Unicorns (Gaming)

by Schooly D, TSD Gaming Condo, TX, Friday, May 26, 2023, 07:54 (550 days ago) @ Cody Miller

The very core of Marathon was the story experience. People are absolutely buying, and valuing, games with a great campaigns. Are we in a time where there's less money in success than service? Where free to play is more lucrative than a normal game? Do successful single player games just not make enough money?

I think it should be viewed in terms of probabilities and variance.

A single player game from a AAA studio like Bungie is likely to have a high floor in terms of sales but a low ceiling: you launch, sell a bunch of units, collect a bunch of cash, but eventually sales taper off and the world (and your studio) moves on.

A free-to-play live service game is more risky. It will probably flop but maybe... just maybe... you are the next Fortnite.

I don't think Bungie makes this decision, it's probably Sony. I'm sure Bungie is capable of developing a good SP-focused Marathon game but Sony probably figures since Bungie has a ton of experience running a live service for the past decade they're more useful attempting a game like Nu-Marathon.

Do think Marathon will become the next CS:GO? Or do you think it's more likely to become Disintegration? Something in between? I certainly trust Bungie to nail the PvP experience for a huge range of skill levels.

But as I've grown older I've lost interest in pure PvP experiences. I'm not 15 anymore, and it's not 1999 with Unreal Tournament dominating. Games provide better immersion through aesthetics today than through challenge. More meaningful. More artistic. I fear Marathon will simply be… a game.

I think you should be more sanguine. It's PvP but everything about the trailer and vidoc points to character customization being the focus. The PvP experience is just a vehicle for self-expression (which, of course, you're gonna pay for). Not my cup of tea but I'm the guy who invented ULTRA MLG.