I don't get using "jump the shark" in this context. I mean when Fonzie literally jumped the shark in Happy Days the phrase came into widespread use to signify a stale project/franchise resorting to gimmicks in order to carry one well after their best before date.
I don't see that happening even with studios that devote their efforts to producing more installments of established franchises. There are a few misses but in general later iterations bring new creative elements to the table and advance gaming in small and large ways.
Just take a look at the trend that ESO started with their Orsinium DLC a year and a half ago and later applied to the whole game with One Tamriel that allows players of any level to play and fight together in any area or dungeon. Blizzard already picked up on how significant that change was and in their own patented Borg-like fashion assimilated it and made their own version of it in the latest WOW expansion.
By all accounts Mass Effect Andromeda is seeking to open-up the Mass Effect franchise and make it sandier. Zelda is getting a huge overhaul for the Switch version. CD Projekt Red is working on a brand new cyberpunk RPG. There are a lot of innovations and high profile exciting things on the horizon.
But there is a problem. One that I've been going on about for a few days with posts on several different threads: the signal to noise ratio problem.
As games became big business and store-bought assets for popular 3D engines became more numerous and robust, a large number of "developerish" individuals and outfits motivated by nothing but quick cash have jumped in with both feet and aided by app stores and Steam's new "curate? schmurate!" policies started pumping out huge quantities of dribble.
Some of those truly pathetic shitty games have even spent large sums on their prime-time ad campaigns using ex-governators and celebrity hotties.
It would be really easy to get the impression that it's all gone to shit when in fact it hasn't. What has happened instead is that a lot of shit has been added, prominently hyped and promoted, having the effect of obscuring the great stuff that is still very much there today with more coming around the corner.
It's not really jumping the shark. It's more like a shark invasion.
The phrase "jump the shark" has come into disrepute be legit writers. Jumped the shark jumped the shark like 10 years ago. It is just bait.
Great points with ESO. I prefer traditional levels/zones but what they did is great for those who love it!
As to the signal to noise ratio (is that apt to sales?) I think back to days when stores computer games in zip lock bags with cassettes or floppies. Back then, to a certain degree, mom and pop programmers could sell to those stores without the distribution systems we have today. Later, when chain stores popped up they wanted to buy from one or just a few distributors rather than deal with all these individuals.
Here is my problem with that, if I can convince the distributor that a given game isn't going to make X number of sales, he is done with me and therefore I am out of the chain stores. So wherever you are looking to buy a game, ask who really controls what is offered for you to purchase?
Steam should be a dream to players but it feels more like a popularity contest for getting a game sold. At least if I am understanding the current method where players like/dislike a potential release. That means less chances for experimental game play unless you can push graphics and have the newest bells and whistles. Steam should allow for a far greater number of choices for new games.
They could open an "experimenters bazaar" to sell those less the popular experimental games.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
CD Projekt Red are about the only AAA developer who I still respect and view as aiming for more than minimum effort and maximum profit. I hope we, gamers, continue to support and reward them for this in hoping some others come back from the dark side. I don't even like the premise behind Cyberpunk and I plan to buy it solely to support them, how often is that a thing now-a-days?
The only wildcard is Amazon Games Studio, we'll see if they join the ever-growing list of corporate disappointments or stand out.
Agreed, CD Projekt Red is the only AAA developer I trust not to pull a fast one, and Cyberpunk 2077 is an instant pre-order for me, just as The Witcher 3 was (from GOG.com of course). There are a few indie devs that have been doing good work as well, such as Harebrained Schemes (Shadowrun, up-coming Battletech) and Crate Entertainment (Grim Dawn), so it will be interesting to see where they are in a few years.
There were still a few good games from AAA publishers this year, but mostly from lesser known / re-booted franchises... e.g. Tomb Raider, and Dragon Quest Builder were good from SE this year, but they seem intent on milking the 'Final Fantasy' name for all it's got, especially on mobile.
As for the mobile MMO thing, as soon as there is one that gets over the 'Free' to Play but costs hundreds of dollars for 'convenience' items BS then maybe I will play it.
Collectors edition pre-orders for digital products with zero scarcity, season passes, selling RNG loot boxes, selling power ups in single player games, selling in game currency to dissociate you from the idea that you're spending real money, never ending micro-transactions no better than a casino, selling ridiculously priced founders editions for games that are yet to be out of alpha stage, games being built around a payment model rather than being designed around a good core game idea. ...... Yeah I would say in every sense of the term that the industry has jumped the shark.
The whole premise of jumping the shark is running out of ideas and then doing something stupid and flash to try and pump new life into a show. That's exactly what the game industry has become. So flooded with trash games that many companies seem unsure of how they became so big in the first place so just fall back to clones of the same old shit that worked last time, except now they try to sell you the same game three fucking times.
The industry dove headfirst into the casino lootbox tactics... Those are about as shady as marketing gets. It's gambling, except the value of everything you win is decided by the house and can be changed at any time before, during, or after the die is cast. They get to decide the value of what you win, and it's purpose-built to be addictive. We've eaten that shit up in the MMORPG genre. Hell, many folks troll, argue, or flame people who try to point out how it's not cool.
The industry is solid, but for folks that have been playing for a while, the quality is no longer present. For those folks, yes the industry has jumped the shark. If you've been playing since the mid 90's or earlier, you know what value is, are you willing to shell out money for garbage like league of legends? You also know how addicting it can be, are you willing to allow yourself to become addicted to a mmorgp with an endless cash shop ready to feed your addiction? Do you trust yourself to maintain self control enough not to let it get out of hand? I bet you don't, because you know how great it was when you were having fun and think to yourself this could easily get out of hand. So you see these games come out every year and you play if it's free as long as its free and your ready to move on and drop the game as soon as they ask for one penny, because one leads to two to three and before long it's 2 to 3 hundred a month and it's just not worth it. It never becomes the same experience you once had when you looked forward to playing everyday as much as you could. You want that experience but you know it can't happen because as soon as you commit to a game, they change up the monetization in a way that just might bait you into dumping all you have into it, and that you don't want to happen so you stop it before it even has a chance.
CD Projekt Red are about the only AAA developer who I still respect and view as aiming for more than minimum effort and maximum profit. I hope we, gamers, continue to support and reward them for this in hoping some others come back from the dark side. I don't even like the premise behind Cyberpunk and I plan to buy it solely to support them, how often is that a thing now-a-days?
The only wildcard is Amazon Games Studio, we'll see if they join the ever-growing list of corporate disappointments or stand out.
Minimum effort?
Can you please an example of a AAA studio doing a minimum effort game?
MMO games take a ridiculous amount of effort especially the AAA titles - now if you don't like them, that's fine, but to say they took minimum effort is just well - complete bullshit.
Batman: AK. I know WB wishes people on the pc forgot about the game. Its still their responsibility to make sure things are getting done and properly tested even if the port is outsourced.
It ultimately depends on what you consider effort though. Ubisoft is a good example, since they like to do their annual releases of far cry and assassin creed among other titles. Each title pretty much looking almost the same as the one prior. Sure they had to develop the main assets at one point, but over time it just becomes touch ups or downgrades when they try to create new ones (Watch Dogs).
Wait.... what? Have you played each Assassin's Creed? If so, you would know that each one progressively got better in every department; Animation, fighting, story, sound, graphic quality, details, etc, etc, etc.
And as for Watch Dogs/Watch Dogs 2. Watch Dogs 2 was a MASSIVE improvement from the first. Its like a night and day difference between the two. Watch Dogs 2 blows away WD1 in every single aspect. So..... not sure what you be smoking man!
One of the issues is the blatant GREED being demonstrated by game developers/publishers.
To give you an example, Archeage had an incredible beta, labor points were very generous and many of the "pay to advance" items were not in the cash shop. This suckered a ton of people in, who purchased founders packs and made both Trion and XLGames a ton of money, (according to Kano, 2014 was a record year for Trion profits). Then the game launched and labor points were cut! Now why would they cut them when they had no data to support the reduction? The data they had was that beta players were generally very happy with the higher amount/regeneration of labor points. They made so much money from pre-sales and that was just not enough for them. They had to cut the labor points in hopes of driving more cash shop sales.
Need another example? A 10% chance at TS trees were added to the cash shop at the very moment castle sieges were put in which would require TS trees for siege weapons. The greed behind these decisions was so epic that I could not bring myself to continue paying for patron knowing my money was going to these guys.
When you look at the last few years and see the greed behind Archeage, the poor leadership/wasteful spending/going back on his word of Chris Roberts and the flat out lying that Sean Murray did on national TV, how can any rational person not see the direction this industry is moving in?
So again - if Trion/XLgames took steps away from Thunderstruck trees - doesn't this also indicate the direction the industry is moving in?
I mean why only focus on ONE aspect of ArcheAge that happened years ago?
Yes, Trion/XLGames have realized that their greedy business practice was a one-trick-pony and after seeing their servers empty and much of the playerbase despise them over it, they are finally "starting" to wake up. Of course they have said some pay to advance items would be reintroduced in the cash shop later so only time will tell if the lesson was learned.
I focus on that ONE aspect because they took one of the most fantastic and original games of the last several years and they killed it due to greed. You can act like they suddenly grew a conscience and introduced the fresh start servers as a way to apologize but I choose to believe they did that because the game had lost so many players it was starting to hit the break even line on the balance sheet.
Lets also point out that TS trees have not been a big seller for Trion once everyone realized castle sieges were useless since only the top guilds owned castles and they often purchased their own scrolls. On Legacy servers, the playerbase already has most of the vehicles and siege weapons they want so TS trees are not a big seller there and there are only 2 fresh start servers. Do I agree that Trion/XLGames made a good decision to remove TS trees from the fresh start server cash shops? YES! Do I also admit that at this point they may not be a very big seller and the reason for their removal might be more for marketing purposes? YES!
Does the removal of an item from the cash shop that may only result in nominal sales at this point indicate the game industry is moving in a positive direction? Only if you think Sean Murray did not lie on national TV and you think Chris Roberts "refactoring" every part of this game 3 times while whizzing away backers money is a good thing...
Lets also look at the crop of scam artist game developers that have sprung up over the last few years. Sergy Titov continues to create new companies and re-release the same game over and over again. What about Digital Homicide that tried to sue a youtuber over a terrible game review? This is all happening THIS YEAR!!!
As a long time gamer, I remember when a box fee covered all the games features. I remember when I could make my own maps and extend the life of a FPS game like CoD4. I remember when game magazines like PCGamer gave honest reviews and the majority of the gaming media was not reliant on developers for their bread and butter. I remember when I used to love great games and not hate the companies behind them for displaying greed on a monumental scale.
"Don't want to spend my life, living in a rock and roll fantasy...."
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I must be pretty out of touch because the writer's opinions are about as far from my own as can be. I'm a mid-30s lifelong gamer with absolutely no interest in eSports or mobile gaming and honestly can't think of a time when there has ever been a wider variety of high quality games available on consoles and PC. When I look at the lists of upcoming games, I see a lot more of what interests me than I did for 2016. There is more out there worth playing than I could ever have the time to play.
Yes, you are most definitely out of touch If you think gaming is doing well currently.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I must be pretty out of touch because the writer's opinions are about as far from my own as can be. I'm a mid-30s lifelong gamer with absolutely no interest in eSports or mobile gaming and honestly can't think of a time when there has ever been a wider variety of high quality games available on consoles and PC. When I look at the lists of upcoming games, I see a lot more of what interests me than I did for 2016. There is more out there worth playing than I could ever have the time to play.
Yes, you are most definitely out of touch If you think gaming is doing well currently.
No, you are obviously out of touch. You have been for a decade at least. You are in touch with a few on this site, but gaming has never been better and is only getting better with time.
Might as well say I'm right and you're wrong at this point... oh wait, that's what you did to the other guy already.
I must be pretty out of touch because the writer's opinions are about as far from my own as can be. I'm a mid-30s lifelong gamer with absolutely no interest in eSports or mobile gaming and honestly can't think of a time when there has ever been a wider variety of high quality games available on consoles and PC. When I look at the lists of upcoming games, I see a lot more of what interests me than I did for 2016. There is more out there worth playing than I could ever have the time to play.
Yes, you are most definitely out of touch If you think gaming is doing well currently.
How is it not doing well? I can't think of a time when I have had this much gaming available to me from the past and present. I have every single classic title I could want (from games I've owned in the past) in my library plus new games are coming out all the time.
A huge signal to noise ratio is a great problem to have. It means there is stuff happening. Yep, Steam and other platforms need to get off their butts and improve the search and profiling experience for the user. But having a lot of choice is great.
Stagnation in mmo design is inherent to the genre due to the production time, costs, and risks of the projects. The struggles of mmos aren't necessarily reflective of the rest of the industry.
From a business perspective expected growth over time indicates health. This has slowed down in gaming considerably. We do indeed have a lot of games to choose from because once they release they are, well, there unless an MMO eventually is closed down. That does not speak to the health of an industry, the future does. Even if you look at the top MMOs out there... which ones have shown considerable growth and did it come at the expense of another title?
Just to be clear this has nothing to do with the quality of a title.
Some of us were talking abut this on here eight years ago. Many of these trends have had warning signs that were not noticed or ignored.
The gradual take over of F2P, the decline of new AAA titles. I mostly see this through a PC lens, but it was never about the platform, it was always about gaming. We were told at the time we were over reacting.
We also brought up concerns about the mobile market, indeed some in the industry seemed rather worried about that themselves. But I am not sure they saw the full ramifications. Unless you believe that mobile games are going to make people go out and buy Pc's and consoles how were they ever going to be good for gaming? Indeed Mr Fullers article shows no indication he realises that mobiles games could be having any negative impact.
So time to make some predictions for the future:
Gaming outside of smartphones and indie is going to continue to stagnate. The new big releases are going to continue to dwindle, gaming companies are going where the big returns for least effort are. Or they can't get the backing they need even if they wanted to do a AAA.
Indie is not an inexhaustible supply of new games. Yes wake up, the idea that there are a never ending number of talented individuals and small groups who can make these games is erroneous. Some who have made great Indie games have no plans to do new ones. This must start to effect quality or quantity if not both. But also as Indie grows the competition grows too, people will put their life into these games and find the return is not what they thought it would be. But we are not even near that yet, give it at least five to ten years.
Esports can only have a harmful effect on the gaming industry. Think about it, yes it can make for more sales, but we have realised by now that sales do not mean everything I hope? What Esports creates is an environment in which a few games are king. There goes variety and need to make new, innovative games right out the window.
The trend is the 40 hour game, controlled by a story with well known control scheme. This is the consolification of games in full view, and why not? The cost is controllable, the earnings are more predictable and scaleable, and the 40 hour game ensures the gamer is soon ready for the next purchase. It should not be needed to give a list, just examine some "top x something" on youtube or game news sites, and you will find the majority are these 40 hour story games that can be played on consoles (aka consolification).
High replayability or long term commitment games are getting rarer. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed a bunch of 40 hour games, but I also long for something that last - And I can't find that in mmorpgs anymore because of f2p shop infestation. Maybe it is just me, but I got a mental block that prevents me from investing interest/time/money in f2p games, I call it my build in scam/bull indicator that however much I wish I cannot switch off. Anyways...
Yep an article that is spot on accurate.
However i might add that idc if console gets no big title ,i have never been a fan of console gaming unless it is something simple i can just lay in bed and play.
Esports is ruining the genre in a big way and it alienates 99% of the player base in these games,you have sponsored teams and you have onlookers,guess which ones are the leeches and which ones are actually supporting the games.
My biggest peeve however is that after 30+ years of gaming,i have still yet to see a solid all around mmorpg,not one single game in the genre covers all bases.In reality what i have seen are all of these supposed MMO's are simply single player games with a bit of co-op and a login screen.Everything that is suppose to be immersive is tossed out the window and with 99+ of the games going f2p,immersion is in the cash shops and not in the games where it belongs.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Also true is Mobile gaming is skyrocketing,people seem to just love to cuddle their cell phones 24/7. It is also sad that i have seen several devs claim that the PC market is not a good one because of pirating,they see the mobile market as an easier target and a more financial one,yet we won't see many good games come out for it and to be honest,gaming should not be done on phones anyhow.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Just because there are a lot of games and a lot of sub par games does not equate to the industry on the down slide. We just need to be more choosy since there are too many choices but choice is good and I have too many games to look forward to and too many games I still have not played to be even thinking about the gaming industry going downwards.
You guys are so funny when there were so few games every game was treated with a great deal of interest now you get so many you even dismiss them offhand when one feature displeases you. People have become spoilt for choice and they are greedy and not satisfied. The industry is not on its way down it is thriving on what it can but struggling because there are so many games and people are having difficulty staying focussed on one game and that can be both bad and good. Players also binge like mad and then dump the games. Another thing that was not so common because we treasured our time and games before and would not squander the game by binging on it. We valued the gaming experience a lot more to waste it because we were not sure when the next game would come out to fulfil our itch. Now you are fairly certain a new game that might be what we like will be out next year or so.
You know I think we have become immune to wonder and joy because we are satiated and no longer starving like we used to be for good games. When a person gets full they become less inclined to try new things and also tend to only fixate on the feelings they had when they were hungry. So we are now looking at every new game and thinking it could do better or been there done that. We are uncharitable and hard to please. Yes sometimes the game does deserve our castigation but often people are simply too lazy to even bother to try the games and just read reviews and decide they will not even bother.
The problem is the gamers are no longer able to summon up interest like they once had and it is also very natural to be that way. If there is a downward slide it is a slide that we wrought for ourselves and one that is difficult to cure I'm afraid. I am guilty of it too .
Corporations that have no interest in quality games should not be either a) investing in games or b) interferring when a company is making a game.
This story has been played out over and over ad nauseam. Company wants to make great game. Gets investors. Investors want money NOW. Release game too early (or gets cancelled), everyone fails.
CD Projekt Red are about the only AAA developer who I still respect and view as aiming for more than minimum effort and maximum profit. I hope we, gamers, continue to support and reward them for this in hoping some others come back from the dark side. I don't even like the premise behind Cyberpunk and I plan to buy it solely to support them, how often is that a thing now-a-days?
The only wildcard is Amazon Games Studio, we'll see if they join the ever-growing list of corporate disappointments or stand out.
Minimum effort?
Can you please an example of a AAA studio doing a minimum effort game?
MMO games take a ridiculous amount of effort especially the AAA titles - now if you don't like them, that's fine, but to say they took minimum effort is just well - complete bullshit.
Batman: AK. I know WB wishes people on the pc forgot about the game. Its still their responsibility to make sure things are getting done and properly tested even if the port is outsourced.
It ultimately depends on what you consider effort though. Ubisoft is a good example, since they like to do their annual releases of far cry and assassin creed among other titles. Each title pretty much looking almost the same as the one prior. Sure they had to develop the main assets at one point, but over time it just becomes touch ups or downgrades when they try to create new ones (Watch Dogs).
Wait.... what? Have you played each Assassin's Creed? If so, you would know that each one progressively got better in every department; Animation, fighting, story, sound, graphic quality, details, etc, etc, etc.
And as for Watch Dogs/Watch Dogs 2. Watch Dogs 2 was a MASSIVE improvement from the first. Its like a night and day difference between the two. Watch Dogs 2 blows away WD1 in every single aspect. So..... not sure what you be smoking man!
AC got better in everything but the story. Ezio trilogy and Unity are no way in the same league. Haven't had time for Syndicate yet. But Unity story has almost killed this franchise for me.
Constantine, The Console Poster
"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
Indeed you are, wrong and delusional would fit in too...
Thanks for that in depth contribution to the debate. Oh look, I can do a LoL too.
It's okay, the future will happen regardless of what any of us say and no amount of "I told you so" will make a difference (at least shouldn't). There are certain rules and realities of business industries but unfortunately due to their artistic nature and evolving consumer relationship with MMOs, there is a certain romanticism people have about it. I'm glad to see the slowing of AAA MMOs and hopefully after the crowdfunded titles get rolling a few will organically become a big budget title.
Its just becoming more obvious that gaming companies care more about making the most money vs making quality games.
They always wanted this. I think for many they had not yet learned how to exploit their customers best and now they have. At least they think they have.
Industries mature and you figure this one has not been around 100 years. For many of these bitch companies they are just now figuring out what kind of suckers addicts and morons make up most of the gaming population and are exploiting those people. The rest of us just sort of have to sit by any watch until it implodes and changes or just changes as all things do in time.
It is like a pendulum. We are just nearing the high side of stupidity in this market on the outward swing... or are we?
Don't forget consumers are finicky little cats as well everyone loves to argue about what they want and very rarely are actually satisfied when they really get it. Do what you want with those statements.
Can you expand a bit more? Your post followed DMKano's so are you saying Zelda is a minimum effort project or are you citing it as a counter-example to the article premise that the industry has jumped the shark? Or something else entirely?
A game that gets me hyped coming out in the new year.
Comments
Perfect world made ALOT of money but aint that good, ijs
The phrase "jump the shark" has come into disrepute be legit writers. Jumped the shark jumped the shark like 10 years ago. It is just bait.
Great points with ESO. I prefer traditional levels/zones but what they did is great for those who love it!
As to the signal to noise ratio (is that apt to sales?) I think back to days when stores computer games in zip lock bags with cassettes or floppies. Back then, to a certain degree, mom and pop programmers could sell to those stores without the distribution systems we have today. Later, when chain stores popped up they wanted to buy from one or just a few distributors rather than deal with all these individuals.
Here is my problem with that, if I can convince the distributor that a given game isn't going to make X number of sales, he is done with me and therefore I am out of the chain stores. So wherever you are looking to buy a game, ask who really controls what is offered for you to purchase?
Steam should be a dream to players but it feels more like a popularity contest for getting a game sold. At least if I am understanding the current method where players like/dislike a potential release. That means less chances for experimental game play unless you can push graphics and have the newest bells and whistles. Steam should allow for a far greater number of choices for new games.
They could open an "experimenters bazaar" to sell those less the popular experimental games.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Agreed, CD Projekt Red is the only AAA developer I trust not to pull a fast one, and Cyberpunk 2077 is an instant pre-order for me, just as The Witcher 3 was (from GOG.com of course). There are a few indie devs that have been doing good work as well, such as Harebrained Schemes (Shadowrun, up-coming Battletech) and Crate Entertainment (Grim Dawn), so it will be interesting to see where they are in a few years.
There were still a few good games from AAA publishers this year, but mostly from lesser known / re-booted franchises... e.g. Tomb Raider, and Dragon Quest Builder were good from SE this year, but they seem intent on milking the 'Final Fantasy' name for all it's got, especially on mobile.
As for the mobile MMO thing, as soon as there is one that gets over the 'Free' to Play but costs hundreds of dollars for 'convenience' items BS then maybe I will play it.
You can find Inside by Playdead--a team of less than 30--on practically every single publication's list of GOTY nominees.
Wait.... what? Have you played each Assassin's Creed? If so, you would know that each one progressively got better in every department; Animation, fighting, story, sound, graphic quality, details, etc, etc, etc.
And as for Watch Dogs/Watch Dogs 2. Watch Dogs 2 was a MASSIVE improvement from the first. Its like a night and day difference between the two. Watch Dogs 2 blows away WD1 in every single aspect. So..... not sure what you be smoking man!
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Might as well say I'm right and you're wrong at this point... oh wait, that's what you did to the other guy already.
From a business perspective expected growth over time indicates health. This has slowed down in gaming considerably. We do indeed have a lot of games to choose from because once they release they are, well, there unless an MMO eventually is closed down. That does not speak to the health of an industry, the future does. Even if you look at the top MMOs out there... which ones have shown considerable growth and did it come at the expense of another title?
Just to be clear this has nothing to do with the quality of a title.
The gradual take over of F2P, the decline of new AAA titles. I mostly see this through a PC lens, but it was never about the platform, it was always about gaming. We were told at the time we were over reacting.
We also brought up concerns about the mobile market, indeed some in the industry seemed rather worried about that themselves. But I am not sure they saw the full ramifications. Unless you believe that mobile games are going to make people go out and buy Pc's and consoles how were they ever going to be good for gaming? Indeed Mr Fullers article shows no indication he realises that mobiles games could be having any negative impact.
So time to make some predictions for the future:
Gaming outside of smartphones and indie is going to continue to stagnate. The new big releases are going to continue to dwindle, gaming companies are going where the big returns for least effort are. Or they can't get the backing they need even if they wanted to do a AAA.
Indie is not an inexhaustible supply of new games. Yes wake up, the idea that there are a never ending number of talented individuals and small groups who can make these games is erroneous. Some who have made great Indie games have no plans to do new ones. This must start to effect quality or quantity if not both. But also as Indie grows the competition grows too, people will put their life into these games and find the return is not what they thought it would be. But we are not even near that yet, give it at least five to ten years.
Esports can only have a harmful effect on the gaming industry. Think about it, yes it can make for more sales, but we have realised by now that sales do not mean everything I hope? What Esports creates is an environment in which a few games are king. There goes variety and need to make new, innovative games right out the window.
But hey, I must be just overacting again, right?
High replayability or long term commitment games are getting rarer. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed a bunch of 40 hour games, but I also long for something that last - And I can't find that in mmorpgs anymore because of f2p shop infestation. Maybe it is just me, but I got a mental block that prevents me from investing interest/time/money in f2p games, I call it my build in scam/bull indicator that however much I wish I cannot switch off. Anyways...
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
However i might add that idc if console gets no big title ,i have never been a fan of console gaming unless it is something simple i can just lay in bed and play.
Esports is ruining the genre in a big way and it alienates 99% of the player base in these games,you have sponsored teams and you have onlookers,guess which ones are the leeches and which ones are actually supporting the games.
My biggest peeve however is that after 30+ years of gaming,i have still yet to see a solid all around mmorpg,not one single game in the genre covers all bases.In reality what i have seen are all of these supposed MMO's are simply single player games with a bit of co-op and a login screen.Everything that is suppose to be immersive is tossed out the window and with 99+ of the games going f2p,immersion is in the cash shops and not in the games where it belongs.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
It is also sad that i have seen several devs claim that the PC market is not a good one because of pirating,they see the mobile market as an easier target and a more financial one,yet we won't see many good games come out for it and to be honest,gaming should not be done on phones anyhow.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Thanks for that in depth contribution to the debate. Oh look, I can do a LoL too.
You guys are so funny when there were so few games every game was treated with a great deal of interest now you get so many you even dismiss them offhand when one feature displeases you. People have become spoilt for choice and they are greedy and not satisfied. The industry is not on its way down it is thriving on what it can but struggling because there are so many games and people are having difficulty staying focussed on one game and that can be both bad and good. Players also binge like mad and then dump the games. Another thing that was not so common because we treasured our time and games before and would not squander the game by binging on it. We valued the gaming experience a lot more to waste it because we were not sure when the next game would come out to fulfil our itch. Now you are fairly certain a new game that might be what we like will be out next year or so.
You know I think we have become immune to wonder and joy because we are satiated and no longer starving like we used to be for good games. When a person gets full they become less inclined to try new things and also tend to only fixate on the feelings they had when they were hungry. So we are now looking at every new game and thinking it could do better or been there done that. We are uncharitable and hard to please. Yes sometimes the game does deserve our castigation but often people are simply too lazy to even bother to try the games and just read reviews and decide they will not even bother.
The problem is the gamers are no longer able to summon up interest like they once had and it is also very natural to be that way. If there is a downward slide it is a slide that we wrought for ourselves and one that is difficult to cure I'm afraid. I am guilty of it too .
This story has been played out over and over ad nauseam. Company wants to make great game. Gets investors. Investors want money NOW. Release game too early (or gets cancelled), everyone fails.
AC got better in everything but the story. Ezio trilogy and Unity are no way in the same league. Haven't had time for Syndicate yet. But Unity story has almost killed this franchise for me.
It's okay, the future will happen regardless of what any of us say and no amount of "I told you so" will make a difference (at least shouldn't). There are certain rules and realities of business industries but unfortunately due to their artistic nature and evolving consumer relationship with MMOs, there is a certain romanticism people have about it. I'm glad to see the slowing of AAA MMOs and hopefully after the crowdfunded titles get rolling a few will organically become a big budget title.
They always wanted this. I think for many they had not yet learned how to exploit their customers best and now they have. At least they think they have.
Industries mature and you figure this one has not been around 100 years. For many of these bitch companies they are just now figuring out what kind of suckers addicts and morons make up most of the gaming population and are exploiting those people. The rest of us just sort of have to sit by any watch until it implodes and changes or just changes as all things do in time.
It is like a pendulum. We are just nearing the high side of stupidity in this market on the outward swing... or are we?
Don't forget consumers are finicky little cats as well everyone loves to argue about what they want and very rarely are actually satisfied when they really get it. Do what you want with those statements.
A game that gets me hyped coming out in the new year.
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