| Salnax said: So, the costs of developing games will continue to rise? Just what the 8th gen needs! |
Actually, though I get the feeling a lot of people don't want to hear this, this should be, for many developers, one of the least expensive jumps ever in terms of percentage budget increase. It certainly won't rival the jump to last gen.
A lot of the tools are there. Middle-ware and game engines are making the transition very smoothly. Art assets are already a higher resolution than will be used. For multi-plat developers, the XO, PS4, and PC being roughly the same architecture will cut down both effort and time spent on ports by a significant amount, which translates directly to money saved. A lot less money and time will be spent on training, as well.
At the same time, digital distribution continues to rise, which results in more money per unit sold going to the people who made the game.
As far as game-play, it's worth it. Hardware has always driven game-play, which is easy to see by looking at KZ:SF. The environments are much expanded and levels are bigger and more robust, which is directly a result of more powerful hardware. Yes, that means more people working on those games but damn if it doesn't seem justified to me. KZ:SF already looks like a lot more fun than KZ3 based on how open things are.
