AD

What the Future Holds for Videogames?

Videogames have been around for a very long time and they have no intention of going anywhere anytime soon or ever for that matter. That is great, because millions of gamers around the world would be very upset if things were the other way around. Still, the future of videogames doesn't look to bright for now.

Greedy studios, incompetent executives and shareholders who know absolutely nothing of the gaming world are running the industry into the ground. Fortunately, a ray of hope lies in indie studios that are winning hearts and minds of gamers everywhere. Will that be enough to save videogames from what seems to be their inevitable downfall? That remains to be seen but for now, let's get a glimpse into what the future holds for videogames.
Videogame ownership issues

Ownership of videogames has been under a lot of scrutiny recently. Gamers are familiar with the concept of purchasing a game to own it. In return, they show support to the developers who made the game. However, purchasing a game does not necessarily mean ownership these days, especially if you purchase a digital version of the game. That said, people will even browse Bitcoin gambling sites and pay to play because they enjoy their little escape from reality. Who can blame them when the actual reality sucks, if we're being completely honest.

Still, gamers use platforms like Steam and Epic Games regardless, even though with the termination of platform's service, all purchased games will no longer be available to gamers. That's unlikely to happen but the issue still remains. However, the difference is that such platforms often offer free games or heavily discounted games so it makes the situation more bearable. But with statements like the one from Ubisoft executives executives that gamers should get used to the idea of not owning games they've purchased, portends bad news for the future of videogames.

Imagine buying clothes only to have them removed from you on the street by the store's security detail because they consider you no longer have the right to wear their product. The same thing may happen to videogames, especially since a lot more technical details like breach of terms of use or suspected fraudulent behavior can be used as excuse to cut you off from your purchased games.

Price increase for videogames

If we're being totally honest, videogames were never cheap unless they're on some massive sale. Affordable maybe, but nowhere as near as cheap as some might say. One thing is for certain though, the prices of videogames have been steadily increasing every now and then. Not to include global inflation into the equation but more software demanding and more technical upgrades spiked the prices for videogames, especially for latest generation of consoles and PC hardware. But where does one draw the line? Well, major videogame companies think they can milk consumers to no end.

Insomniac Games recently faced an information leak form an insider source revealing their plans for videogame price increase to $100 by 2027. This is an insane price considering that even today's $60 average price for a videogame is not something gamers look kindly upon. Seems like major studios and corporations forgot that they need to sell games in order to make profits but that cannot be accomplished if no one buys these games. People will morel likely resort to piracy than pay such a steep price for a videogame.

The fall of AAA studios

We've seen unfinished and poorly-made games being released by AAA studios way to often for it to be a coincidence. Remember Fallout 76, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Duke Nukem Forever, No Man's Sky and more recent flops like Starfield, Diablo Immortal and Cyberpunk 2077. Broken, buggy, unfinished and just awful are some of the first impressions gamers came up with upon releases of these games. And while a few of these games were fixed post-launch, it just took way to long for a game to be where it should've been on release.

To say that gamers are losing faith in AAA studios would be an understatement of epic proportions. You can't deliver a broken game, charge a full price for it, spend more on marketing than development and expect that gamers will swallow it all. That's just not how it works. Unfortunately, the majority of AAA studios don't seem to grasp the situation and are continuing their malpractice even today.

However, that poorly reflects on their profits and stock prices. Seems like you need your target audience after all. Who would've thought. Anger your consumers and the backlash will greater than you could possibly imagine. Then you have less famous studios like Larian Studios who revitalized the old Baldur's Gate franchise and showed everyone that you can make amazing games if you want to.

Final thoughts

It's no secret that the videogame industry was one of the most profitable and fastest-growing industries in the world. The only reason that was the case is because gamers enjoy awesome games and they will happily buy games that they like. Take great games form that equation and your have industry that's about to take a dive into the abyss. Perhaps videogame studios will regain their senses before it's to late. Here's to hoping.