams and even individuals can create games, get them distributed and make money.

The point to make is that because of new technology, convergence and new ways of distrubution we have a return to the bedroom development culture weird, wonderful, often abstract games - so it means not all games have to be GTA 4.