State of the video game industry

[PK Cronin]

And then there's just the tendency to hop on trends which also just really grinds my gears. Every franchise suddenly felt the need to have a battle royale mode in their games once Fortnite and PUBG took off, even if it was at the expense of other shit that made their games what they were (no story in BO4).

I couldn't agree more with this. How many different battle royale games do we need? The part that bothers me the most about this particular trend is that the originals always get left behind. Maybe I'm mistaken, but the origin of those types of games in particular stems from DayZ. After DayZ there was an even bigger zombie craze, which created popularity for H1Z1, and it was them (I think) who made the choice to create the battle royale mode. Then we saw PUBG and all the other clones. Does anyone pay attention to DayZ or H1Z1 anymore? Nope. Those games have been left behind and I think the experience playing the newer games isn't as good.

 

[hangman005]

I'm not too enthused by the gaming the sector at present, I've lost a lot of faith in the two big developers I liked in Rockstar and Bethesda. My main games for a while now have been SCS softwares games American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. The new maps DLC they release get better each time, and they are bringing earlier areas up to the standard too and are adding new features. But there is so much more the game could do, and I know the devs have expressed interest in some of them but they need to happen sooner rather than later to keep the game from stagnating. But to tell the truth I have more faith in SCS getting it done that the big guns now days.

 

[John Price]

I'd go one further and say the indie or steam games don't really interest me either. They're all games I've never heard of or simulator games I have no interest in. "Driving simulator 2k." Yes, or I could go out and drive IRL.

Northgard was alright but it's not fairly new and it's hard to win.

 

[Blitzkrug]

I don't think the industry is in as bad of shape as people have been saying.

I noticed the majority of complaints come from people playing multiplayer games. Multiplayer games have gone from experiences you can enjoy for hundreds of hours to factory assembled chores that only serve to suck every ounce of money from you while weaponizing stuff like FOMO to keep you playing it, and only it. Name the MP game and it does it. EA games, COD, Halo, Fornite. They all promote the same grimy ass model.

Singleplayer games, generally are okay. Plenty of decent developers putting out good to great games still

 

[MMC]

I don't think the industry is in as bad of shape as people have been saying.

I noticed the majority of complaints come from people playing multiplayer games. Multiplayer games have gone from experiences you can enjoy for hundreds of hours to factory assembled chores that only serve to suck every ounce of money from you while weaponizing stuff like FOMO to keep you playing it, and only it. Name the MP game and it does it. EA games, COD, Halo, Fornite. They all promote the same grimy ass model.

Singleplayer games, generally are okay. Plenty of decent developers putting out good to great games still

I also prefer singleplayer, and one of my biggest issues with the industry is how singleplayer content is being pushed aside entirely for multiplayer content, so they can sell season passes, loot boxes, and other microtransaction BS

 

[zombie kopitar]

The problem is all the major games are shit now

That was why the GOTY 2021 category was so weak

The game that actually won (It Takes Two) is absolutely incredible and one of the best games I ever played tho...but yeah honestly for me so many third person RPG just become redundant in their gameplay. I could not get past the first real challenge in Valhalla, I just didn't care at all

Even incredible ones don't do much for me very often. I wish someone would come out with something truly innovating in gameplay and aesthetics. I don't think it's just about huge open worlds , A list voice actors and state of the art graphics ; it's really about the soul of the game which is what everyone in here is pretty much all agreeing on.

Like a game with the vibes of Okami/Fe and the gameplay of Ratchet and Clank would be dope af, just pulling something out of my ass here...oh and you can rob people like GTA

 

[samabam]

Now this might sound weird, but I actually think that the technical advancement is partly to blame.
4k Graphics and higher texture resolutions, Raytracing and just the all around added complexity mean that studios have to put much more focus on the technical side than in the olden days. This either leads to less focus on gameplay and narrative or to an increase in staff working on the game, and the more staff, the harder it is to put it all together into one thing.
It also leads to Engines being used in ways they were never intended for, for example Frostbite being used for Sports games, no wonder the gameplay in these games seems far less accurate than 15 years ago, frostbite is just not made to simulate Soccer or Football. But then again, if every game needed it's own engine, I don't think that this would be feasible, with the expectations on graphics being so high these days.
There are many more reasons of course, but I do think this is always in the background as a root cause of many issues with gaming today

 

[pistolpete11]

Now this might sound weird, but I actually think that the technical advancement is partly to blame.
4k Graphics and higher texture resolutions, Raytracing and just the all around added complexity mean that studios have to put much more focus on the technical side than in the olden days. This either leads to less focus on gameplay and narrative or to an increase in staff working on the game, and the more staff, the harder it is to put it all together into one thing.
It also leads to Engines being used in ways they were never intended for, for example Frostbite being used for Sports games, no wonder the gameplay in these games seems far less accurate than 15 years ago, frostbite is just not made to simulate Soccer or Football. But then again, if every game needed it's own engine, I don't think that this would be feasible, with the expectations on graphics being so high these days.
There are many more reasons of course, but I do think this is always in the background as a root cause of many issues with gaming today

I think you make a good point, but studios don't have to do that. They choose to do that.

 

[Mikeaveli]

I also prefer singleplayer, and one of my biggest issues with the industry is how singleplayer content is being pushed aside entirely for multiplayer content, so they can sell season passes, loot boxes, and other microtransaction BS

I mean you kind of just have to accept that you're in the minority there. The majority of people playing on console and PC are playing multiplayer games.

Now this might sound weird, but I actually think that the technical advancement is partly to blame.
4k Graphics and higher texture resolutions, Raytracing and just the all around added complexity mean that studios have to put much more focus on the technical side than in the olden days. This either leads to less focus on gameplay and narrative or to an increase in staff working on the game, and the more staff, the harder it is to put it all together into one thing.
It also leads to Engines being used in ways they were never intended for, for example Frostbite being used for Sports games, no wonder the gameplay in these games seems far less accurate than 15 years ago, frostbite is just not made to simulate Soccer or Football. But then again, if every game needed it's own engine, I don't think that this would be feasible, with the expectations on graphics being so high these days.
There are many more reasons of course, but I do think this is always in the background as a root cause of many issues with gaming today

This isn't entirely true, ray tracing for example can help streamline development. Imagine a game like Horizon Forbidden West where there is a time of day system but no ray traced lighting. The developers had to bake in lighting for each individual time of day in each scene in the game while if they used ray traced lighting they wouldn't have to do that. However these days on console people expect a quality and performance mode which means the developers realistically would have to do both. But yeah, by and large game development is much more complicated and massive in scope than it used to be.

 

[samabam]

I mean you kind of just have to accept that you're in the minority there. The majority of people playing on console and PC are playing multiplayer games.

This isn't entirely true, ray tracing for example can help streamline development. Imagine a game like Horizon Forbidden West where there is a time of day system but no ray traced lighting. The developers had to bake in lighting for each individual time of day in each scene in the game while if they used ray traced lighting they wouldn't have to do that. However these days on console people expect a quality and performance mode which means the developers realistically would have to do both. But yeah, by and large game development is much more complicated and massive in scope than it used to be.

Five years ago in my experience the main issue with Raytracing was to program it correctly...it was really hard. Maybe that has changed with the newer drivers and consoles, I don't know but back then not many people where happy about the idea of implementing raytracing to any engine.

 

[samabam]

I think you make a good point, but studios don't have to do that. They choose to do that.

Sure, they choose that, but I can kinda understand them. It's one of the easiest things to market if you have to do yearly release like in sports games.

 

[K Fleur]

I also prefer singleplayer, and one of my biggest issues with the industry is how singleplayer content is being pushed aside entirely for multiplayer content, so they can sell season passes, loot boxes, and other microtransaction BS

Hmm I actually found last Gen to be pretty awesome for single player games.

Spider-man
Horizon zero dawn
God of War
Final Fantasy 7 remake
Last of Us 2
Dragon Quest 11( if you like turn based RPGs buy this f***ing game. It rules)
Sekiro
Ghosts of Tsushima
Uncharted


I do get being disenchanted with multiplayer games though and all of the in game purchase BS. I think the only multiplayer based game I purchased last gen was Rainbow 6 Siege.

360/PS3 era multiplayer games felt like they had more charm and were just more fun.

 

[syz]

I think you make a good point, but studios don't have to do that. They choose to do that.

Nobody really "chooses" to do anything in a capitalist venture. They do it because the mass market will give them less money if they don't do it. The first Spider-man downgraded the reflections in their puddles and the mainstream internet f***ing eviscerated them for it.

 

[Mikeaveli]

Five years ago in my experience the main issue with Raytracing was to program it correctly...it was really hard. Maybe that has changed with the newer drivers and consoles, I don't know but back then not many people where happy about the idea of implementing raytracing to any engine.

Yeah I'm sure its not easy to implement in an engine but it's a one time cost which results in RT being possible in all games using the engine which should be more than worth it especially for the future when RT becomes the standard and there's no need for a non-RT mode. Also a lot of devs are using Unreal Engine which already supports it.

Nobody really "chooses" to do anything in a capitalist venture. They do it because the mass market will give them less money if they don't do it. The first Spider-man downgraded the reflections in their puddles and the mainstream internet f***ing eviscerated them for it.

Yeah the graphics are easily the most marketable aspect of any video game. That's why most games during the PS3/360 and PS4 generations focused on pushing graphical boundaries while running at only 30 FPS. The PS3/360 generation in particular was awful for performance. This generation has started out amazingly with almost every game having a 60 FPS mode but its not a given that this will remain standard.

 

[pistolpete11]

Nobody really "chooses" to do anything in a capitalist venture. They do it because the mass market will give them less money if they don't do it. The first Spider-man downgraded the reflections in their puddles and the mainstream internet f***ing eviscerated them for it.

 

[TheDoldrums]

My biggest issues with modern games:

-every game having to have a bloated uninteresting open world.
-microtransactions
-games as services that demand constant attention
-half completed games being sold knowing they'll patch later

Play more Japanese games. I think the vast majority of the issues discussed here are a lot more applicable to the Western companies.

Okay yes Square Enix falls into these traps as well a lot of the time. But overall I think the rate of high quality releases without BS is a lot higher when you focus more on Japan. Even when Capcom or Square are mining nostalgia with remakes, they're damn good quality remakes. The Resident Evil remakes in particular have been largely fantastic (though they have a TOUGH act to improve on RE4 as they're trying to do).

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Now this might sound weird, but I actually think that the technical advancement is partly to blame.
4k Graphics and higher texture resolutions, Raytracing and just the all around added complexity mean that studios have to put much more focus on the technical side than in the olden days. This either leads to less focus on gameplay and narrative or to an increase in staff working on the game, and the more staff, the harder it is to put it all together into one thing.
It also leads to Engines being used in ways they were never intended for, for example Frostbite being used for Sports games, no wonder the gameplay in these games seems far less accurate than 15 years ago, frostbite is just not made to simulate Soccer or Football. But then again, if every game needed it's own engine, I don't think that this would be feasible, with the expectations on graphics being so high these days.
There are many more reasons of course, but I do think this is always in the background as a root cause of many issues with gaming today

I completely agree, I think it's probably the biggest reason RTS games have all but disappeared, more visual detail doesn't always make for a better experience.

The other issue in single player games is that many companies (Sony especially) put most of their money towards graphics, cinematic, and story, which is easier to sell in a trailer, plus needless RPG mechanics which are used to keep the players interest through an artificial sense of "progress". So unfortunately game and level design are treated as a lower priority.

 

[PK Cronin]

I completely agree, I think it's probably the biggest reason RTS games have all but disappeared, more visual detail doesn't always make for a better experience.

The other issue in single player games is that many companies (Sony especially) put most of their money towards graphics, cinematic, and story, which is easier to sell in a trailer, plus needless RPG mechanics which are used to keep the players interest through an artificial sense of "progress". So unfortunately game and level design are treated as a lower priority.

Typically more visual detail in an RTS game is actually worse for the player, at least when competing against others. Almost every competitive RTS sees the best players lowering the graphics settings as much as possible so they have a clearer view of what is important. The volcano smoking or the birds flying around definitely isn't useful information, so out the window it goes.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Lack of innovation certainly hurts the industry, along with questionable business practices (both on the surface and underneath it), trend-chasing, micro-transactions (it can be done well but seldom is)....

Also, this is just a personal gripe but I'm tired of celebrities in games. Yeah Keanu Reeves being in CP2077 was kinda hype but that didn't really add much to the game other than meme potential. Never mind the game being a rushed mess (another problem with the industry today)....

 

[93LEAFS]

Lack of innovation certainly hurts the industry, along with questionable business practices (both on the surface and underneath it), trend-chasing, micro-transactions (it can be done well but seldom is)....

Also, this is just a personal gripe but I'm tired of celebrities in games. Yeah Keanu Reeves being in CP2077 was kinda hype but that didn't really add much to the game other than meme potential. Never mind the game being a rushed mess (another problem with the industry today)....

As a big fan of Bosch and the Wire I do find it funny having Lance Reddick as the morally grey character in Horizon:Zero Dawn. But, studios shouldn't blow out their budget trying to get A-list stars or pivot late in development just to add one (which is what happened with Cyber Punk).

I have trouble also seeing how MTX can be done well. There's less bad like F2P games with only cosmetics. But the concept is abused as hell.

 

[SuperScript29]

I think people are reading too much into it, and a good part of it is nostalgia. I'll worry about the game industry when there aren't any enjoyable games out there to play.

The real problem that I have is there are way too many games out there, and indie games flooding the market is actually not a good thing. Sure there's that one title or two that are cool, but most are crap and are taking space from the actual good titles.

 

[Ducks in a row]

Too many bug filled games that don't get tested properly. Even patches to fix problems then create new problems too much it seems like.

 

[x Tame Impala]

I think people are reading too much into it, and a good part of it is nostalgia. I'll worry about the game industry when there aren't any enjoyable games out there to play.

The real problem that I have is there are way too many games out there, and indie games flooding the market is actually not a good thing. Sure there's that one title or two that are cool, but most are crap and are taking space from the actual good titles.

List 10-15

 

[SuperScript29]

List 10-15

Want me to list you 10+ games I enjoyed playing in the past 5 years alone? Here you go, this is off the top of my head without giving it much thought:

Divinity: Original Sin 2
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Crusader Kings 3
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Super Mario Odyssey
Red Dead Redemption 2

These are games I actually enjoyed playing even though I wasn't able to finish some of them due to a very hard personal schedule. I'm sure there are other good ones out there that I haven't had the chance of trying.

 

[93LEAFS]

Too many bug filled games that don't get tested properly. Even patches to fix problems then create new problems too much it seems like.

The day one patch has become a crutch for too many studios, and its also why reviewers are reluctant to delve too much into bugs believing they could be fixed by day one. While, I love what patches and updates can do for a game, it's frustrating studios abuse it. Prior to PS3/360 era if you released a broken game, it stayed broken, so you better have it properly QA'd before you let it go gold, and the Platform holders tended to be stricter on what could (I don't think 15 years ago, Cyber Punk would have been allowed to go gold on consoles in the condition it was).

Another trend I really dislike (which sort of ties into my previous point) which I think Ubisoft has abused the most. Selling physical copies which aren't playable. Like, needing to download 90% of the game. I think it was either the recent Far Cry or Assasins Creed that required you to essentially download the entire game.

But, I'm not that frustrated. There are still tons of great games in all sorts of genres and it's never been easier to play games you want. Although the mass consolidation which is showing no signs of slowing down is alarming.