Is gaming dying?

[Clippy]

Then they blame us as killers during procession for letting all this happen.

Me after seeing all spectacular recent flops:

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

Ye that's more or less my point; there's more to gaming than just the AAA sphere, so if that bursts it won't be the end of gaming or anything. I hope if it does go down that we see a return to AA be the standard, games with decent budgets untied to major publishers who usually are making games they want to make.

Agreed, the demand for games isn't going away but developers have to set the bar higher and higher to compete with retro, indie and the romhack community. Its not easy being a AAA game dev nowadays.

 

[Jeanfranc]

We know retro gaming is never going to die, but is the gaming industry dying? I don't see any evidence of demand for games lowering but AAA gaming is having issues. If demand is still high but gaming companies are having layoffs and lowered sales, seems to me like the problem is with the games they are making. But what I do I know, I'm not an MBA suit. What do you all think about this?

Quite surprised with the video actually, I guess this guy is not that bad as long as he doesn't talk about actual game design (His Elden Ring review)

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

Quite surprised with the video actually, I guess this guy is not that bad as long as he doesn't talk about actual game design (His Elden Ring review)

He's actually quite good, one of my favorite youtube gaming editorialists. He does have a few misses every now and then (like his video about Emil Pagliarulo) but he's pretty knowledgeable about topics and doesn't rage bait.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Good things Indies made by people that most likely actually played games before are keeping it from truly dying, ditto for Indle cartoons

 

[RetroLuvr]

Modern gaming, TV, movies, music, literature, etc. isn't bad. People who say so have simply grown up and miss being a kid but don't want to admit that they're getting older and more out of touch with each passing day so they cling to the narrative that the media they experienced growing up was the best and anything made after that sucks.

 

[Dakarus]

Nah.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Phil Fish

 

[Clippy]

View attachment 21742

Takes you back, doesn't it?

 

[Somnia]

AAA gaming is certainly going through a tough time as of late. The infinite growth motive of capitalism has finally seemed to have caught up to ballooning budgets and the endless chase for live service games. It has led to a lot of very unfortunate studio closures, high profile game cancellations and general mass layoffs with it being clear that a lot of things have to change if that portion of the industry is gonna continue existing. I think a lot of companies will slowly shift focus, trim some fat and possibly merge together in some cases to stabilize and make it through but I doubt there is some grand death or super huge shakeup on the horizon. Hoping as many studios survive the coming years as possible but if the last few years have taught us anything, the bloodbath will likely continue until executives and shareholders stop being delusional.

Post automatically merged: Feb 5, 2025

No-one's putting a gun to their heads and forcing them to make social media accounts. No-one is forcing them to list their workplaces. And most certainly no-one is forcing them to attack the potential audience. I get what you're saying. Quite a few devs who did nothing wrong other than working on a game that turned out bad (if that's even wrong to begin with) get caught in the crossfire of eternal social media raging and bile-spewing but some of them are really asking for it and getting their just deserts. Phil Fish comes to mind. I wonder what he's doing these days.

I think its inherently depressing that for the crime of pursuing a creative passion you're met with having to either leave the internet or exist on it in a less personal, authentic way just to avoid getting harassed endlessly by the weirdest types of people imaginable.

The internet is truly the best of things and the worst of things at all times, I suppose.

 

[RageBurner]

but if the last few years have taught us anything, the bloodbath will likely continue until executives and shareholders stop being delusional.

Exactly. As long as they own the aces, the grand game stays the same.

 

[ZombieFish]

I really don’t see a crash like 83 happening again, the industry is too mammoth at this point, but I do wonder if at some point AAA blandness and people’s increasing cost of living won’t start driving people en-mass to smaller games for older hardware. Y’know, like they did me. :p

 

[RageBurner]

I really don’t see a crash like 83 happening again, the industry is too mammoth at this point, but I do wonder if at some point AAA blandness and people’s increasing cost of living won’t start driving people en-mass to smaller games for older hardware. Y’know, like they did me. :p

That's what I think. AAA will have to reinvent itself at some point. The competition with indies is fierce already for people's attention (and wallets) and it will only get fiercer as AAA moves further and further into Blandland (tm).

Though some indie genres and subgenres already feel a little worn and worse for wear by now, there's always a new crowd that will enjoy the next roguelike or frustration platformer or what have you. Ultimately the stakes are much lower and the bar of entry much kinder.

Balatro sold millions of copies (and continues to sell), and the dev admitted they thought they were going to manage to push 6 or 7 copies at most.

 

[NobodyHere]

Honestly I think this is a good thing. Talking from a young generation perspective the games that I’ve really seen get the spotlight have been subversive indie games like -
Stardew, Undertale, Mouthwash, Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddys, Cuphead, Terraria, Among Us, Cult of the Lamb, etc
Despite what you feel about these games you can’t deny they’re popular and sell like hot cakes. How you get big companies to change is to hit them where it hurts, their wallets. So hopefully this will be a kick in the balls for them to let their workers spread their wings, be experimental.

Post automatically merged: Feb 5, 2025

Extra note some of these games might not seem experimental anymore; That’s because they paved the way for future games that would take after them.

 

[LightningmanEXE]

You know, there are still many really cool games coming out, but you know what else? it still makes me sad that there are a few IPs that are essentially just being sat on by their respective developers. Like yeah I'll play a thousand funky non-linear challenging platformer games that are better than megaman, but I'd still like a megaman game published... you know? I feel like this aversion to low risk, low budget titles has made certain franchises just die prematurely.

insert smiling friends chicken nugget CEO

also it doesn't help the gaming industry seems to have adopted the Hollywood model of firing all employees after a project is done, essentially making any freak accident success unrepeatable.

 

[RageBurner]

I feel like this aversion to low risk, low budget titles has made certain franchises just die prematurely.

Yeah, that's part of what I was referring to when I said the gaming public in general is responsible for the current state of affairs, at least in part.

 

[jmcdra]

I don't think gaming itself is dying but the "AAA" industry's shitty practices are starting to catch up with their delusion of infinite growth. Rather than trying to make a best seller, make a game that's fun and people would actually enjoy. People are wising up to QoL features being taken away and being made into DLCs. Games will be around long after the so called "Triple A" companies and gaming will greatly benefit in the end

 

[NobodyHere]

Yeah, that's part of what I was referring to when I said the gaming public in general is responsible for the current state of affairs, at least in part.

Long running problem, I mean just look at how many cash grab licenses games there are. (Which has now moved over to mobile gaming) All the copycat Mario cart and Mario party games

I don’t worry about creativity dying out, as long as there’s trash there will be a diamond to be found

 

[Boo Man]

gamers are becoming smarter with their money after being ripped off over & over
we not paying full price for hyped up trash no more!
we not buying your stupid remasters!

 

[dropsmegamega]

Modern gaming, TV, movies, music, literature, etc. isn't bad. People who say so have simply grown up and miss being a kid but don't want to admit that they're getting older and more out of touch with each passing day so they cling to the narrative that the media they experienced growing up was the best and anything made after that sucks.

this is the worst take I've read in this site

 

[Boo Man]

this is the worst take I've read in this site

reminds me of how certain companies have recently made some really low quality, poor effort games
and then basically said "yeah nah we made it bad on purpose for casual andy's and gamer dads who only play video games for a few minutes per week"

 

[Egg (McMuffin) Man]

Gaming isn't dying. There is a crash, but it's not the gaming industry that's crashing, but rather a very specific part of the industry. If gaming were crashing, that crash would be affecting games like Mario or Minecraft. Instead it's limited to stuff like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Concord.

To phrase that differently, companies that make games for the sole purpose of providing a fun and engaging experience are booming right now and seeing record sales (Nintendo is the best example of this, and they're just a few million units shy of having the best selling piece of gaming hardware ever), but companies who don't care about providing fun experiences and just chase after dollars or are focused on injecting stupid bullshit that nobody wants into their games are suffering - currently Ubisoft is the best example of this.

And this trend will continue so long as certain companies continue to screw around and make bad games that nobody wants.

And I look forward to watching those companies go under. I don't buy their games, and I never will. But I'll happily pay full price for games from companies that respect me as a customer and make products that are for everyone.

There is nothing wrong with making a product for a niche audience. For example, Mega Man games are made for a niche audience. But you need to know who your audience is and you need to adjust your budget and the scale of your project based on the size of your audience. Additionally, companies should respect their audience and not throw tantrums and sling insults around when people decide not to pay money ($ = literal hours of your life) for their product. I personally look forward to companies that engage in this type of behavior going bankrupt.

 

[Zooey]

No-one's putting a gun to their heads and forcing them to make social media accounts. No-one is forcing them to list their workplaces. And most certainly no-one is forcing them to attack the potential audience. I get what you're saying. Quite a few devs who did nothing wrong other than working on a game that turned out bad (if that's even wrong to begin with) get caught in the crossfire of eternal social media raging and bile-spewing but some of them are really asking for it and getting their just deserts. Phil Fish comes to mind. I wonder what he's doing these days.

No one is forcing them, but there has been a push for more dev communication. Dev interviews, dev blogs, TV appearances, fireside chats. I think there is a benefit to it, but the toxic negativity it creates outweighs it. I think gaming is very much alive, but gaming culture has taken a turn for the worse with how we treat each other.

 

[Egg (McMuffin) Man]

Phil Fish comes to mind

It's funny, I heard about it back when his controversy was happening and he cancelled Fez 2 but I never figured out what everyone was mad at him for (and couldn't be bothered to look). It was always reported as just social media bullying or something. I recently learned what it was all about and now I'm kinda mad ?

No one is forcing them, but there has been a push for more dev communication. Dev interviews, dev blogs, TV appearances, fireside chats. I think there is a benefit to it, but the toxic negativity it creates outweighs it. I think gaming is very much alive, but gaming culture has taken a turn for the worse with how we treat each other.

Not just game devs, but celebrities as a whole (not that game devs are celebrities but some kind of are and some think they are) - we would all be much better off if they just made their games and didn't comment on everything or try to make a platform to put their opinions everywhere.

Everyone's opinion sucks. Your opinion sucks, my opinion sucks, my mom's opinion sucks. Just do your job as a game dev/actor/singer/gaming "journalist"/whatever and leave the political talk or bullshit opinions for your immediate social circle.

Look at Miyamoto for example. I love the man but I don't know anything about his beliefs or personal opinions. He doesn't have social media or any controversies or anything. I'm sure we disagree on something but it's not my business nor does he try to make it my business. He just does his job. I love that.

 

[Ikagura]

Not really.