Several years back, an eager recent Engineering had an idealistic dream of starting a game development company. A nice way to do something I loved and make up for not being able to find a job at the time. Ultimately, the project failed a few times. But as I looked at the market and continue to gaming, I realize there is a need for Indie developers now more than ever. My view are most likely not for everyone and more than likely romanticized memories of past console generations. But due to current market trends, I feel as if I have nothing to play.
According to a Metacritic List, there are 114 FPS/TPS Shooters, 5 platformers, 11 Turn based, 67 role-playing, 8 of which are also shooters, are available for the Xbox One. The market is current over inundated with shooters. Every AAA company is attempting to release their answer to Destiny, Call of Duty, and Battlefield. Out of the 23 games Ubisoft has release for this generation of console, not including the Just Dance series, 9 are shooters. In comparison, the previous generation 28 of the 85 games are shooters. This identifies three major issue, at least at Ubisoft and possible others, in the this generation.
One- the rate at which games are being developed for the Xbox, PS4, and Switch are alarmingly slow. This might be just nostalgia and poor memory, with old age starting taking its toll on my mind. However I remember spending much of college days in Gamestop/Blockbuster stores picking up the last game for weekend runs while my roommates were heading home for the weekend. Currently, Sony and Microsoft claims to have around 900 games available for the their consoles, not including backward compatible games. In my opinion, this an inflated number to show off success and popularity of their platforms. No serious gamer is going to look at I am Bread, an Mobile game port to console, or Backgammon Blitz and count them as games. The lack of game is made even more evident when you look at the best game of each console. Launch and year 1 titles such as The Last of Us, GTA5, Destiny, and Tomb Raider are still listed as top 15 games 2 and 3 years after release.
Two- The focus of the generation is only on shooters. Now do not get me wrong, I love Shooter as much as the next game. I have spent my fair share of time run accross the Cosmodrone, delivering headshots to an Fallen that should cross my Mida Mutli-Tool range, or in The Division taking down Rioters, Rikers, and Last Man Battalion. There’s nothing wrong with FPSs. There’s just too many generic ones. The FPS genre has become very stale, a decade ago it was already stale and now it’s beyond stale, it’s practically decomposing while still being pulled around on strings. The genre has been milked to death and needs to be either placed to the side for a while until actual new ideas are welcomed for once, or killed off completely and other genres given a chance.
There is nothing new that can be done with the FPS genre, especially the war themed sub-genre of it. As popular and profitable as it may be, developers who keep churning out FPS after FPS are flogging a very dead horse that has become a pathetic joke and rotted shadow of what it once was.
Three – The number of new original game is abysmal at best. Half of Ubisoft collection are sequels to previous games from the Tom Clancy, Assassin Creed, and Far Cry series. In today’s gaming industry, just about any successfully and financially successful game means a sequel isn’t too far behind. While that decision makes sense from a business point of view, it also means developers are expected to replicate success, and in some cases, catch lightning in a bottle yet again. As a gamer, I am tried of playing the same game year after year with only graphical and story changes. Players will eventually tire of the same formula being trotted out again and again. How many times can you go point a, shoot/hack enemy, and watch a cutscene before you died of boredom?
Developers are sticking with their winning formulas because they’re afraid of tanking by making something new. Which means that innovation is virtually zero at this point. I fear that games are going the same way as did Hollywood productions starting at the end of the 1980’s, early 1990’s with the likes of the Die Hard franchise, Jurassic Park and other Terminators. What I mean is, that Big Bucks took over in favor of good storytelling.
This is why we need Indie Game Developers now more then ever. By Indie, I do not mean these shell split companies that are tied publishers. I mean dreamers who have nothing to lose to and all the world to gain. Gamer and programmers who want to create a game that they want to play. The Video Game Market is waiting for an inject of fresh creative new ideas. This new and creative way doing thing is one reason the Nintendo Switch and Zelda BOTW has been so wildly successful. Nintendo Developers completely ignored the playbook of what a Zelda game should be and focused on creating a unique and enjoy fresh IP. Instead we see developers attempting to recreate games others have had success with, IE Bioware Anthem, an attempt to copy the sucess Bungie has had with Destiny.
