Games are doing fine overall. But I wouldn’t want to be working for a mega corp these days. Well, I already didn’t want that actually.
Replace mega corp with ‘a publicly traded entity’ and you’re spot-on the money.
There are a very few studios that aren’t beholden to the whims of vulture capitalist investors, and they’re the only ones still putting out absolute bangers (Larian), upholding their promises (Hello Games) or keeping the entire gaming industry from consuming itself in a blaze of pure shitfuckery (Valve).
The games that survived are doing fine. There’s a lot of reason to believe that what we’re seeing can at least be partially attributed to just how many games are coming out these days, even good ones. I’m already falling behind on games I want to get to just out of the ones released in 2025.
CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
Games are doing fine for now, but how much longer will devs and artist continue being treated like disposable tissue before we see talent implode? It doesn’t seem to matter what game is built, how well it performs, if it’s single player or live service - the layoffs and closures come for everyone.
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
There is more to gaming than the AAA studios. There have never, ever been more people making video games. They don’t all work for mega corps.
skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
All the best games of the last 10 years have been built and published by teams smaller than 20 people.
Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 6 days ago
There were some AAA standouts, like Baulder Gate 3 and Hogworts Legacy, that did very well. It is possible if the company focuses on producing a fun user experience.