A reader is sceptical about the present management within the video video games trade and worries that the wants of players are not the precedence for publishers.
The video games trade is in such a wierd place in the meanwhile. On the one hand we’ve superb video games being launched, with issues like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, and Monster Hunter Wilds. And on the opposite we’ve publishers appearing like monsters, slicing lots of of jobs at a time, whereas making billions in earnings. Not solely that however making enterprise choices so silly that its left peculiar players like me completely baffled.
It’s not simply the obsession with stay service video games (which Sony proved this week they nonetheless can’t shake) however the complete refusal to take care of the rising value of constructing video games, with something aside from value rises. When even Nintendo sees that as the one reply you already know they’re not even attempting to tackle the issues, and that’s what acquired me to pondering.
It appears to me that no person excessive up within the video games trade is within the slightest bit thinking about being a custododian, as you would possibly say, of gaming. No one is looking for its long run well being, no person cares whether or not individuals lose their jobs or builders go underneath, and positively no person cares about artwork.
You would possibly name me naïve for even pondering any of this stuff had been doable however at any time when one thing unhealthy occurs in gaming I believe again to that terrible photograph of Phil Spencer (the top of Xbox) and the top of Blizzard on the time, standing in entrance of lots of of Blizzard workers, an enormous variety of which acquired laid off just a few days later.
Each males should’ve recognized that on the time however they’re each grinning away as in the event that they’re at a pop live performance, absorbing the adulation from their ‘followers’.
No one accountable for a game writer is within the function for something aside from themselves. They don’t even care about the corporate, simply their very own cash, bonuses, and eventual golden parachute. Keep in mind when the top of Microsoft had Game Move targets faraway from the listing of issues he had to do to get a bonus? These individuals don’t care about something however their very own financial institution stability.
They’re solely human, I suppose you might say. I’m unsure I’d be any totally different if I used to be incomes $10 million a yr. However then just lately I used to be watching a video by Alanah Pearce, who used to work at Sony Santa Monica, about everything that’s happening. It’s very attention-grabbing, and solely 20 minutes lengthy, so I counsel everybody to watch.
Numerous it was acquainted to me from issues GC has mentioned previously, about publishers not being thinking about what players need however as an alternative what’s going to please buyers. They earn money from promoting video games, clearly, however that takes time to filter via. Many of the precise money circulate, as I perceive, comes from buyers and enterprise capitalists.
What this video makes clear, is that we peculiar individuals are not even the purchasers of those companies, of Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, EA, Ubisoft and the remaining. The buyers are. Everything video games publishers do they do for them. When you realise that every one the dumb choices abruptly begin to make sense.
There’s too many stay service video games and players need extra single-participant video games, however it by no means occurs. Why? As a result of buyers know about Fortnite, Minecraft, and the remaining and so they need extra of that. Even simply the potential of a success of that scale is way extra vital to them than only a modest revenue from a traditional game.
Already sick of listening to about AI in video games? Robust. Buyers adore it. Even when it doesn’t work and it’s going to spoil the financial system by placing so many individuals out of labor, in the event that they discover out AI is concerned they’re extra seemingly to make investments. And it’ll be the identical for no matter dumb buzzword is subsequent in tech, identical to it was for NFTs.
Video games are getting too costly to make so possibly we must always lower budgets and shorten video games… that doesn’t make sense to buyers. They don’t perceive, or need to perceive, gaming so the one logical factor to them is to put extra money in to get extra money out.
If any writer tries to faux to you that they’re doing it for the players or give a rattling about what the game is or who’s making it… they’re lying. All they’re thinking about is what pleases buyers. Even laying individuals off is a part of that, as a result of that’s what buyers count on any firm to do, that isn’t displaying infinite development.
Everything unhealthy that’s occurring to the video games trade proper now could be due to grasping execs looking for themselves and uncaring buyers searching for simple cash. Any good video games that come out of that’s purely a facet product and nobody that might make issues higher has any curiosity in doing so. Publishers don’t care about video games, and so they positively don’t care about you.
By reader Grackle
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