Homefront is “not a 71” because you can’t “apply math to art,” says Bilson

By Stephany Nunneley

THQ’s Danny Bilson has said that Homefront deserved a higher Metacritic score than 71, and he is of the opinion that you cannot “apply math to art.”

Speaking with IGN, Blison said that review score also matter less to him now than “a month ago,” because he has realized that “when you make a mass-market game it’s more like the film business.” This, he said means that the idea of the game and its concept will “resonate with a large group or it won’t.”

“If [Homefront was] universally panned, I would say ‘Yeah I guess it didn’t work’,” he said. “I think the idea of 50 reviews that are so radically spread says that we made a game that has a point of view and that you might even argue is controversial. When we set out, and I was sitting with Kaos in New York, I was saying ‘Guys, if we’re going to make a modern shooter of any kind, we have to compete with the best of the world.’ I remember in those meetings, the summary was: ‘We don’t expect to beat those guys; our mission is to be in the conversation.’

“And on being in the conversation: mission accomplished. Everybody’s talking about Homefront.

“Do I prefer that it’s controversial? No, I’d prefer if everybody in the world loved it. But there are 20-plus reviews that are over 80, there are some haters, and there are some mid-range ones. Do I read them all to see what we can do better next time and have every review be 100? Of course, our goal is always that. What I will say pretty clearly is the game is not a ’71’. You can’t apply math to art.”

Bilson goes on to say in the interview that there were certain things he would chance if he could go back and do it, but he “wouldn’t change anything,” regarding the game’s vision or the creative aspects.

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