AAA Games Need to Stop Chasing Trends and Start Making Them

Let me know if you’ve heard this one before: all of a sudden. A brand new and exciting games explodes onto the scene and becomes a huge success. It has an idea, theme. Or hook that resonates with a wide audience, and we then have to spend the next several years watching countless developers and publishers try to recapture that lightning in a bottle, until things eventually hit a saturation point.

And they realise that people are no longer interested in that idea. But are now all in on this new hot game. Until then. We have to spend the next several years watching countless developers and publishers. Try to recapture that lightning in a bottle. The cycle continues, and at times it feels. As if we are destined to live in a world in which the largest AAA game creators on the planet are always trying to catch up with the latest trends rather than creating them themselves.

And I know that I’m not the only one who feels this way because, after Ubisoft announced yet another batch of game cancellations, delays, and cost-cutting measures. An employee at the gaming giant asked the question, “It appears that management is out of touch with games. Saying that we need to adapt to an evolving industry. ” And I know that I’m not the only one who feels this way because after Ubisoft announced yet another batch of game cancellations. Selays, and cost-cutting measures Why are we trying to keep up with the latest trends. Instead of setting them such as how tech companies have set the trend of remote work by aiming to hire remote developers? An excellent question, certainly.

It should go without saying that Ubisoft is not the only corporation to be blamed for this offence. Even though 2023 hasn’t even begun yet, Xbox has already announced major layoffs. And Halo Infinite has been completely reworked. Additionally, live-service games like Rumbleverse have been discontinued. And Electronic Arts has discontinued the mobile versions of Apex Legends and Battlefield. All of these have at least some of the characteristics of being a reaction against large corporations. Like Microsoft, Epic, and EA that are attempting to follow trends rather than create them.

During the course of the last several years, it seems as though a new battle royale. Or live-service game of some kind has been introduced every few weeks. And alongside this announcement comes the news that the game will be discontinued. Even while it is quite evident that this is only the most recent trend dejour that game developers and publishers have been adopting.

It is by no means the first time that we have witnessed this. Over the course of the previous 20 years. There have been certain times when various types of video games. Such as 3D platformers, rhythm games, and hero shooters, have dominated the market. Only to eventually become oversaturated and fade away. And certainly, we have seen them resurface in some versions, typically in the indie realm. However, just as it is obvious that fashion trends come and go, it is also obvious that gaming trends come and go.

It is common knowledge that the production of video games, particularly those in the AAA category, takes a very, very long time. If this is the case, and you decide to try to profit on the success of a new game or genre. There is a good probability that the wave will have subsided by the time your game is ready to be released.

This is because waves tend to move in waves. And even if you try to fit that hot new idea into something that is already in the middle of the development process. The results of that Frankensteining and lack of an identity are typically clear to everybody. (We are specifically addressing the Gotham Knights.)

This wasn’t always the case, by the way. 1998 was the year that saw the release of many ground-breaking and genre-defining video games. Such as Half-Life, StarCraft, Metal Gear Solid, Xenogears, Grim Fandango. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Thief, Baldur’s Gate, Banjo-Kazooie.

And the North American release of Pokémon Red and Blue. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the year’s release. The concept that the AAA market could release so many games that set new trends in a single year appears to be unrealistic at this point.

It’s kind of odd to think that we live in a world where a game can receive accolades just for delving into the past. Rather than slavishly focused on whatever is popular at the moment. But that’s exactly the society we live in. Many of us want for the simpler times when things were more straightforward. Like when video games had a beginning, middle, and end that were easy to follow.

Video games that are completely finished on the day they are released. Games that provide the impression of having a single vision. As opposed to being a conflict between the individuals who make the creative decisions and the ones who write the checks.

Even though we are only one month into the year 2023. Xbox and Tango have already demonstrated proof of this with the unexpected release of Hi-Fi Rush. This release came out of left field to universal excitement and applause, and it was received with acclaim from everyone. And I believe a large portion of that is due to the fact that the game feels like the kind of game we got 20 years ago. But with an extremely lovely veneer, and I mean that in the best possible manner.

Looking elsewhere, Nintendo is a firm that has always excelled at veering off the main route and blazing its own track… even if this occasionally takes it to a dead end. Despite its flaws and disappointments, Nintendo has always been a pioneer in this regard. Over the course of the previous 35 years. We have been kept guessing as to what comes next as a result of the progression of brands.

Such as Mario and Metroid, the expansion into new genres such as Kart and Smash. And the fundamental design overhauls in a game such as Breath of the Wild. And even something like Nintendo’s Wii U. Which was an enormous swing and a huge miss, turned out to be a rough sketch of what would later become the phenomenally popular Switch console.

And while it is undeniable that AAA is innovating in terms of technology. Visuals, sound, animation, and accessibility. It feels like gameplay is the one place where so many of the same ideas are used over and over again. This is despite the fact that AAA is unquestionably innovating in these other areas. Sometimes a game will have a core concept that feels really original and innovative.

Such as Watch Dogs: Legion’s ability to make any NPC in London your hero; yet. The rest of the game just isn’t robust enough to support the basic premise in most cases. Even though Death Stranding has the potential to be a jumbled mess at times. And was met with a mixed reception upon its initial release. I would have to say that the most recent high-budget game that actually felt. Like it was jam-packed to the gills with the most innovative ideas was probably 2019’s Death Stranding.

The remainder of 2023 is going to be packed with high-profile sequels as well as unique games. That are very much ripped from the same cloth as a developer’s earlier successful titles in the AAA sector. It will be interesting to see if Tears of the Kingdom will have the same impact.

When it is released as Breath of the Wild did when it was released six years ago. The upcoming video games Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy XVI, Starfield, Street Fighter 6. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage raise the question of what novel concepts and approaches they will include. Is it even possible to anticipate that something will start a trend in a world. Where there are so many sequels at the very top of the mountain?

It seems that the majority of the innovation that we see in games nowadays takes place at the independent level, where the artists are not obligated to cater to the whims of shareholders or CEOs. Only a year ago, we saw games like Neon White build an entire experience around teaching its players the art of speedrunning, Immortality dug into the history of FMV games to deliver an unforgettable mystery, and Tunic made us remember what it was like to live in an era when the physical media that accompanied games was every bit as important as the games themselves. All of these games were released in just the past year.

These are the kinds of advancements I hope to see in the AAA space, where studios and publishers have the resources and the audience to be able to explore uncharted territories on a huge scale. I think I just want things to have the same vibe as they had in 1998.