The game landscape could suffer very much under the current trend towards ever greater, always more expensive games. That believes at least the former Playstation Chef Shawn Layden. The prophecy of the fact that soon most PS5 games could cost over $ 200 million US dollars. What makes the development of riskier: The price can not be reduced, risks must be minimized. Maybe we'll see only a few franchises and genres with lots of continuations.
Games are getting more and more expensive: development costs double
That's why: Jason Schreier talks in a Boomberg interview with the former Playstation Chef Shawn Layden. He thinks, among other things, according to the rising development costs for PS5 games. This trend has long begun, can already be observed and is scary.
Shawn Layden knows what he's talking about: In his time at Sony's Playstation, he has brought along large blockbusters such as Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War. Both games were probably not cheap in development, but compared to what comes, apparently still in the context.
$ 200 million? While some titles on the PS4 have already cost about the $ 100 million in development, these costs seem to double with each generation, as Shawn Layden says. That would mean the great PS5 exclusive loose 200 million US dollars, regularly. With scary consequences.
High costs ensure that studios and publishers take less risks
High price, high risk: When busy money is put into the production of a game, the naturally large pressure generates. The more expensive the game, the better it has to sell to get the costs back. That is, the risk rises to lose these huge sums when the game does not matter well.
What, of course, leads to developer studios and publishers do everything possible for their game successfully:
If we do not prevent the cost curve from going further, everything we can do is to avoid the risks. This brings you into a position that creates for you to make sequels.
Less diversity for all: At Sony, new brands and titles also appear again and again, but that could be much rarer in the future. The risk is simply significantly higher if an unknown game ranks to the market instead of continuing a giant success. That is, we will always see more of the same instead of great innovation.
What happens is that at the end of three to four silos of games or game types, which continues to exist and the variety is pushed out.
This development is probably already with great publishers like Activision, which focus almost exclusively on the annual Call of Duty instead of responding any risk. Finally, the COD franchise is always one of the most successful at all. It is similar with EA with, for example, FIFA or Ubisoft with Assassin's Creed.
How the matter develops in Sony and the PS5 games, we may already see on Thursday. Then the big PS5 showcase should take place, which should focus on games, which will appear this year, but also beyond. For example, many fans hope to see the nearest God of War.
What do you say about this development? Do you prefer big, expensive blockbusters, or small, but fine ventures?
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