Why Are AAA Games Getting WORSE?!
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the decline of AAA gaming and the rise of indie games, attributing the former's downfall to excessive budgets, scope, and the need to appeal to a broad audience, leading to formulaic and predictable games. It contrasts this with the freedom and creativity found in indie games, which are not bound by the same financial pressures and can take more risks. The script also touches on the impact of corporate interference, the rise of microtransactions, and the bureaucratic challenges faced by large development teams. It concludes by suggesting that AAA games have become a committee-driven process focused on profitability rather than creativity, while indie games continue to innovate and provide unique experiences.
Takeaways
- 📈 **AAA Gaming Decline**: The rise in budgets and scope of AAA games has led to a decline in creativity and an increase in formulaic, predictable games.
- 🚀 **Indie Gaming Growth**: Indie games are thriving due to their ability to take risks, innovate, and provide a more personalized and creative experience.
- 💰 **Budget Constraints**: AAA games' high development costs and the need to appeal to a broad audience have led to a focus on safety and familiarity, stifling innovation.
- 🤝 **Team Size Impact**: Larger teams in AAA game development can lead to a lack of cohesive vision and increased bureaucracy, whereas smaller indie teams allow for more individual influence and quicker decision-making.
- 🧩 **Fragmented Vision**: AAA games often suffer from management interference and too many cooks spoiling the broth, leading to confused creative direction.
- 🛍️ **Monetization Focus**: The drive for consistent revenue has led to an overemphasis on microtransactions and live-service models in AAA games, detracting from the gaming experience.
- 📉 **Market Saturation**: An abundance of remasters and remakes with little innovation has flooded the market, indicating a lack of creativity and a focus on quick profits.
- 🛑 **Censorship and Regulations**: The need to adhere to regulations, such as those for the Chinese market, can stifle creative freedom and force games to be watered down or altered.
- 👥 **Developer Autonomy**: Indie developers often have more control over their games and the freedom to create unique experiences without external pressures.
- 🌐 **Global Market Influence**: AAA games are increasingly being designed to appeal to global markets, which can lead to generic design choices to ensure broad appeal.
- 🎲 **Risk Aversion**: AAA publishers are increasingly playing it safe by investing in established IPs and avoiding risks, which contrasts with the bold and innovative directions taken by many indie games.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the video script regarding AAA gaming?
-The main issue discussed is the decline of AAA gaming due to excessive monetization, large budgets, formulaic and predictable game design, and a lack of creativity and innovation compared to the rise of Indie games.
What does the acronym 'AAA' originally refer to in the context of gaming?
-The acronym 'AAA' originally referred to large budget, high-profile games developed by reputable studios and released by major publishers.
Why do AAA games tend to be safer and more formulaic?
-AAA games tend to be safer and more formulaic because the larger the budget and team size, the more copies they need to sell to recoup costs, leading to a need to appeal to a broader audience and reduce risks.
What is the contrast between AAA and Indie games highlighted in the script?
-The contrast is that Indie games are seen as more innovative, creative, and player-friendly, with less focus on microtransactions and more on providing a complete gaming experience, while AAA games are criticized for being overly commercialized and risk-averse.
What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gaming industry as mentioned in the script?
-The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in video game sales, which some upper management saw as an opportunity to invest heavily, expand operations, and hire more employees. However, this overexpansion led to layoffs and studio closures when the sales boom did not last.
Why are remasters and remakes of AAA games often criticized in the script?
-Remasters and remakes are criticized because they are seen as a quick way for publishers to make money with little innovation. The script mentions that these remasters often lack the quality and effort expected from the original games, leading to disappointment among fans.
null
-null
What is the issue with the size of development teams in AAA games?
-The issue is that very large teams can lead to a lack of cohesion, inefficiencies, and a lack of individual agency. Smaller teams, as found in Indie games, allow for better communication, faster decision-making, and more creative control for individual developers.
What is the role of bureaucracy in stifling creativity within AAA game development?
-Bureaucracy can slow down the development process, requiring approvals from multiple departments for even simple changes. This can stifle creativity and innovation, as developers may be less willing to take risks or propose new ideas due to the lengthy approval process.
Why do AAA games often lack the freedom to create unique and innovative content?
-The high budgets and expectations tied to AAA games mean that developers often prioritize creating content that is safe and has proven to be profitable. This leads to a focus on generic and formulaic content rather than taking risks on innovative ideas.
What is the appeal of Indie games according to the script?
-Indie games are appealing because they often represent a return to creativity, innovation, and unique game design. They are seen as less constrained by commercial pressures, allowing developers to take more risks and create more distinctive gaming experiences.
How does the script suggest the AAA gaming industry could improve?
-The script suggests that AAA gaming could improve by reducing budgets, focusing on creating smaller, more innovative games, and allowing developers more creative freedom. It also implies that less bureaucracy and less corporate interference could lead to better and more creative games.
Outlines
😀 Star Wars Outlaws and the State of AAA Gaming
The paragraph discusses the author's excitement for the new Star Wars Outlaws game and the contrasting apathy felt after watching a story trailer. It critiques the AAA gaming industry for its focus on pre-orders, season passes, and expensive editions, highlighting the difference in priorities between AAA and indie games. The author also touches on the decline of AAA gaming, pointing to excessive monetization and the formulaic nature of these games. The paragraph concludes with a comparison between the Star Wars franchise and an indie game called Kingmakers, which piques the author's interest more due to its innovative approach.
📉 The Decline of AAA Games and the Rise of Indie Games
This paragraph delves into the reasons behind the decline of AAA gaming, emphasizing the excessive budgets and the risk-averse nature of these games. It mentions several high-profile flops and discusses how the size and scope of AAA games have grown, leading to a lack of innovation and creativity. The author argues that the pressure to appeal to a broad audience results in simplified and generic game designs. The paragraph also explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gaming industry, with companies overexpanding and subsequently facing significant layoffs and studio closures. It concludes by suggesting that smaller, riskier bets on games could be a better approach for the industry.
🚀 Indie Games as a Haven for Creativity and Innovation
The paragraph highlights the advantages of indie games, which are better positioned to innovate and take risks due to their smaller scope and budgets. It contrasts indie games like Hell Divers 2 and Hades with AAA titles, noting that indie games often feel more passionate and unique. The author discusses how AAA games have become safer and less daring, with examples like the lack of controversial scenes in remakes and the sterilization of game narratives. The paragraph also touches on the idea of game development by committee and how it stifles creativity, advocating for a return to smaller teams and a focus on artistic expression.
💸 The Financial Burden and Creative Constraints of AAA Games
This paragraph focuses on the financial aspects of AAA game development, discussing the high costs associated with these games and the need to cater to a broad audience for financial success. It explores the trend of microtransactions and live service models, which are driven by the need for consistent revenue. The author criticizes the focus on remasters and the lack of innovation in these releases. The paragraph also addresses the creative interference from publishers and the impact of bureaucracy on game development, suggesting that smaller teams and clearer creative visions lead to better games.
🛠️ The Impact of Bureaucracy and External Factors on Game Development
The final paragraph discusses the bureaucratic challenges faced by AAA game developers, including the need for approval from multiple departments and the impact of external factors like diversity quotas and the need for games to be marketable in China. It contrasts this with the flexibility and freedom found in indie game development, where individuals have more influence and creative control. The author argues that AAA games have become a product of committee decisions rather than creative visions, leading to generic and safe games. The paragraph concludes with a call for a return to the creative process and a celebration of indie games that are thriving in the current landscape.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AAA Games
💡Indie Games
💡Microtransactions
💡Risk Aversion
💡Game Development Costs
💡Pre-Orders
💡Live Service Games
💡Game Design
💡Studio Closures
💡Remasters
💡Corporate Interference
Highlights
The new Star Wars Outlaws game is criticized for its excessive monetization and lack of innovation, with a focus on pre-orders and season passes.
Arrowhead Games' approach to game development emphasizes challenging player creativity and fostering friendships, contrasting with AAA gaming's current direction.
AAA gaming is described as being in decline, with a shift towards safe, formulaic, and predictable games, as opposed to the rise of indie games which are seen as more creative and innovative.
The term 'AAA' originally referred to high-budget, high-profile games from reputable studios but has come to indicate the cost and aspirations of a game rather than its safety as an investment.
The growth in AAA game budgets since the 2010s has led to an increase in commercial failures, indicating a shift from the trend of successful AAA titles in the past.
The size and scope of AAA games have expanded to an unprecedented level, leading to a reliance on a cohesive vision and substantial resources, which increases the risk and cost of development.
The game Immortals of Avum, with its massive budget and subsequent poor sales, exemplifies the risks of over-investment in AAA game development.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased video game sales, causing some companies to expand operations, but the subsequent decline in sales has resulted in layoffs and studio closures.
Development costs for a single AAA game can range between $90 to $180 million, plus an additional $50 to $150 million for marketing, highlighting the unsustainable nature of the current model.
Indie games are praised for their ability to innovate and take risks due to smaller budgets and teams, leading to unique and player-friendly experiences.
The contrast between AAA and indie games is evident in their mission statements, with indie games often prioritizing player experience over monetization.
The rise of microtransactions and live service models in AAA games is driven by the need for consistent revenue streams to satisfy investors, at the cost of player experience.
Remasters and remakes are often criticized for their lack of quality and innovation, reflecting a trend of prioritizing quick profits over creative development.
Management interference and conflicting visions can lead to developer confusion and a lack of direction, as seen in the troubled development of games like Redfall.
The size of development teams can impact creativity and efficiency, with too small of a team causing stress and too large of a team leading to bureaucracy and a lack of individual influence.
Indie studios often provide better working conditions, with more creative control and flexibility, allowing developers to have a greater impact on the games they create.
The decline of AAA gaming is attributed to excessive budgets, scope, and expectations, which stifle creativity and force a committee-driven development process.
Transcripts
wow this new Star Wars Outlaws game
looks pretty great that's pretty good
you know what let's check out the
official website and see if we can learn
more about the good Lord what is
happening in there pre-order get 3 days
early access pre-order you want
pre-order the seasons pass and get 3
days early access pre-order that's four
four pre-orders on one screen extend K's
Journey with two upcoming dlc's you want
to play The Exclusive jaa's [ __ ] house
pre-order unlock exclusive cosmetic P
pre-order are you [ __ ] pre-ordering
yet you know what's funny if you go to
the arrowhead games website and just
just look at it there's something
special about an arrowhead game games
should challenge the creativity of the
individuals who play them we want our
games to help Forge friendships and look
at that not even an advertisement for
the super citizen Edition H I think this
is a great way to illustrate what AAA
gaming has become and what IND gaming
has evolved into the difference in
priorities is clear and you might assume
actman that's just typical Ubisoft greed
and shenanigans but you're wrong it's
worse than that what Ubisoft is doing
with Star Wars Outlaws is symptomatic of
a much greater issue plaguing all of AAA
gaming recently Ubisoft dropped a story
trailer for outlaws I watched it and I
felt apathy as you know apathy is death
the gameplay reveal for outlaws looked
solid but now I'm skeptical maybe it was
the boring writing the generic
presentation or the fact that they're
directing people towards the $120
version of the game instead of the
Standard Version hello I like money
still I don't remember the last time I
felt indifferent to a new Star Wars game
on the flip side one of my buddies sent
me a trailer for a game called King
makers I've never heard of this
franchise nor the studio behind it but
let's check it out
what the [ __ ] is this oh my God this a
[ __ ] Chevy truck you the oh you
shotguns how can that engine handle this
many guys on screen this is like
Mountain blade plus dynasty of warriors
with time travel oh grenades oh my God
and they have RTS mechanics no shot no
shot it can't get any crazy and
helicopters too here's the question of
the day why as a huge Star Wars fan am I
more excited for this and not this
well the answer is obvious it's Ubisoft
but like I said AAA gaming has been in
Decline for some time meanwhile Indie
Games have become a spawning pool for
creativity and Imagination you may have
seen the plethora of triaa gaming is
Dead videos spring up on YouTube well
AAA gaming didn't just
die it was
murdered if you got that reference
welcome back to 2017 YouTube clearly I'm
not the only one who has felt
disillusion and apathetic towards recent
AAA titles but a lot of people focus on
how AAA games have gotten worse they
highlight the obvious excessive
monetization unfinished products being
released I can't masturbate to this
character and while these are all issues
worth pointing out we need to understand
why these things are happening the
bigger picture you see the reality is
AAA games have become far too safe
formulaic predictable and just
unexciting perhaps it's because you're
an old jaded nerd act man no no that
couldn't possibly be it am I so out of
touch no it's the children who are wrong
that's what we're going to explore today
the decline of AAA gaming and the rise
of Indie why has AAA gaming gotten so
bad now first off what the [ __ ] does AAA
actually mean the advanced art bark
Association because I'd love to join
that club no instead you should join my
public Discord server the ACT Clan links
in the pin comment and in the little
card up here but the acronym originally
referred to large budget high-profile
games developed by reputable Studios
released by Major Publishers you know
Halo Call of Duty Warcraft The Witcher
50 Cent bulletproof Cory in the House
games that would shake the very
foundation of the world AAA games
typically have large teams expensive
marketing campaigns and copious amounts
of funding the term was taken from the
credit industry and applied to gaming
once the severely open obese corporate
Fat Cats realized video games weren't a
joke of a business and could actually
make more money than Hollywood for
business Moguls AAA meant this is the
safest investment you can make to get a
return that's not the case anymore today
AAA mostly indicates the aspirations and
cost of a game not how safe an
investment it is from the ' 80s to the
2000s there weren't many games that were
commercial failures it was mostly like
failed consoles and that's a good video
to watch but since the 2010s as AAA
gaming budgets have grown exponentially
we've seen some big ass flops Marvel's
Avengers Suicide Squad Anthem redfall
Aliens colonial Marines and in the last
seven or so years it also seems like
many popular franchises have released
what fans consider to be the worst entry
in said franchise Fallout 76 Battlefield
242 Mass Effect Andromeda maybe this is
all just a coincidence but as one
trained in the course you know that true
coincidences are rare So what gives why
have things changed well one of the
driving factors behind the decline of
AAA games is they've gotten too big the
pants do not fit anymore for reference
vanilla World of Warcraft was made by a
team of about 40 people H divers 2 was
made by a team of 100 over 9,000 people
contributed to Diablo 4 what 9,000
Starfield 7 7 years in development $200
million budget
1,700 planets to explore uh Todd you
think maybe we could tone that number of
planets down to like 30 or maybe 10 10
really good planets The Gamers desire
1,700 planets AAA games have exploded in
size scope and cost to an unprecedented
level on one hand a larger team has the
potential to create something truly
incredible revolutionary to realize
their greatest Ambitions but this relies
on having a cohesive Vision amongst many
people and the budget and resources to
make it happen however the more
ambitious a project the more money
invested into it the riskier it becomes
Immortals of avum a game you probably
never heard of was the debut title for
ascendant Studios and for some
inexplicable reason the game was given a
budget of
125 million smackaroos making it one of
the most expensive video games ever made
what the [ __ ] Immortals sold poorly an
ascendant after releasing their first
title had to lay off almost half of
their staff 6 months later the remaining
employees were fur load a fancy word for
uh maybe you have a job IDK and the
company's future is uncertain sometimes
memes can spit truth I want shorter
games with worse Graphics made by people
who are paid more to work less and I'm
not kidding Immortals of avium is a
mistake that shouldn't have happened and
it's the exact type of reason why AAA
Publishers are sticking with familiar
IPS and playing it safe you guys are
excited for Call of Duty 26 to come out
later this year the bigger they are the
harder they fall but why was Immortals
this random game bloated with such a
ridiculous budget and high expectations
well covid-19 changed a lot of things
people bought a shitload of video games
during that time and some upper
management folk adjusted their business
they saw this as an opportunity to
invest invest invest so they expanded
operations hired more employees but of
course the video game sales caused by
the pandemic didn't last and we're now
seeing the Fallout of that
overexpansion Fallout New Vegas 10,000
layoffs in 2023 and 8,000 more on the
way over 30 Studios were shut down
several games cancelled the hubris from
corporate overlords has uprooted this
industry in such terrible ways
overloading teams with talented
employees and a [ __ ] zillion dollars
isn't some magical recipe for success in
fact it puts the studio in a much more
dire stressful position cuz if the game
doesn't sell well they're [ __ ]
Blockbuster game development costs are
out of control according to a study by
the CMA a single AAA game could have
development costs between 90 to $180
million plus 50 to150 million for
marketing that Suicide Squad game that
200 people are
playing probably had an inflated budget
this is clearly unsustainable it's like
every major AAA game is some massive
liver die gamble naturally companies
want to mitigate and avoid all the risk
they can so again they rely on
established IPS and stick with what's
familiar and most of all safe so wait a
minute act man you're telling me tripa
games have become a greater risk but
also safer that's a paradox John think
about it this way the bigger the budget
the more employees working on a game the
more copies it needs to sell therefore
it has to appeal to a lower common
denominator they have to simplify and
dumb down something they canot not take
risks or experiment they have to stick
with what has proven to work this is a
huge reason why Indie Games such as hell
divers 2 Hades lethal company are so
much better at innovating on a popular
formula or giving us something brand new
which would you rather play back for
blood or deep rock Galactic I better see
some [ __ ] rock and stone in the
comments but that's the thing back for
blood is a cheap imitation of what
inspired it while Deep Rock gal tactic
is a unique Twist on the whole four dumb
asses trying to accomplish something
Co-op game deep rock is brimming with
charm style and this is going to sound
cheesy as [ __ ] but you can feel the love
that went into it I can't say the same
with back for blood what are some other
examples that illustrate how games have
gotten safe well let me ask you this did
you think for 1 millisecond that the
Modern Warfare 3 remake was going to do
the no Russian scene Justice did you
think it was going to be as shocking if
not more so no are you a terrorist no
you look like
me woo oh give the Riders a raise of
course not like even Call of Duty feels
like it's been sterilized but of course
there's some exceptions with like Cold
War I mean that game took some serious
risks with its campaign and story and it
paid off Gamers love being surprised we
love being thrown for a loop because
it's so hard to do now in the age of the
inter
and with all these leaks and everything
this is why hell divers 2's live service
is retaining so many players because
there haven't been any road maps going
into excruciating detail about what to
expect it's why the Redemption of No
Man's Sky hit so hard because Shan and
hello games just went into hibernation
and came out when they had something to
show people when I say safe I'm not just
talking about the lack of innovation
with game design but also the writing
AAA franchises that used to go really
hard with the dialogue now feel pame
like they're pulling punches I'm not a
huge expert on Fallout so Fallout fans
please correct me in the comments if I'm
wrong but there is a massive difference
between bethesda's Fallout games and the
other Fallout games in New Vegas you can
literally sell drugs to children like
like that's a real choice you have in
the game you can be an absolute Maniac
you can shake down a guy for caps and
he'll say well you've taken everything
but the clothes off my back and then you
can say actually give me your [ __ ]
clothes too you know what I mean like
for some reason I just can't picture
these types of things being in a new
Fallout game codor 2 is also a fantastic
example because I doubt we'll ever see a
Star Wars game that takes the franchise
in such a bold Direction codor 2 is a
Star Wars game where the main villain
wants to kill the force destroy the
force like remove it from the universe
destroy the concept of Sith in Jedi
completely there's no way in Nara we'd
ever witness a Star Wars game that
delves into that sort of thing according
to obsidian Chris Avalon one of the main
writers for New Vegas and cotor 2
Obsidian made multiple proposals to
develop spin-offs for Fallout in the
Elder Scrolls all of which were turned
down by Bethesda and while we can only
imagine the reason why perhaps it was
too risky in their eyes here's another
example Halo Wars 2 console rtsh pretty
Niche but but its expansion Awakening
the nightmare was the first time in a
decade we saw the flood in a Halo game
why haven't the flood appeared in the
main series don't want to risk lowering
the sales with an M rating right mated
games don't sell too great do they
speaking of Rockstar God this industry
pisses me off sometimes LA Noir 2 where
is it bully 2 and you might think well
isn't that hypocritical act man you were
just complaining about these companies
sticking to established IPS but both of
these fr ches only have one game and
that's kind of my point instead of
making one you know $400 million game
why not cut a chunk of that out and
develop multiple doublea games what if
they took one of these $150 million
triaa budgets and made a couple of $20
million Bets with them right and just
funded a bunch of projects and the risk
is much smaller and I think that would
be uh very good for the industry and I
wish triple would take more risk like
that with smaller teams and you would
get that cohesion you would get that
sort of singular Vision I think and and
stronger creativity out of it I at least
understand this for Rockstar because
their games are so overhyped if they
released a sequel that you thought was a
9 out of 10 that would feel
disappointing a bunch of Halo spin-offs
were also pitched to leadership at 343
including an ODST themed game similar to
Hell divers 2 imagine what could have
been I guess I just don't understand why
the corporate side of game development
treats every title like it has to be an
all-in bet do you see what I'm getting
at so many of our favorite franchises
that we grew to love because of how bold
they were are now playing it safe and
that's why Indie and double a gaming is
thriving right now because they can take
risks they're not obsessing over how
many people are going to buy the game
the developers of power were like well I
hope this doesn't make us go bankrupt
Indie studios are operating at the level
that AAA used to and when you don't have
to make hundreds of millions of dollars
to keep your company afloat and not fire
your entire Studio you can take risks
and going back to my initial comparison
between Arrowhead and Ubisoft there's a
huge difference in the mission
statements of AAA and Indie Games balers
Gate 3 is an indie game laran is an
independent Studio but the quality is so
amazing you'd assume it's AAA right
there's this trend of Indie developers
reassuring customers that they're not
going to Nickel in Dias no there are no
in-game purchases in our game we believe
in providing a complete and immersive
gaming experience without the need for
additional purchases vermintide 2 is one
of the only games to do loot boxes right
because they didn't sell them at the
height of the loot box craze no less
hell divers 2 doesn't let you pay for
tiers in the freedom passes Indie
developers can afford to be more player
friendly because they don't have these
investors hanging over their heads and
these massive budgets you might think
all these egregious microtrans actions
is just pure corporate greed and there's
a good chance some of it is but it's
also a safeguard like a necessity and I
think the solution is just to make games
smaller dude now a really shitty
byproduct of this risk averse mentality
is that a lot of these Publishers are
looking for a quick Buck they want to
make easy money so what do they do Bingo
flood the market with shitty remasters
boy there's been an abundance of these
lately The Last of Us won on PC GTA
Trilogy a [ __ ] here we go
again hell even Dark Souls remastered
sucked major ass and don't even get me
started on the [ __ ] Battlefront
collection did you know that at one
point Warcraft 3 reforged had like three
people working on it like one guy was
supposed to remake all of the cut scenes
and this is so perplexing these Studios
dump 10 figures into a new game but
can't even hire 10 people to make a
decent remaster it's it's like there's
no middle ground it's it's either no
budget or dump the bank account
meanwhile lethal company made by one guy
now because studios are investing so
much they tend to interfere with the
creative process to insane degrees they
see trends that are making money
elsewhere and they think well let's just
throw that into our game I'm funding
this what I say goes redfall lost 70% of
its Arcane staff during development
struggled the whole way development of
redfall began in 2018 as parent zenax
was quietly looking to sell itself and
was encouraging its Studios to create
games as a service projects like
OverWatch microtransactions were
intensely encouraged however the
problems in trying to develop redfall
surfaced early firstly management kept
offering conflicting visions of what the
game would and should be resulting in
developer confusion about what they were
creating how to reconcile single player
and multiplayer within an Arcane game
was never really resolved either
secondly Arcane employed fewer than 100
people which had been enough to make a
single player game but was not a healthy
number for developing a large
multiplayer game with microtransactions
to manage Outsourcing work to other
Studios was reportedly not enough to
alleviate the strain as a result of
plummeting morale and lack of Direction
veteran employees left the company in
droves with about 70% of the staff
ultimately leaving Arcane redfall is not
the only story of its kind you can look
at most AAA flops or AAA games that's
severely disappointed and you'll find
something similar management interfered
management wanted this I imagine they
feel they have to micromanage these
things again because of the investment
sometimes with AAA games it feels like
there's too many cooks in the kitchen
and Gordon Ramsey is pissed what are you
an idiot sandwich there's got to be a
happy middle ground in Dev team size too
small and you feel like the world rests
on your shoulders too big and you feel
like you have zero agency and influence
these big Dev teams especially when
they're spread out against multiple
Studios across the country can sometimes
have very inefficient communication
bureaucracy next Battlefield has the
largest development team so far one year
later former dice Dev says 2042 never
stood much chance being great at launch
there's a video by Timothy Kane the
creator of the original Fallout about
game development caution and he talks
about how certain things in game
development now that could be fixed in
45 minutes now take 4 weeks when we were
making the outer Worlds the combat AI
wasn't really in yet so I asked for a
very simple combat aggression code to be
added this is how simple it was every
time an NPC got shot they would see if
that person was on the list of someone
who' shot them if they weren't they'd
added them to the list with the amount
of damage they just took if they were
already on the list they just add the
amount of damage they took whenever
they're deciding who to attack they
attack the person at the top of the list
list that's it that's all I wanted the
programmer who it got signed to came to
me and said I need 4 weeks and I'm like
why walk me through what you're going to
do and he goes you don't understand and
I was like I've coded this three times
walk me through it and he wouldn't he
left he left angry lead programmer came
back started yelling at me saying if he
says he needs 4 weeks he needs 4 weeks
and I'm like then I will do it I'll have
it done before lunch and he said no
because then people will have to support
your code I'm like I'm going to walk you
through what I want and you tell me why
this takes 4 weeks he looked at what I
wrote which was about 10 lines of su
code on a whiteboard and he goes I'll
come back he came back about an hour
later and said what about 2 weeks and I
said do I have any options here fine 2
weeks you want to fix these lines of
code that decision has to go through 10
[ __ ] departments now it needs to be
approved by your manager by your
manager's manager it has to go through
the marketing team the Dei office the
[ __ ] janitor's cousin has to approve
it Indie developers don't have the same
level of bureaucracy I imagine if
there's a problem with to code you could
just walk over to the cubicle of Jimbo
and ask him about it without the [ __ ]
HR department breathing down your neck
and you also have to make games that can
be released in China you need that China
money it has to hit certain quotas and
scores on diversity equity and inclusion
to secure funding and a game needs to
have microtransactions for this
consistent Revenue Source a live service
business model so that makes the
investors happy and can you see how
creativity dies in this environment when
games are made by committee and not
creativity it also seems like the more
employees a company has the easier it is
for you to blend in and not be seen or
heard Indie Studios typically have
better working conditions with flexible
hours employees have more creative
control smaller teams allow the
individual to have more influence on a
game and a greater impact I've seen a
lot of Articles from X developers who
say this game wasn't what we intended to
make it wasn't what we envisioned
disagreements are going to spring up in
game development but it's easier to
settle an argument between two people
than it is 100 at the end of the day
Indie gaming has risen where triaa has
fallen the decline of AAA gaming is due
to the insane budgets scope and
expectations of these games how that
affects the employees the work
environment the investors and higher-ups
who have to constantly micromanage these
games and throw in their own ideas when
they have no [ __ ] clue what makes a
good video game I feel like a lot lot of
these developers simply don't have the
same luxuries and freedom to create art
like they used to game development in
the AAA space is now a committee process
where Simple Solutions to bugs can take
weeks where the freedom to express and
create art and take risks is suppressed
in favor of creating the generic and the
safe too many external factors have
disrupted what used to be a creative
process with the singular goal of making
the best and most fun video game
possible it ain't about that no more
this [ __ ] has to make money and a lot of
it and it's for all these reasons that
AAA gaming is declining and why Indie
titles are thriving but what do you
think what are some of your favorite
indie games let me know your thoughts
and opinions in the comments below don't
forget to join my public Discord server
links in the pin comment and the
description thank you all for watching
hope you enjoyed the video leave a like
if you did and subscribe to the actman
for more awesome content all right
everyone that's all I got for today this
is the actman signing out
peace
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
