I don't have any solutions, but I wonder how many who enjoy video games are just becoming more and more bored by the same-old, same-old.
The industry is stagnating and there doesn't seem to be any clear explanation as to why. People still want to play video games, but most AAA developers are still pumping out the same type of games they were a decade+ ago.
Indie games can be exciting, or, more often, they can feel cheaply made and highly derivative.
I confess, I'm an older gamer who lived through the 2D era, then the awkward transition to 3D, then 3D games coming-of-age into The Gaming Standard... but the industry has been stuck in the latter for nearly two decades, constantly refining small graphical details while giving us similar-playing games that we experienced in the PS3/360 era.
Time for something new, something we've never seen before.
What that is, I don't know, but my guess is the solution (s) won't be emerging from companies solely interested in their bottom line.
"For one, marketers should try to help devs find market signal earlier in the development process for games."
Agree. But as a mobile marketer working on games (from small to very large studios), i often see how disconnected are internal teams, even once the game is launched. Lack of communication & collaboration between product, monetisation & marketing, leading to missed opportunities and growing challenges.
So while i agree marketers should try to help devs early on, i think it also comes to devs having to listen more to marketers when it comes to players feedbacks, market dynamics and competition on the user acquisition side of things.
Looking forward to read your upcoming articles on the subject.
From an outsider, it appears that these large studio decisions are often driven by executives who seem most out of touch with market interest, and are primarily driven by revenue decisions. (See Andrew Wilson’s comments on Dragon Age 2). I think that tension can lead to compromised products, which just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Additionally, as an outsider, I think we’ve hit saturation for big-budget open world adventure games.
That was a great post! I used to love AAA titles and, for a while, only had a Switch while using Stadia/GeForce Now for bigger games. Even after finally purchasing a Series X and PS5, I played a few exclusives I had missed over the years and ultimately felt let down.
That’s when I realized I could get the same emotional drama, comedy, or just a zone-out gaming experience from indie games for less than half the price and in half the time. I occasionally dip back in for games like Alan Wake 2, which I’m playing this week, and I spend hours in Apex and Marvel Rivals, but I’m an indie game boy for life! Haha.
During this time, I used Game Pass and PS+ for 2–3 years, and I can say that subscription services like these are another reason I stopped buying games. Paying $100 a year to try out a $70 game almost every month is such a great value, but ultimately, it’s going to destroy the industry for larger publishers and studios.
I was surprised to hear how much indie game marketing depends on the steam discovery algorithm. It echoes Youtubers’ complaints about having to “play the algorithm”.
Steam has been a benevolent platform owner, but the amount of power they have over indie games’ access to players is concerning.
I'd agree - Steam , makes or breaks an Indie game. Without a doubt its concernimg as I'm unsure if there is another market place that's simpler to Steam.
I sort of wish the other platforms (like Nintendo eShop, Xbox, etc.) would follow Valve's lead and adopt similar practices by building better discovery surfaces and algorithms.
I think Steam's algo approach is good for devs on the whole. And the fact that they don't allow pay-for-play sets them apart as well.
Is the era of independent games, where the vibe matters as much as the product. People want to support independent creators who are building, not huge gaming studios and their filthy DLCs. You can go on steam and see a lot of stagnation. Increasingly the good surprises are all early Access games where you can feel that the developers actually care.
Nah. And though I’m no longer at Odyssey, that team deserves credit for continuing to support OS. The servers are on. It’s not shut down, even tho they’re still a startup.
I don't have any solutions, but I wonder how many who enjoy video games are just becoming more and more bored by the same-old, same-old.
The industry is stagnating and there doesn't seem to be any clear explanation as to why. People still want to play video games, but most AAA developers are still pumping out the same type of games they were a decade+ ago.
Indie games can be exciting, or, more often, they can feel cheaply made and highly derivative.
I confess, I'm an older gamer who lived through the 2D era, then the awkward transition to 3D, then 3D games coming-of-age into The Gaming Standard... but the industry has been stuck in the latter for nearly two decades, constantly refining small graphical details while giving us similar-playing games that we experienced in the PS3/360 era.
Time for something new, something we've never seen before.
What that is, I don't know, but my guess is the solution (s) won't be emerging from companies solely interested in their bottom line.
Cheers, Ryan, great article as usual.
"For one, marketers should try to help devs find market signal earlier in the development process for games."
Agree. But as a mobile marketer working on games (from small to very large studios), i often see how disconnected are internal teams, even once the game is launched. Lack of communication & collaboration between product, monetisation & marketing, leading to missed opportunities and growing challenges.
So while i agree marketers should try to help devs early on, i think it also comes to devs having to listen more to marketers when it comes to players feedbacks, market dynamics and competition on the user acquisition side of things.
Looking forward to read your upcoming articles on the subject.
From an outsider, it appears that these large studio decisions are often driven by executives who seem most out of touch with market interest, and are primarily driven by revenue decisions. (See Andrew Wilson’s comments on Dragon Age 2). I think that tension can lead to compromised products, which just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Additionally, as an outsider, I think we’ve hit saturation for big-budget open world adventure games.
That was a great post! I used to love AAA titles and, for a while, only had a Switch while using Stadia/GeForce Now for bigger games. Even after finally purchasing a Series X and PS5, I played a few exclusives I had missed over the years and ultimately felt let down.
That’s when I realized I could get the same emotional drama, comedy, or just a zone-out gaming experience from indie games for less than half the price and in half the time. I occasionally dip back in for games like Alan Wake 2, which I’m playing this week, and I spend hours in Apex and Marvel Rivals, but I’m an indie game boy for life! Haha.
During this time, I used Game Pass and PS+ for 2–3 years, and I can say that subscription services like these are another reason I stopped buying games. Paying $100 a year to try out a $70 game almost every month is such a great value, but ultimately, it’s going to destroy the industry for larger publishers and studios.
I was surprised to hear how much indie game marketing depends on the steam discovery algorithm. It echoes Youtubers’ complaints about having to “play the algorithm”.
Steam has been a benevolent platform owner, but the amount of power they have over indie games’ access to players is concerning.
I'd agree - Steam , makes or breaks an Indie game. Without a doubt its concernimg as I'm unsure if there is another market place that's simpler to Steam.
I sort of wish the other platforms (like Nintendo eShop, Xbox, etc.) would follow Valve's lead and adopt similar practices by building better discovery surfaces and algorithms.
I think Steam's algo approach is good for devs on the whole. And the fact that they don't allow pay-for-play sets them apart as well.
Interesting!
Great article!
Is the era of independent games, where the vibe matters as much as the product. People want to support independent creators who are building, not huge gaming studios and their filthy DLCs. You can go on steam and see a lot of stagnation. Increasingly the good surprises are all early Access games where you can feel that the developers actually care.
No crisis here, looks the same as it always has been.
https://issuu.com/ballmatthew/docs/gaming2025_vee10/104
Speaking of games getting shut down, is the rumor true that omega strikers was planned to be axed long before it actually was?
Nah. And though I’m no longer at Odyssey, that team deserves credit for continuing to support OS. The servers are on. It’s not shut down, even tho they’re still a startup.