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- Making smaller games like Astro Bot will solve a lot of problems plaguing the industry right now.
- It would allow more AAA titles to launch in a small space of time, giving fans more games.
- In addition, finishing games like Astro Bot would be easier, prompting players to buy more.
Gaming has always been good at releasing dozens of hit AAA blockbuster games every year since the turn of the century. But as time has gone by, this frequency has decreased significantly because of the progress in the quality of video games and their massive length.
Nowadays, studios take 5-6 years to develop a single AAA title as the cutting-edge graphics and gameplay take time to polish with games aiming to be longer to entice players to spend $70 on them.
As a result of this industry-wide shift, there has been a scarcity of new entries from major franchises this generation. In my opinion, the recent success of Astro Bot just proves that the gaming world can use some AAA titles with shorter lengths but of the utmost creative quality.
Why It Matters: The industry is experiencing a production crisis, with games taking too long to release; focusing on smaller games might fix this issue.
Focusing On Quality (And Quantity)
Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 way back in 2018, and if we are lucky the sequel will hopefully be released before 2030. On the other hand, the gap between The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and the fifth game in the franchise was just five years.
Hence, this problem is plaguing every major franchise in the gaming world as each developer wants to make something you’ll need 40 hours to finish. But, the universal acclaim that Astro Bot has been subjected to shows players don’t always want such a title.
Sometimes, a fun adventure title that takes 10-12 hours to finish is a perfect escape. Astro Bot’s level design, gameplay, and soundtrack have specifically been singled out by critics and fans alike.
And, Team Asobi was only able to achieve such quality in three years and make it the biggest PlayStation game this year because it didn’t try to stretch the platformer into a 20-hour title.
For sure, you might think this decreases the quantity of the game. But, instead of getting a single 30-hour title that you may never finish, gamers can play two different 15-hour-long games that have different concepts, with more focus on quality like Astro Bot.
Of course, it’s not bad to have AAA titles you can play for a year and the gaming world has a lot of space for such productions. However, the entire industry shouldn’t lean toward that ideal as it kills the variety that titles like Astro Bot bring.
Playing Shorter Games Is Easier
According to research conducted by CTA, only about 25% of the American gaming community are hardcore gamers, meaning they play more than 37 hours a week.
On the other hand, the rest fall into the casual or core player category. The highest percentage of gamers, about 41%, are casual gamers who only play video games for around 13 hours a week.
Therefore, it is not easy for the average gamer to finish a 40-plus hour title in a short time. And, considering how most of the player base spends less than 30 hours a week gaming, we need more fun adventures like Astro Bot that don’t take an eternity to finish.
Moreover, many casual gamers are people with academic or financial responsibilities, meaning they only play video games to escape. Short but exhilarating romps like Astro Bot are arguably the best way to provide that sense of adventure in people’s minuscule free time.
The success of Astro Bot has brought to light the severe lack of fun adventures that can be ended in a few days in the current gaming climate. Developers should use the PlayStation exclusive as a wake-up call to start making such AAA titles again so we fans don’t have to bear with the lengthy dev cycles.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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