Zoombael said:
Nautilus said:
Oh please.What a load of bullshit.So how games like P 5 and Nier Automata can be already successful with 1 million unit sold?
Its simply a matter of budgeting your game right.Western studios either blow out of the proportion their budget in the development part or in the marketing.Or they just plain dosent know how to manage a project.
But being honest, the REAL reason why western studios are walking away from at the very least, single player focused games is because they cant charge extra with them, either by microtransactions or lootboxes.Its simply easier to make a multiplayer game and be done with it, then implementing a multiplayer in one game that already has a strong single player content(because these companies NEED to have microtransactions and the only way is through a multiplayer mode)
Its sad really.It also shows why MS is losing the war. |
Whether MS is losing or not or how much they suck at console business doesnt make his statement wrong. He is 100% right. Period. He doesnt say AAA production is impossible. He says it got harder. Naturally, with each new generation games got more refined, more complex, costs for tech and personal rose. Budgets for marketing too of course, main two reasons are higher risk, so you gotta make sure people know and... the rising tide of products by the competition, which not only consists of AAA/AA but also of all those crappy little time eaters.
Of course there are ways to "rationalize", ways to lower costs and finance. For example, like CDprojekt, paying far lower wages than Electronic Arts, but slaving there employees more, and despite this getting goverment funds. Sucking up with "consumer friendly" PR does lend a helping hand in the marketing war.
Simple outsourcing work to third world contries where wages are even lower is another viable option. Like Sony did in case of Horizon Zero Dawn. I think production cost (+ marketing) was at a low 60m $.
Games by japanese devs were mentioned? Ahjes, Japan, known for having the longest working hours in the world. Apropos. I think i should do some working.
EDIT: OH noes, he is a she. My bad.
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Making games in general got harder.All kinds.So its not something thats exclusive to SP.Plus MS already made some single player games that arent high budget and are highly acclaimed, such as Ori.You dont need to make the most graphically intensive game for it to be marketable.
Plus there is also the point that if you choose the right art style, you can cut the development cost.Thats one of the reasons why so many Nintendo games can be profitables with far less sales.Its also a matter of budgeting your game right.COD games and whatnots cost so much because they have entire studios dedicated only for that, and since they pump those games out once a year or twice a year, they need hundreds of people per project.And of course that makes the cost skyrocket.Not only that, but marketing costs are off the charts.Developers spend way too much money on marketing, instead of being smart and doing a careful planning on where and how to advertize your game.Destiny 1 for example cost alot to make (Im reading now that it was 500 Million dollars, but Im not sure now) and most of that money goes to marketing, because they need to put an ad in every single medium.Usually they go overboard with the ads, because they want GTA like figures, and end up spending too much money, where something more concentrated would work the same.
Game development costs have risen, but many of the enourmous budgets we now have in gaming is either due to mismanagment, or simply the wrong reasoning that either a game needs to be a giant blockbuster, or like an indie sized game.And forget there is an in between there.
