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In an interview with The New York Times, multiple game creators and industry experts expressed concerns about the inability of gaming’s AAA studios to cope with the pressures of developing advanced graphics—especially given the significant layoffs experienced over the past two years and the poor performance of several high-quality AAA titles in the marketplace. Even live service games, known for their potential profit when successful, are recognized as part of a saturated market, posing substantial risks for investors, particularly since consumers often have a strong aversion to overly exploitative live service business practices.
As noted by former Square Enix executive Jacob Navok in his conversation with The New York Times, “It’s evident that high-quality visuals resonate primarily with a vocal demographic of gamers in their 40s and 50s. But what does my 7-year-old son enjoy? Minecraft. Roblox. Fortnite.”
This perspective, while perhaps somewhat simplistic, holds validity when we consider the tendency of top-selling titles to prioritize compatibility with low- to mid-range hardware over high-performance PCs. For instance, the broader category of single-player action games has largely evolved to consist of Soulslikes and gacha-styled games such as Genshin Impact. Although Soulslikes typically feature impressive visuals, they often do not operate within a full AAA budget and are commonly restricted to a maximum of 60 FPS. In contrast, gacha games are usually accessible on mobile devices, with regular versions running on low-end PCs or last-generation consoles.
For the majority of gamers, it appears that maximizing high-end hardware’s capabilities isn’t necessarily their foremost concern. Similarly, less ambitious live service games have faced difficulties, as seen with the severe setbacks of Sony’s Concord and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, as mentioned by the New York Times.
Kill The Justice League serves as a significant case in point. Initially marketed as a continuation of the hugely successful Batman Arkham series of single-player melee combat games, it has since been rebranded as a live-service third-person shooter. Game studios are struggling to respond effectively to their audiences, and such errors are costing them hundreds of millions.
One independent developer interviewed by The New York Times offered particularly sharp insights regarding the industry’s current landscape, especially in relation to the increasing integration of generative AI. Rami Ismail, co-founder of the development studio Vlambeer, known for titles such as Nuclear Throne and Luftrausers, stated, “The notion that AI will produce content before we understand its mechanics and data sourcing is extremely challenging.”
Rami elaborated, “How can we as an industry create shorter games with inferior graphics employing individuals who are compensated fairly to reduce their hours? If we can achieve that, there might be some short-term optimism. Otherwise, I fear the gradual decay of the gaming industry is already in progress.”
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