David Sears, the creative director behind South of Midnight, has revealed that he would not have financed his own project if he were making decisions on behalf of Xbox. Despite being happy to have worked on the game and grateful for Microsoft's backing, Sears admitted he was incredulous when the project received the green light.
Speaking during an episode of MinnMax, Sears described the situation as a moment where the "money tap" was open without restrictions, warning that closing those floodgates would eventually result in truly traumatic outcomes. When asked directly if he would have funded South of Midnight had he been Xbox, despite his appreciation for their support, Sears confirmed with a "yes, probably" that he would not have done so.
Sears explained that while he certainly wanted to make the game, he is not entirely altruistic and would likely have cut off funding from others before approving South of Midnight. Looking back, he believes the financial approach was unsustainable and destined for a shocking result. He noted that while it is easy to speak about the past now, at the time the team struggled to believe in their luck of receiving an endless stream of money without questions, always expecting the moment things would go wrong and the "bill" would arrive.
Sources: Eurogamer Portugal.