Editing Video game development (section)

=== Ghost development ===
Outsourced work is sometimes anonymous, i.e. not credited on the final product. This might go against the wishes of the developer, or it is something they reluctantly consent to because it is the only work they can get.<ref>{{harvtxt|Leone|2015}}: "In some cases, developers take white label work simply because it's all they can get."</ref> See {{Section link|Video game controversies|Lack of crediting}} for more information on this.

However, anonymity can also be agreed upon, or even desired by the outsourced party. A 2015 ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' article stated that this practice is known as '''ghost development'''.<ref name="Leone_(2015)">{{Cite web | first=Matt | last=Leone | title=The secret developers of the video game industry | website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | date=30 September 2015 | url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/9/30/9394355/the-secret-developers-of-the-video-game-industry | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001065420/https://www.polygon.com/2015/9/30/9394355/the-secret-developers-of-the-video-game-industry | archive-date=1 October 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> Ghost developers are hired by other developers to provide assistance, by publishers to develop a title they designed, or by companies outside the gaming industry. These businesses prefer to keep this hidden from the public to protect their [[brand equity]], not wanting consumers or investors to know that they rely on external help. Ghost development can involve (small) portions of a project, but there have been instances of entire games being outsourced without the studio being credited.<ref name="Leone_(2015)" />

Ghost development has a particularly long history in the [[Video games in Japan|Japanese video game industry]].<ref>{{Cite web | first=Steve | last=Haske | title=Metroid Dread developer leaves names out of credits, ex-staffers say | url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/10/metroid-dread-developer-leaves-names-out-of-credits-ex-staffers-say/ | website=Ars Technica | date=15 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019194406/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/10/metroid-dread-developer-leaves-names-out-of-credits-ex-staffers-say/ | archive-date=19 October 2021 | url-status=live | quote=Meanwhile, Japan has an entire unsung "support" industry known as "white label development" based around insistently anonymous studio work. Long-running outfits like Hyde and Tose contribute in secret to powerhouse franchises like ''Final Fantasy'', ''Yakuza'', and ''Resident Evil'', among many others.}}</ref> Probably the best-known example is [[Tose (company)|Tose]]. Founded in 1979, this 'behind-the-scenes' agent has either developed or helped develop over 2,000 games as of 2017, most of them anonymously. This includes uncredited contributions to multiple ''[[Resident Evil]]'', ''[[Metal Gear]]'', and ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' titles.<ref>{{Cite magazine | title=2257本のゲーム などを 手掛けてきた国内最大規模の 受託開発メーカーに迫る | trans-title=The Story of Japan's biggest contract developer that has worked on 2257 different games | url=https://www.tose.co.jp/news/2017330000086.html | date=14 April 2017 | magazine=[[Weekly Famitsū]] | language=Japanese}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170429230531/http://www.onemillionpower.com/famitsu-special-report-the-mystery-of-tose/ translation])</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Chris | last=Kerr | title=Inside Tose Software, the biggest Japanese game dev you've never heard of | url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/296861/Inside_Tose_Software_the_biggest_Japanese_game_dev_youve_never_heard_of.php | work=[[Gamasutra]] | date=26 April 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429060017/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/296861/Inside_Tose_Software_the_biggest_Japanese_game_dev_youve_never_heard_of.php | archive-date=29 April 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Another example is Tokyo-based Hyde, which worked on ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', ''[[Persona (series)|Persona]]'', and ''[[Yakuza (franchise)|Yakuza]]'' games.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Chris | last=Priestman | title=What Is HYDE, Inc. And What Are They Bringing To Red Ash? | url=https://www.siliconera.com/what-is-hyde-inc-and-what-are-they-bringing-to-red-ash/ | work=[[Siliconera]] | date=29 July 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411163937/https://www.siliconera.com/what-is-hyde-inc-and-what-are-they-bringing-to-red-ash/ | archive-date=11 April 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref> Its president, Kenichi Yanagihara, stated that the approach stems from [[Culture of Japan|Japanese culture]], in which many people prefer not to seek the limelight.<ref>{{harvtxt|Leone|2015}}: "Yanagihara says the roots of this approach run deep in Japanese culture, with many people preferring not to seek the limelight and many classic businesses working this way."</ref>