God, please. (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Thursday, August 25, 2016, 20:42 (3020 days ago) @ SonofMacPhisto

I've been calling for one since pre-Destiny. The AAA market is so bogged down by bloat, short-sightedness, design-by-committee, publishers who don't care about the product etc. etc.

Course, with the indie scene looking like it is I doubt we'll see an ET-level crash so much as a shift in emphasis. I could certainly live in a world of Devolver Digitals and self-publishers rather than Ubisofts and Warner Brothers.

Sadly, the problem with publishers not caring about the quality of the product is really a problem with shareholders only caring about next quarter's profits rather than the long term growth of the company they bought into. Our free market has created a situation where the most profitable way to buy stocks is to buy short term, generate a shitload of hype, sell at the peak, and let the company crash, then buy up the pieces low, wait for stability, and sell them off at a huge profit to the next company you plan on destroying.

Bam. This, right here.

Regarding the display of purity Kermit mentioned (<3 that phrasing) I have two thoughts: this specific instance pushed a button I didn't realize was there. I'm also possibly the biggest Company of Heroes 2 fan here and THAT sucker is BLOATED with micro transactions.

So hey.

Maybe with COH2 it's like a small subscription fee I can pay when I feel like? I am in it mostly for the online modes, and it's nice to give them money once in a while for what I feel is a great product.

DX:MD just... doesn't justify its micros at first past. I dunno.

I dunno either. I don't know where greed ends and survival kicks in. Seems like there are more big games that cost more than ever to make, and I don't know what the market will bear. I know Halo's longevity lessened under Bungie's oversight. A few years ago there seemed to be quite a bit of debate over what was sustainable. Where creativity and commerce meet is often messy and less than ideal from either perspective (investors want profits on a schedule, and creatives want flexibility). I certainly don't have the answer.