Times have changed in gaming. There doesn’t seem to be much between blockbusters and indie titles, according to at least one former Sony manager. He sees the industry under threat.
Which manager is it about? Shawn Layden was chairman of Sony Interactive Worldwide Studios and spoke about developments in the gaming industry at the current Gamescom Asia.
He painted a bleak picture. The focus was particularly on the presence of large game productions, i.e. blockbusters, also known as AAA titles. We’re talking about games that, according to Layden, have a budget in the three-digit million range. In the interview, the ex-manager explained why this is a problem for the entire industry.
One of the upcoming blockbusters was recently postponed: Assassin’s Creed Shadows – you can see the trailer here:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: The official trailer for the open world in Japan
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There’s not much between blockbuster and indie anymore
Where is the problem? On the one hand, there are huge and expensive blockbusters designed primarily to be profitable. On the other hand, there are indie games, which are often developed by just a few people and with little money. They are the really creative games these days – even the streamer HandOfBlood is now a publisher of such titles.
Because creativity and new, fresh ideas always involve a certain amount of risk. AAA titles don’t want to accept that and choose the safe, and therefore often uninspired, path.
Things used to be different, says Shawn Layden today:
[Früher] We’ve spent a lot more time looking at games and not asking, ‘What’s your monetization scheme?’, ‘What’s your recurring revenue plan?’ or ‘What is your subscription formula?’ We asked the simple question: Is it fun? Are we having fun? If you answered yes to these questions, you usually got the green light.
Shawn Layden via gamesindustry.biz
Blockbusters used to be cheaper to make and could take greater risks. A similar development to that in the film industry can now be observed in the gaming industry. There are blockbusters and indie productions – but hardly anything in between.
The games that can be described as AA titles are dying out, according to the ex-manager. This is a threat to the industry: “If we only rely on the blockbusters to get us through, in my opinion that is a death sentence.” He cites Interplay, THQ and Gremlin as examples of studios in the AA sector.
Is there a way out of the problem? Layden urges mid-sized studios to bring new ideas to the table and not focus too much on monetization:
If you pitch me your AA game and the first two pages of your deck have your monetization and revenue and subscription scheme, I’m out. Your first page needs to read ‘This game needs to be made and here’s why’.
Shawn Layden via gamesindustry.biz
The industry’s attention must therefore move away from monetization and towards unusual ideas. And this at a time when some studios are already talking about AAAA titles. However, things are different for the developers at Palworld: The CEO of Palworld reveals why they don’t want to make “AAAA” titles – even though they have the budget for it