Sony
Let’s talk about the state of the game. Like the real thing been of everything in 2022, from CG trailers for distant releases to glowing behind-the-scenes reports, over-the-top AAA attempts at games-as-a-service, to the idea-rich indie scene that occasionally births something that dominate for a whole month.
Because there is a change in the air right now; a reality that rears its head.
“Gaming” as we’ve known it for most of its life – the constantly innovative and impressive showcase between technology and art of new ideas, stories and interactive concepts… has taken a bit of a hit a brick wall; a malaise of competing factors resulting in almost total inertia.
Look at the data side and spending is down across the board.
Industry titans like Ubisoft have behaved disastrously, canceling several interesting projects like Splinter Cell VR, while funding the likes of XDefiant, a Call of Duty clone that feels dead in the water. Blizzard, Rockstar, Square Enix – they all feel demonstrably less confident in their brand identity than where they were even a generation ago.
Now, part of that is absolutely, completely until the pandemic. Millions more gamers than ever invested in the medium as a way to get by, while developer schedules were completely overhauled as millions adapted to working from home.
Still, start this conversation with any regular gamer, or check out the comments on the video I hyperlinked above, and you’ll find common ground in admitting that, for some, gaming just isn’t what it used to be.