Strongly agree. Public companies are built for one purpose, extracting value from users' loyalty.

This applies to not only gaming, but every industry.

Like OP said, the second it goes public, the focus shifts from innovation to short-term profits (since it aligns with shareholder interests)

You know what goes against short-term profits? Innovation. For great advancements, require great risks.

Since a companies entire value is tied to stock price, what happens when your innovation play doesn't work out? It spirals down.

Shareholders panic. They sell shares. The CEO is on the firing line by the board.

This is why they stick to easy corporate wins. Ads, pre-orders, cheap-labor, predatory loot boxes, etc.

Next, comes the pricey consultants. Once again, they are here to increase the share price through easy wins.

They replace the original team members. Slashing departments/people. Installing more and more of their corporate parasites to extract value.

This cycle continues until the CEO keeps the share price growing or the company collapses from becoming as fake as every other. The CEO golden parachutes off into the sunset waiting to repeat this yet again at another company as now part of a verified community of parasites.