Written by A. Karlan
The recent Global Games Market Report published by NewZoo, it was forecast that 2020’s global games market will generate revenues of $159.3 billion: a healthy year-on-year growth of +9.3%. This is hardly surprising considering the massive increase in time spent on digital devices due to COVID-19 shutdowns and social distancing. The gaming sector, and especially in the field of mobile gaming, was among the few to see zero lost revenue through an especially trying year. Simply put: gaming is booming. However, a few pitfalls loom on the horizon for big name developers which, if not addressed, could threaten to suck some of the world’s largest gaming companies down a competitive black hole.
AAA developers, an informal title given to mid-size and major developers with large production budgets, have fallen into a well of trying to pump blockbuster style, 60-hour experiences crafted on obscene budgets. Former PlayStation Exec, Shawn Layden, asserts that a return to tighter and shorter games is in order if the industry wants to survive into the future.”The problem with that model is it’s just not sustainable,” Layden said at Gamelab Live, via Games Industry.
Layden’s assessment is on the money, as the quest to outdo rival studios has resulted in games with bloated budgets and incredibly long development periods. In fact, AAA game development costs now average more than 20 times what they cost in the late 80s, accounting for inflation. Publishers may push the narrative that smaller games are unable to put up competitive sales figures, yet the indie market constantly proves that wrong.
Meanwhile, PlayStation manufacturer Sony is reportedly doubling the number of PlayStation 5 consoles in production to 10 million in an attempt to scale and meet recent demand trends before the highly-anticipated hardware goes on sale this holiday season. The announcement of this 50% increase in production of PS5s is more than an opportunity for developers for more sales; it also signals a new level of demand for software that takes advantage of the platform. The larger the audience is, the greater the demand for content and opportunity for subsequent bandwagon trends to emerge. These conditions lead AAA further down the competitive rabbit hole of shock-and-awe visuals and will lead to future disadvantageous compromises. This forced competition is ushering in an age of beautiful, but creatively blocked games that will ultimately send gamers to alternative gaming platforms for a truly satisfying experience not just visually, but mentally and mechanically too. Big budget gaming has dominated the industry in the 21st century, but as indie game companies continue to reinvent simple premises and artistic executions, AAA may soon have to reckon with the idea that they have lost the soul of what makes a game truly engaging.