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[N1tr0sOx1d3]

Why did this industry ditch its focus on delivering quality?
In recent years we have seen the biggest publishers not only happy to deliver crap modern AAA games, but also treat its cherished back catalogues with utter contempt.
Lessons don’t ever appear to be learnt from past controversies, even though social media is tanking these corporations reputations.
Major publishers like Taketwo, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Acti/Blizz etc all seem hellbent on destroying their back catalogues whilst dumbing down and releasing god awful modern games.

Battlefield 2042 and GTA Trilogy are the most recent examples of utter disdain for their fans.
Publishers just don’t seem to care about quality anymore that was once prevalent.
The Blizzard seal of quality is now just a stain on a front cover.

Standout companies like From software wouldn’t release the steaming piles we seem to be exposed to on a weekly basis.
Damn shame gaming is taking huge strides backwards. What’s the point of all this powerful tech when companies don’t utilise it?

 

[tommib]

Blind profit.

Vote with your wallet.

 

[GreatnessRD]

Blind profit.

Vote with your wallet.

And that's all I got to say about that.

 

[MikeM]

Why would they try when everyone buys them anyways?

 

[RafterXL]

Because AAA studios have amassed enough customers that they can put in half the effort and still take in huge profits. And because gamers have the attention span of fleas, even after a shit release they can release a promo video for their next game and everyone starts drooling again, the cycle continues.

I mean shit, just at the reveal of 2042 and how excited we all were. The hype was real, the game failed to even come remotely close to expectations, but I bet it sold enough for DICE to shit out another game in 2-3 years that we'll all be fawning over.

 

[KAL2006]

Because consumers continue to buy. New Pokemon looks worse that RPGs from PS2 generation but sells a fuck ton. Why waste budget if sales don't drop

 

[winjer]

Because there are too many suckers that pay for broken games at launch. And who pay for pre-orders.
And too many that will defend these companies and their antics.

 

[Gameplaylover]

I'm more concerned that the industry ditched the focus on gameplay and gets rewarded with high ratings.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Even studio's like cd projekt, rockstar games and naughty dog have been dragged through the mud even though they could do no wrong just 2 years ago. Times are changing and anything can happen. People are becoming sensitive too and everything is controversial. It's not just video games. The whole world has changed from what it was 10 years ago.

Still not sure at what point, devs thought they could get away with releasing broken games though. That's just stupid and who would have thought it would happen again so soon after cyberpunk? Like who is in charge of shit like this and how do they let it happen?

 

[Banjo64]

Some AAA studios/games are just chasing the cash now, whereas in the start they understood that care and attention to detail delivered them the cash.

Over the past 3 years some of the best games I’ve played have been AA or indie (Ori, A Plague Tale, A Hat in Time, Yooka Laylee) and then there’s some companies who still deliver quality like From Soft and Capcom. The 3 console manufacturers seem to produce to a very high standard compared to most other AAA devs/publishers - Nintendo, Sony and now Microsoft are all delivering.

 

[Black_Stride]

In the last ~3 years weve had I want to say atleast 100 legit great games come out.
But the industry is at a point where they are delivering shit quality games???

Sure there are turds here and there.
But if you were to focus on games that metacritic higher than say 70(id say even 60 counts as good).....you literally couldnt complete them all and have a real life.

You are probably only focusing on the negatives because humans naturally remember and fixate on bad things (survival instinct).
Realistically we are pretty much in a golden age of gaming.
Its near impossible to NOT find a really good game to play in pretty much every genre at any time of the year.

 

[Shut0wen]

Why did this industry ditch its focus on delivering quality?
In recent years we have seen the biggest publishers not only happy to deliver crap modern AAA games, but also treat its cherished back catalogues with utter contempt.
Lessons don’t ever appear to be learnt from past controversies, even though social media is tanking these corporations reputations.
Major publishers like Taketwo, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Acti/Blizz etc all seem hellbent on destroying their back catalogues whilst dumbing down and releasing god awful modern games.

Battlefield 2042 and GTA Trilogy are the most recent examples of utter disdain for their fans.
Publishers just don’t seem to care about quality anymore that was once prevalent.
The Blizzard seal of quality is now just a stain on a front cover.

Standout companies like From software wouldn’t release the steaming piles we seem to be exposed to on a weekly basis.
Damn shame gaming is taking huge strides backwards. What’s the point of all this powerful tech when companies don’t utilise it?

They like to tell us that gaming costs has gone up the roof but in some degree this isnt true, alot of triple A games like to hire agencies to help build the game quicker which in turn ends up being a mess

 

[RJMacready73]

Even studio's like cd projekt, rockstar games and naughty dog have been dragged through the mud even though they could do no wrong just 2 years ago. Times are changing and anything can happen. People are becoming sensitive too and everything is controversial. It's not just video games. The whole world has changed from what it was 10 years ago.

Still not sure at what point, devs thought they could get away with releasing broken games though. That's just stupid and who would have thought it would happen again so soon after cyberpunk? Like who is in charge of shit like this and how do they let it happen?

Hey don't mention Naughty Dog in the same breath as those other two, they have done nothing to he mentioned in this thread and consistently release top fucking tier games playable on release as for the ops post have you seen how many utter fucking morons there are on this planet? You can't blame business to go the easy route to make the most money, as much as it sucks for us normie gamers we live in a capalist world

 

[nightmare-slain]

companies like money so will do what they can to get it. instead of people standing up to bullshit DLC/micro transactions/half assed games and saying no they just bent over and said yeah fuck me.

 

[kingfey]

Yes man is the problem. Games before had good managers, who had the balls to go against their bosses. Now days, you get kicked out easily. Because Money talks.

Grand Theft Auto mastermind Dan Houser leaves Rockstar Games

Co-writer of the multimillion-selling series to step down in March, leaving question marks over long-awaited sixth instalment

www.theguardian.com

After this, we got the shit that is called gta remaster.

 

[Shubh_C63]

Isn't its obvious. And I think you know the answer already.

Long story short. Easy Money.

 

[Nezzeroth]

If people gave a chance to indie developers who actually give a fuck about what they are doing and stop buying crap from the big companies maybe things would change.

 

[veterangamerUK]

If people gave a chance to indie developers who actually give a fuck about what they are doing and stop buying crap from the big companies maybe things would change.

This is why I mostly play Indie games now. The AAA sector is just a cash cow fuck quality sector.

 

[ShadowNate]

People not caring enough to stop bad marketing practices.
People who pay large sums of money to games with bad marketing practices (microtransactions, pay-to-win, macro-transactions, intrusive DRM).
Corrupt game "journalism" with few rare exceptions.
Terrible review sites and systems.
Age of influencers.
Misguided agendas and sense of guilt for past game story and gameplay choices (that is transferred to customers too).
Much fragmentation on the gaming platforms.
Overhyped games released in a terrible state.
Crowd funded mottos "publishers bad' collapsing (and also many outright scams).

 

[Saber]

Pokemon and awarded games like Overwatch showed to devs theres little reason to put effort when you can monetirize the shit up of games or drastically reduce the cost of production and be lazy for max returns. Because at the end of it people will buy anyway.

 

[Fuz]

Standout companies like From software wouldn’t release the steaming piles we seem to be exposed to on a weekly basis.

For now.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Hey don't mention Naughty Dog in the same breath as those other two, they have done nothing to he mentioned in this thread and consistently release top fucking tier games playable on release as for the ops post have you seen how many utter fucking morons there are on this planet? You can't blame business to go the easy route to make the most money, as much as it sucks for us normie gamers we live in a capalist world

i know but my point was nobody would have expected any of this for any of those studio's just a couple of years ago and that the industry is unpredictable because of the world we are living in today. i agree that naughty dog have never made a bad or broken game but they sure as shit were piled on for last of us part 2.

 

[rofif]

Even studio's like cd projekt, rockstar games and naughty dog have been dragged through the mud even though they could do no wrong just 2 years ago. Times are changing and anything can happen. People are becoming sensitive too and everything is controversial. It's not just video games. The whole world has changed from what it was 10 years ago.

Still not sure at what point, devs thought they could get away with releasing broken games though. That's just stupid and who would have thought it would happen again so soon after cyberpunk? Like who is in charge of shit like this and how do they let it happen?

excuse me ?!
Naughty dog made one of the best games ever (tlou2) and it's the highest quality game probably ever produced.
It's not only great graphics but also serious tone, story and characters. and no microtransactions.

We still get good, complete quality games like tlou2, gow, Death Stranding, uc4 and so on.
And then there is From Software triumphing over everyone else. Let's hope elden ring is good

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Same reason Hollywood is full of blockbuster easily digestible special effects spectacles with plots that fall apart under the smallest amount of scrutiny. It's a simple equation, what makes the largest amount of money for the least amount of actual effort. If it's loud, if it's strobing, if it's colorful, the vast majority of consumers whose only standard for entertainment is half-believable escapism and pomp will be *thoroughly* pleased.

I'd argue that this isn't necessarily a new evil, however. The entertainment industry has been full of shovelware, mindless film and derivative music since time immemorial. Someone tries something new, that something works. Someone else with less imagination or gumption does the same thing because it worked, and so on down the line until the product is so diluted that people find the taste of the original bitter because it's so overdone.

I think the problem with an enthusiast corner is that we've been connoisseurs of the craft, with a discerning taste, less prone to fall for the buzzwords and marketing that nets casuals hook, line and sinker. It's similar to how the typical metal head can't tolerate mainstream music after cracking into their fourth or fifth black metal album. Daughtry doesn't hit the same when you've just finished dissecting Burzum.

Could be wrong, though. Taste is subjective, that's why any group larger than twenty never agrees on anything.

 

[Wildebeest]

I guess it seems more bad this year because of meeting strict annual deadlines while developers are in lockdown.

 

[recursive]

In the last ~3 years weve had I want to say atleast 100 legit great games come out.
But the industry is at a point where they are delivering shit quality games???

Sure there are turds here and there.
But if you were to focus on games that metacritic higher than say 70(id say even 60 counts as good).....you literally couldnt complete them all and have a real life.

You are probably only focusing on the negatives because humans naturally remember and fixate on bad things (survival instinct).
Realistically we are pretty much in a golden age of gaming.
Its near impossible to NOT find a really good game to play in pretty much every genre at any time of the year.

I think the point op is trying to make based on the publishers referenced is the big iconic franchises are not hitting the mark like they used to. Doesn't mean that there are not some others that come through as 10/10.

 

[Flutta]

Because of YOU!

 

[RJMacready73]

i know but my point was nobody would have expected any of this for any of those studio's just a couple of years ago and that the industry is unpredictable because of the world we are living in today. i agree that naughty dog have never made a bad or broken game but they sure as shit were piled on for last of us part 2.

It's is crazy this phenomena of releasing sub standard broken games is definitely a recent issue but with massive budgets, shareholder expectations and CEO's with immeasurable greed wanting a 3rd yacht it's no wonder these things are pushed out the door and let the fools beta/bug test it

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Product quality aside, Activision Blizzard is a toxic pile of poo that needs to rot.

 

[Team Andromeda]

Why did this industry ditch its focus on delivering quality?
In recent years we have seen the biggest publishers not only happy to deliver crap modern AAA games, but also treat its cherished back catalogues with utter contempt.
Lessons don’t ever appear to be learnt from past controversies, even though social media is tanking these corporations reputations.
Major publishers like Taketwo, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Acti/Blizz etc all seem hellbent on destroying their back catalogues whilst dumbing down and releasing god awful modern games.

Battlefield 2042 and GTA Trilogy are the most recent examples of utter disdain for their fans.
Publishers just don’t seem to care about quality anymore that was once prevalent.
The Blizzard seal of quality is now just a stain on a front cover.

Standout companies like From software wouldn’t release the steaming piles we seem to be exposed to on a weekly basis.
Damn shame gaming is taking huge strides backwards. What’s the point of all this powerful tech when companies don’t utilise it?

You bought Battlefield 2042? FromSoftware seems happy to make endless sequels to Dark Souls in all but name. A far cry from the studio I loved for making the likes of O.TO.GI 1 & 2, Chromhounds, Armored Core and it wasn't like its remaster of Metal Wolf was that great.

 

[radewagon]

Get to this point? Brother, it basically started at this point. There have always been intentionally lazy terrible sloppy games. It's just that we only, essentially, remember the greats and the horrible lazy slapdash titles from the past are mostly forgotten. Heck Angry Video Game Nerd built an empire off of terrible licensed cash grabs.

Check this excerpt from Wikipedia about the 2600 release of Pacman and marvel at how much it resembles something you might say about today's less than stellar games.

The game was programmed by Tod Frye, taking six months to complete. Anticipating high sales, Atari produced over 1 million copies for its launch and held a "National Pac-Man Day" on April 3, 1982 to help promote its release.[4]

It stands as the best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time, selling more than 7 million copies and becoming the best-selling video game of all time during its release.[5][6] Despite its commercial success, Pac-Man was lambasted by critics for poor visuals and sound, and for bearing little resemblance to the original game. It is often considered one of the worst video games ever made and one of the worst arcade game ports released.

 

[brian0057]

The games may be dogshit but people keep buying them.
The consumers are just as guilty as the developers, maybe even more.
At the end of the day, we have the industry we deserve.

 

[Esppiral]

Because all of you voting with your wallet.

 

[Fbh]

Because gaming as a market has now been around long enough and become widespread enough that the average consumer just buys things based on brand recognition

 

[FunkMiller]

I guarantee many, many posters in this thread, and on this forum in general, continue to pre-order and purchase broken, half finished and poor games, ensuring that nothing changes.

As others said… vote with your wallet, and stop chasing FOMO and console warrior attitudes towards game purchases.

 

[Werewolfgrandma]

Hey don't mention Naughty Dog in the same breath as those other two, they have done nothing to he mentioned in this thread and consistently release top fucking tier games playable on release as for the ops post have you seen how many utter fucking morons there are on this planet? You can't blame business to go the easy route to make the most money, as much as it sucks for us normie gamers we live in a capalist world

While ND games are not for me, they for sure scream quality.

 

[Kev Kev]

I guarantee many, many posters in this thread, and on this forum in general, continue to pre-order and purchase broken, half finished and poor games, ensuring that nothing changes.

As others said… vote with your wallet, and stop chasing FOMO and console warrior attitudes towards game purchases.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

STOP PRE ORDERING GAMES!!

Seriously paying for something that's not finished - we got the money - who cares if it works or not!!

 

[Kabelly]

I've saved a lot of money because of these releases. Sadly these are products I was interested in but they failed.

But these publishers are still making profits regardless of the outrages so they don't care.
Cyberpunk made so much money for them in the beginning at this point it doesn't even matter if they fix the game.

I k ow I won't be buying it anytime soon.

 

[SSfox]

Blind profit.

Vote with your wallet.

Couldn't sum it better than this.

 

[Drizzlehell]

There were also plenty of good games coming out this year, far outweighing the number of duds. People get too hung up on negatives. Just don't buy garbage and move on.

 

[Max Payne’s Baretta]

I mean we already know this, but gamers are one of these worst consumer sectors. Gamers have shown time and time again (with exceptions) that they dont value their money.

You see it here everyday , just look at the people who shill for pre-ordering. These kind of consumers are the absolute weakest link.

 

[Elios83]

People buy that crap anyway? Their business model is too bound to release games every year during the holiday season and they can't escape from that easily? Covid hasn't helped development?
They know with patches they can fix things, many are going to buy the game much later through deals, online and gaas also are less focused on the day one experience.

It's bad but people can only vote with their wallet.
Don't preorder games and buy them only after you have read the quality is good.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

I mean we already know this, but gamers are one of these worst consumer sectors. Gamers have shown time and time again (with exceptions) that they dont value their money.

You see it here everyday , just look at the people who shill for pre-ordering. These kind of consumers are the absolute weakest link.

Guilty of this. Pre ordered that GTA trilogy in the vein hope that Rockstar would deliver, look how that turned out. BUT I can safely say now that it will be my last. If Rockstar can fuck up their most iconic games for pure cash grab greed then whats the point on our end.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I’m guilty of this, bought games in the past day one when I should of known better.

I despite the shills,fan sites influencers, suck ups, youtubers with the “the company can do no wrong” routines. Placaters who receive the goods yet talk down to the paying customer. Got some nerve. Being a Xbox fan there is a couple in that community I despise.

 

[levyjl1988]

Minimum viable product.
Huge franchises should have and we expect them to have higher production values.

Pokemon Sword and Shield is total shit, it was the first time I stopped mid way through the game and couldn’t stomach it after playing better games.

 

[Outlier]

Because gamifying everything is becoming a real profit opportunity for companies.

Simply getting people hyped for a product of unknown quality has become a game now.


People like their feelings being played with. The rush of hope filled ignorance can be addictive.
I've fallen prey to this as well, but not I can't remember the last game I pre-ordered. Maybe it was Ghost of Tsushima: DC, but that was coming from a game I already knew was highly rated and appreciated.

 

[cireza]

All the games I play are top quality. Simply don't buy games that suck ?

 

[saintjules]

And that's all I got to say about that.

Say it with some conviction!

 

[Hendrick's]

Standout companies like From software wouldn’t release the steaming piles we seem to be exposed to on a weekly basis.
Damn shame gaming is taking huge strides backwards. What’s the point of all this powerful tech when companies don’t utilise it?

What are you talking about? From is consistently guilty of releasing janky ass games. The fan base is just at Nintendo levels of rose tinted glasses.