Video Games are dying again...sort of

[Brazen]

I miss buying two poorly-copied games cassettes for a pound at the local market.

[viper37]

Yeah, it's basically high stakes block buster focused AAA titles on one end, and scrappy indies on the other, with very little in between.

has it ever been different?

I mean to say that the costs of making AAA titles today is certainly higher, in proportion to the lower tier than it was in the early 90s, but has it once been a "level market", where most games are at about the same level and only a few ones in the bottom (indie) and top (AAA) budget wise?

[garbon]

Yeah, it's basically high stakes block buster focused AAA titles on one end, and scrappy indies on the other, with very little in between.

has it ever been different?

I mean to say that the costs of making AAA titles today is certainly higher, in proportion to the lower tier than it was in the early 90s, but has it once been a "level market", where most games are at about the same level and only a few ones in the bottom (indie) and top (AAA) budget wise?

I think there used to be more games in the middle.

[Jacob]

has it ever been different?

Yes, it was different for at least a decade. Plenty of games were made that were moderate successes at the time, with sales of 100K-200K or whatever, and they were perfectly viable for the studio and the publisher. It used to be that if you made a game with decent gameplay and good production values you'd be okay unless you were really unlucky, and if you hit the sweet spot you'd make lots of money.

It's much much much harder to make your money back on top or mid range console game with decent production values these days. If you get your blockbuster, you're laughing and pretty much any money you spent are justified in retrospect.

I mean to say that the costs of making AAA titles today is certainly higher, in proportion to the lower tier than it was in the early 90s, but has it once been a "level market", where most games are at about the same level and only a few ones in the bottom (indie) and top (AAA) budget wise?

I think you've misunderstood something. I don't think anyone is saying what you just said. It used to be that the top (AAA) band was much bigger and easier to get in to, and the risks were smaller (and more related to execution than marketing).

[Berkut]

Yeah, it's basically high stakes block buster focused AAA titles on one end, and scrappy indies on the other, with very little in between.

has it ever been different?

I mean to say that the costs of making AAA titles today is certainly higher, in proportion to the lower tier than it was in the early 90s, but has it once been a "level market", where most games are at about the same level and only a few ones in the bottom (indie) and top (AAA) budget wise?

Didn't the article adress this exact point? That the top 20 title now carry more than twice the market share they did previously?

[Jacob]

Didn't the article adress this exact point? That the top 20 title now carry more than twice the market share they did previously?

I believe it did.

[Eddie Teach]

It's the same with humans. The big ones are getting bigger.

[Razgovory]

Jake, how are you defining "AAA" and "scrappy independents"?

[Jacob]

Jake, how are you defining "AAA" and "scrappy independents"?

AAA - highly polished console titles with marketing budgets at least in the 10s of millions. Basically anything that could be sold for the standard full retail price ($69.99 or whatever) and were available in all stores on launch day.

Scrappy independents - about 30-40 people or less in the studio releasing through alternate channels; not through major publishers. If they are more successful and scale up, it becomes a bit more blurred.

[Valmy]

So is Paradox a 'scrappy independent'?

InExile and Obsidian are now I guess as well.

[Valmy]

Good. Read a book you nerds.

Is it ok if I read it on my tablet?

[viper37]

It's much much much harder to make your money back on top or mid range console game with decent production values these days. If you get your blockbuster, you're laughing and pretty much any money you spent are justified in retrospect.

did the popularity of the consoles kill the mid-market gaming?

I think you've misunderstood something. I don't think anyone is saying what you just said. It used to be that the top (AAA) band was much bigger and easier to get in to, and the risks were smaller (and more related to execution than marketing).

Ah, ok, I get it.  The top AAA band required less money than today, because there was less marketing. 

Can badly executed games really get to the top, revenu wise, counting only on their marketing skills?
Wait.  Don't answer that.  I think Dragon Age 2 was very profitable for EA. 

[Valmy]

Wait.  Don't answer that.  I think Dragon Age 2 was very profitable for EA. 

So glad I did not buy that game.  I played the expansion to the first one and was rather horrified by the changes they were making.

[Jacob]

So is Paradox a 'scrappy independent'?

InExile and Obsidian are now I guess as well.

I dunno... I don't spend that much time thinking about these definitions. I'm primarily thinking of newer start ups that haven't quite found their niche yet when I say "scrappy independent"; Paradox et. al. are independent, but they're pretty established... so I guess I wouldn't call them "scrappy". But if they want themselves that (or if you want to do that) that's fine by my.

When I say "scrappy independents" I'm thinking of companies like Switchblade Monkeys (working on their first title, hoping it works), Klei (with a track record of decent non AAA games, or Super Cell (wildly successful with their few games).

[Jacob]

did the popularity of the consoles kill the mid-market gaming?

It severely wounded it.

Ah, ok, I get it.  The top AAA band required less money than today, because there was less marketing. 

Can badly executed games really get to the top, revenu wise, counting only on their marketing skills?

That's not the issue from my PoV - it's that well executed games with decent marketing can still fail to generate sufficient revenue.