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- The gaming industry now prioritizes profit over quality, resulting in unfinished, flawed releases.
- Games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 offer replayability value, but many publishers prioritize profit, exploiting popular franchises.
- Games like Anthem and Battlefield 2042 sold millions through nostalgia and marketing, aiming for financial success, despite being underwhelming.
Ever thought about how games like Minecraft, released decades ago, are still relevant to this day and have audiences far more than any other video game from even this generation?
The video game industry’s focus has vastly shifted from that era, and now, video games are a means of earning money for them. They don’t care about how long a game lasts or what franchise they’ll use to fish money from the audience.
I can only recall a handful of video games released in the past few years that I found myself revisiting. This is completely different compared to a decade ago when video games had so much content and life to them that they are still enjoyed to this day.
Why it matters: Video games are expensive, so I want them to be enjoyable for a long time. But instead of being creative, many publishers focus on copying what’s already successful in other games. This often leads to repetitive ideas and a lack of originality, all driven by the need for financial gain.
The Golden Era Of Gaming Has Long Gone
It’s no secret that gamers this generation have witnessed nothing but broken and unfinished releases that only became worthy of their price tag months after their launch with additional money costs.
There was a time when DLC expansions went beyond the content of the original game, completely excluding the base game. However, nowadays, DLCs complete a game rather than expanding it.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim has hundreds of hours of content with multiple playstyles, characters, and a living world full of NPCs with different stories to tell. The game can easily be played countless times over, and you won’t get bored with it.
My earlier mention of Minecraft also was a great example. Many generations have seen and played Minecraft, and the game is not going away anytime soon.
CDPR’s Witcher 3 also set the bar high for open-world games. Its narrative story and the detailed and rich open world were quite ahead of their time. The game has been released for almost a decade, and I can’t get enough of it.
Numerous other examples include series like Zelda, Fallout, Dark Souls, and more.
Video Games Nowadays Are A Means Of Monetization
Over time, the video game industry has taken a step backward, and overall quality has dropped. However, there are still a few developers and publishers who genuinely care about creating great games rather than just chasing profits, unlike many others.
With games like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, publishers sabotage themselves by luring in gamers with a built franchise that has a massive following and love and utilizing that to make short and easy profits.
Even the latest Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is filled with pay-to-win elements, which is slowly ruining the game, but Activision is rested easy knowing that they’ll have another Call of Duty title out later this year.
It’s no wonder that most games come and go these days and still make a huge chunk of money. The infamous Anthem sold well over 5 million copies despite being a failure, as it managed to catfish gamers quite easily.
Even Battlefield 2042 sold an estimated 17-18 million copies, which is an outstanding number for such a subpar release. EA really fooled players with the promise of nostalgia from earlier Battlefield games and delivered the most underwhelming battlefield game ever.
Regardless, games are still worth revisiting every so often released recently. Cyberpunk 2077, for instance, now with a fixed state, the game is worth putting in hours. Elden Ring is also worth different playthroughs.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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