- According to the director of Dying Light, shorter games are the way to go in the future.
- He believes longer games are difficult to fit into people’s lifestyles and take up a long development cycle.
- Shorter games also allow developers to experiment more due to lower budgets, making them more innovative.
We have heard multiple times before that shorter games are the future. Amid the announcement of Techland’s new Dying Light entry, a developer has reiterated that the industry is too obsessed with the number of hours a game offers, and shorter games are the way to go.
Why it matters: Currently, the industry is focusing on producing games that last as long as possible. This has also led to open-world fatigue since most studios immediately resort to this genre when thinking of extensive experiences that last hundreds of hours.
Talking to Games Industry, franchise director Tymon Smektała revealed that the studio designed Dying Light: The Beast to be more compact than traditional AAA experiences.
Instead of adding too much content, the studio has primarily stuck to important elements this time.
if you have a game that you have to play for 50 to 100 hours to complete, it’s really difficult to find time for that, right?
He further elaborated on how long games are difficult to fit into most people’s lifestyles. We also heard from the Hellblade 2 developers that fans prefer shorter experiences over big ones.
Smektała referenced Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, a game he has played for over 100 hours and has yet to finish. Dying Light: The Beast strikes a nice balance between a full-fledged AAA title and a DLC, so it’s a lot shorter.
Shorter games are also preferable because they have a shorter development cycle and require fewer developers.
Moreover, because the budgets aren’t as huge, developers can experiment with new ideas in such projects. Smektala believes this is the path most companies will take in the future.
Talking about Dying Light 3, he said that’s a separate thing. While The Beast is a short experience, the next mainline entry won’t be following suit. It will be a complete Dying Light experience like its predecessors.
Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔
News Reporter
Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.
Join Our Community
