One reader suggests that companies are looking to retro games as a model for making games faster, cheaper, and more imaginatively.
Like everyone else, I have been following the news for the past few months in confusion and despair. It feels like Microsoft and Sony are abandoning everything we know about console gaming on a whim, and yet there's no clear plan. . In recent weeks, it has become clear that there are a variety of reasons for this, including the fallout from the pandemic and concerns about COVID-19. lack of market growth; However, the most fundamental problem is that it costs too much to make games right now.
The obvious solution to this problem is to cut the budget, but that doesn't seem to even be on the agenda. It's all-or-nothing for these companies, and many seem willing to forego traditional games in favor of only live service games rather than cut back on their budgets a bit.
At the same time all of this is happening, I'm reading articles about people being more into retro gaming than ever before, including younger gamers who have only known today's digital-only, touchscreen-dominated world. I did. This surprised me at first, but then I realized that a classic arcade game would be much closer to the experience you get from a mobile game than a 60+ hour blockbuster.
Then I started thinking about Sega's plans to bring back old arcade games that looked like low-budget, small-scale games. I don't know how much they decided to do so based on the current issues, but they are now in a position to start the game at the perfect time.
I know this is Sega we're talking about, so they'll probably screw everything up, but my imagination is that the games will be at least half the price compared to triple-A games, and the You should be able to clear it within a short time. time. It's basically like an indie game, but with higher production values and recognizable characters.
The problem for game companies now isn't that they need to convince other people to play more modest games, because they're already doing that with indie and mobile games. The people who need convincing are the game makers themselves, who are currently unable to recover from the brink with his massively sized Quad A game where he appears to only be working at one speed. It seems that.
Buying one game for £70 is the same as buying three games for £23. Why not? Each of the three games takes less time to create (so developers can create multiple games per generation instead of just one!), and developers Because it costs less for them, they can take more risks and be more experimental.
But they won't do that, I know. There may be an external possibility that Sega's plan will work and other companies will copy it, but even then it will only be Japanese companies. Western companies are stuck in an “all-or-nothing” mindset that they can't seem to break out of, which is clearly making the situation worse.
Imagine if Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Bethesda, and BioWare released a new game every 1-2 years instead of every 6 years, and each release was different than the last. That's what it was like back in the days of the Xbox 360 and before, and that's what I miss about the retro days more than anything.
We've been waiting for a new game for a long time, and when it finally arrives, it's the same as always. If the game as we know it is to survive, it has to change.
From reader Grackle
Reader features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can always submit your own 500-600 word reader feature. If used, it will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Please contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our submission page. No need to send an email.
MORE : The only video games I enjoy right now are retro games – Reader Feature
MORE: Why buying retro games is more important than ever: 'Games should be physical'
More information: Retro games are much better than modern video games – Reader Featured
Follow Metro Gaming twitter Email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
For an easier way to send letters and readers in your inbox without sending an email, use the sending page here.
For more articles like this, check out our games page.
Sign up for all the exclusive game content and latest releases before they appear on the site.
privacy policy »
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
