The Morning After: The games industry is massive, so why is it shrinking?
Yesterday marked the start of Summer Game Fest, an event to fill the void left by the canceled E3. It’s a gaming industry shindig for developers and publishers to build hype for the titles they’re working on right now. But while the business has never been bigger or more profitable, there’s also a sense the gaming industry is shrinking.
Much of this is because two of the biggest players, Microsoft and Sony, are doing whatever they can to consolidate their power and influence. Both have bought, and are trying to buy, major independent publishers and studios to bolster their own ecosystems. There’s a risk both behemoths will pull up their drawbridges, further splitting an industry already prone to fracture.
But that’s not the only issue, with publishers forcing successful developers to work on titles they have no experience of. The most recent example is Redfall, which was reportedly created by a publisher looking to juice its online-multiplayer profitability boxes. The title was then handed to a team that had built its reputation on tightly crafted single-player experiences and told to get a move on, leading to a critically panned flop.
But that’s just one of many issues facing the gaming industry explored in Jessica Conditt’s State of the Union story leading into Summer Games Fest. If you’re wondering why it feels both like there’s so much possibility, and yet very little at all right now, then it’s well worth checking out.
– Dan Cooper
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-games-industry-is-massive-so-why-is-it-shrinking-111503778.html?src=rss
Yesterday marked the start of Summer Game Fest, an event to fill the void left by the canceled E3. It’s a gaming industry shindig for developers and publishers to build hype for the titles they’re working on right now. But while the business has never been bigger or more profitable,…
