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The video game industry has undergone plenty of changes over the last few decades, with many studios and publishers being gigantic corporate houses. Xbox's announcement regarding its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard for an estimated valuation of nearly $70 billion just goes to show how these companies are greatly expanding with time, creating new records with their products.
That said, some of the recent trends in the video game industry can hardly qualify as positive. Although some of them bring benefits for the developers and publishers, they can also be called anti-consumer when analyzed. While all five trends listed here might still exist at the end of 2024, it would be wonderful if they could disappear altogether.
5 video game industry trends that need to go
5) Rushed releases
It's easy to understand why studios and developers try not to delay their releases beyond a certain point. After all, these are the days of early access and pre-orders, and buyers don't take kindly to news of any delay. That said, the recent release of Baldur's Gate 3 perfectly proves the point that it's better to be late than early. At the same time, Larian Studios did take extra time and nearly one more year than what was anticipated initially.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3's campaign has been heavily criticized for a similar reason. It was initially rumored that there won't be a full-scale Call of Duty game coming out in 2023 at all. In hindsight, that would have been the correct decision. However, Activision thought otherwise, and the poor reception of the game's campaign shows that it can hardly call itself a full-scale AAA title. As the products keep getting more complex, the video game industry and its stakeholders must take the necessary time to polish their creations before releasing them.
4) Stop releasing unfinished games on early access
The early access is a really cool feature that allows gamers to get an early experience of an upcoming video game. This feature has become quite common for the video game industry to get the fans involved, and anyone who plays on Steam will be well aware of how it works. Now, it is expected that a game in early access will be a work in progress, and it will require tweaks.
However, it has become a trend for developers to release their products on early access with just a minuscule amount of content. Many in the video game industry seem to have forgotten that early access is not supposed to be the alpha/beta stage. There needs to be some quality control from the developers, and they need to ensure that the early access title at least justifies the money spent by gamers.
3) Exploitative DLCs
Downloadable Content isn't a recent trend in the video game industry, enabling developers to keep improving their products. On the one hand, the developers can insert new features and content, and on the other, gamers get to keep enjoying the products for a longer time. Even if the DLCs are paid expansions, it's a good thing.
However, there have been plenty of incidents when basic features and mechanics have been locked behind a paywall. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is a recent example of a full-priced AAA title having extra cosmetics locked behind paid DLCs. It's one thing if these options were alternatively available to unlock by grinding the game. But to charge players more money for things that should be there in the base game is outright greedy and something the video game industry should step away from in 2024.
2) Poor optimization on PC
2023 has been a year of apologies, and almost all of it has been centered around the performance of video games on PC. Who can even forget The Last of Us PC port's shocking performance? Even mediocre releases like Redfall could have been better on PC compared to the game's performance on Xbox. NBA 2K24 has yet to upgrade the PC version to the current generation despite significant complaints from the players.
It's a known fact that compared to consoles, there are more variables on the PC platforms. While consoles have uniform hardware (excluding the differences in brands), there can be hundreds of different combinations when it comes to a PC gaming build. Regardless, it has become essential for developers to ensure that the standard performance levels of their games are better and meet the expectations of PC users.
1) Overinvestments on Gaas
Games as a Service (Gaas) seem to be the latest fountain of youth as far as the video game industry goes. A company like PlayStation, which has a proven track record when it comes to single-player games, has found itself amid controversy due to the very same reason. Just a few days back, Naughty Dog developers announced their decision not to focus on an online game built in The Last of Us Universe.
It's easy to understand why GaaS can appear so lucrative for investors and developers alike. After all, it is very difficult to ignore the financial success of games like Fortnite and PUBG, among others. Even EA's largest earners are EA FC 24's Ultimate Team and Apex Legends, both of which are based around live service.
What developers need to understand is that overkill only does good for some. While titles like Fortnite or FC 24's Ultimate Team are financial successes, there are plenty of stories of financial failures that have seen development houses go bankrupt. Hence, the video game industry should find a proper balance and focus on variety and diversity when it comes to new projects.
