Eh, skill up had a great take on this. The thing is it's wayyyyy easier to be a small indie developer than it ever was before. Making a game (or any art) still isn't easy, it never was and never will be, but it's viable without a giant publisher in a way it just hasn't been before.

Its the AA titles that are on the most precarious footing, but I bet even those do ok. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some AAA stuff time to time, I've got a stupid amount of hours in overwatch, but I've never once paid for a skin because... why would you?

The thing that's going to suck is losing the studios like Arkane. Their games weren't perfect but they were freaking cool, and they basically always got the raw end of the deal. Even Prey(2016), their masterpiece, is the product of corporate bullshitiery they had nothing to do with. So we're probably going to miss studios like that for a while (as they get re-tasked to fortnite/cod support teams) but "indie" stuff has already been stepping up to fill that void, and is less indie all the time.

Look at Dave the Diver. That's not exactly an indie studio. They had resources. There's going to be a gap for a bit, but there's still a demand for good games and art. Those AA breakthroughs are what people want. Again, I continue to spend dumb amounts of time on overwatch, but it's not where I spend my money. Microsoft hovelled themselves by buying all these studios and not taking the leap with supporting them. Distribution just doesn't have the value it once did. So if microsoft wants to become CandyCrush, feeding an addiction loop to grab the whales, sure, whatever, but there's plenty of bread out there for studios doing other stuff.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The one and only point that I disagree with you on is your take on mtx. They may not affect you, but everything about them is designed to be psychologically exploitative, and the wealthy whale is largely a myth. The vast majority of money from mtx is made from people with addiction issues and other mental health issues or atypical neurology, like people with depression or ADHD.

Microsoft bought up all those studios and didn't support them, but that's business as usual for Microsoft, and the money that they'll make from mtx like this will more than make up for it. I recently watched a former Blizzard dev who was talking about how a single $15 mount for WoW made more money than StarCraft 2 did.

The big issue I see is that most people largely don't know about anything beyond the big AAA releases, and as we've already established, that's an exploitative wasteland nowadays. There's plenty of demand for good games and there always will be, but while the indie scene is the best that's it's ever been, the majority of indie companies go under after their first game. It's still hard out there for them, too. There's just enough of them popping up and putting out truly great games that they can actually compete with the AAA space.

[–] sulgoth 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It was Thor from pirate software on Twitch talking about the mtx beating SC2 for folks who care great guy to watch if you want to chill and hear some good life advise.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

That's the one. He's got it as a clip on the YouTube channel, and that got served to me by the almighty algorithm.

[–] batmaniam 2 points 5 months ago

oh yeah, I didn't want to be dismissive of the mtx stuff. It's absolutely predatory and awful, but I don't think it fully stands in the way of developing good games.

Which is related to what you're saying about indies going under even after success. Game development takes time, and you need money to underwrite that time. I just think there's going to be a split; right now AAA studios are shitifying their games, turning them more into CandyCrush skinner boxes. But the demand for good games hasn't gone away, there's just less financial upside than making CandyCrush. My point is, even though it's less money, there's still a good amount of money to be had there. Eventually the gaps going to be filled. Microsoft cant fill it because on the balance sheet, things like COD and anything from King are where they should be focused. And it sucks right now because they sucked up a stupid amount of talent and thanos snapped them, but thats not a sustainable practice.

But yes, it's going to be painful. It'll suck seeing really nifty indie stuff have to struggle so hard. Like I said I'm also going to miss the polish that comes with AA stuff. I'm going to miss the hell out of Arkane. Their games weren't perfect, but they had so much soul. They didn't deserve to have Redfall be their epitaph.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It's fucked because there are people buying that shit, in numbers that turn a profit over the cost of developing it. And it's a very low cost because the skin support is something they put in when they make the game, and then get an intern to shit out a gaudy skin.

If you don't like it you're obviously not the target demographic anymore. It's mobile gaming tactics creeping their way on PC.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I kind of feel like anyone who spends $20 on a video game skin shouldn't be allowed to make any financial decisions for themselves. Like, it was a test and you failed.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

Except that shit is designed by literal psychologists to prey upon people with poor fiscal responsibility, like people with ADHD, depression, addiction issues, and kids.

It's like blaming people for smoking cigarettes after they got addicted from secondhand smoking.

[–] slazer2au 32 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Also remember they were purchased by Microsoft. Who in turn also just purchased Activision/blizzard

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago

Also remember Horse Armor DLC for Oblivion, released by Bethesda? Considered by many to be the catalyst of this kind of BS.

[–] A_Random_Idiot 10 points 5 months ago

Horse armor that didnt even give the horses armor. It just gave them a cosmetic appearance change and increased their health by like 3 times.