Is the decline of AAA Games due to Surplus?

Are marketplace bloat and heavy discounting responsible for the perceived surplus?

[uth11]

I'm in the over-30 crowd with only a few hours a night to play at best. I would buy more AAA games if they didn't take so long to complete. A 60 hour game can take me more than two months to get through., because i don't only play a single game at a time.

I made the mistake of buying too many backlog games in the past. I'm wiser now and don't waste my money on games that I'm not sure I'll ever play

[UltraNova]

Dude you stole my thoughts...to the letter!

Who would of thought that too many games would be 'bad' so to speak. I have to decide which games I wont play for at least a year if at all now...strange times for us 'old timers' hehe.

[SonyWarrior]

There isnt enough AAA games tf are you talking about..... AAA doesnt mean long game either... I just bought Flatout4 and was disappointment its obviously a budget game its sad that AAA games are so limited these days, most of the few AAA are shooters there isnt enough viariety these days... ps2 days just about every game was AAA, this indie and budget incompetent game studio crap is killing the industry. The few AAA game studios putting out games are all taking the safe route

[mikeslemonade]

It's mobile and handhelds that are killing AAA and also $60 price tag is too cheap.

[SegaGamer]

Yep, i like long games, but too many of them are around these days. After completing a long game, i don't want to jump into another long game straight away. After completing a long game, i just like to play a few platformers or indie games that will only take me a few hours or days to complete.

[Ashlen]

I still like long games. I only get 3-4 hours a night during the week and I can't play every day yet I have managed to finish basically all the big PS4 exclusive's and Mass Effect plus a number of other PC games.

I don't find short games to be a good value and rarely buy them. If fact the thing I liked least about last gen was how it was filled with tons of 6-10 hours shooters. I am not going to spend 60 dollars on games like that.

[Leemundo]

I disagree with you... Three to four hours a night?? What a luxury! Take into account I don't get home until 7:30, have a shower and eat, around 9pm...
Lucky if I get 2hrs a night, and even then I have a family so... no.
Too many free games is what has done me in, I have Xbox and EA access... I have 92 games installed right now.

[uth11]

If you think shorter games aren't a good value, try going to a concert, or Broadway show or hell even movies in the theater and see how many hours of entertainment you get for the same money. Even shorter games are an entertainment bargain

[Ashlen]

@Leemundo

I'm sorry your schedule is so bad, but most people work for 8 hours 9-5.

@uth11

I don't go to the movies, your right that is not a good value. Concerts do they even have those anymore? Heh, the last one I went to was in the 90's.

As for broadway, that's entirely different. There is a large live stage performance and you're paying a premium for that. I don't have any problem paying for a performance like that. But that's the type of event you put on your nice clothes and go to a fancy restaurant.

At the end of the day, there needs to be many different games to appeal to many different people and not just because of time constraints.

[Muzikguy]

I love long games because I feel more like I got my money's worth. Not the tedious kind of long games either. There definitely needs to be a balance. I'd hate for the publishers to think we have too many long games and start to rip games apart and sell them in pieces. Almost like how some DLC is already

[Artemidorus]

Only unemployed millennials would disagree with this comment.

Responsibilities come first.

[Ashlen]

That's just BS. Obviously, people need to pay bills but to act like you can't have a job and have time for entertainment is wrong for most people.

[samden]

wut?

[Artemidorus]

Ashlen it's not BS, it's the way of life.

[rainslacker]

Different people put different priorities on the things in their life. Has nothing to do with being unemployed or a millennial.

Personally, I work 40-50 hours a week, take care of my responsibilities with family and life, and still find a couple hours a day to play games, sometimes more on the weekends.

[TheGamez100]

Too long? The longer it is the more bang for your buck I say. Just avoid buying games day 1 that typically last long like rpgs and get them once theyre cheap and you know you will have a good amount of time for them. Dont give me that "Oh I'm too busy" crap lol, tons of busy ppl I know spend hours and hours on games like league of legends and cod etc. Even when I was in college with a job, life, etc, I was still able to beat very long games. Just that you may be getting old and bored easily with video games to have such a huge backlog. Me and many others are in the same boat :).

[rainslacker]

It's funny you mention it, but when I played WOW, quite a few guilds I was in had quite a few family people who were avid raiders. They tended to be more responsible with their time though, and didn't play into all hours of the night like single people, but they did spend a lot of time playing.

[HeyNowChillax]

Totally with you but I still have the backlog. At least we get to buy AAA games at $20 bucks or so these days. Besides it takes a solid 8 months for the devs to patch the games to work properly anyway. It's a good time to be a back log gamer.

[DARK WITNESS]

I definately don't think making shorter games in an answer. most games are way to short for my liking. the games that are 60hrs tend to be RPG's or Open world games where they make you run around collecting pointless crap.

Most other games in other genres will just about scratch between 8 to 10 hrs if that.

In my humble opinion I would say the decline is due to most games feeling like they are just all rehash of games we have already played, then on top of that add a £50 price tag and they really don't feel like they are worth it.

There are the odd one or two games that really stand out and generally thats all I have resorted to buying now.
The rest of the trash, average generic sequals that come out I just leave till the end of the year when they drop to like £20 or less.

on the age thing and not having time, well I am 37, ya I do find I have a bit less time, but I make time for the games I enjoy. my problem is I just don't enjoy a lot of them anymore.

[rainslacker]

The length of a game should be as long as the dev feels it takes to deliver the experience they wish to deliver. Making games shorter just for those that don't have as much time to play them is not the answer, because it assumes that those are the only people that play games.

Everyone has their own priorities, but I doubt most people are not buying games because they're too long.

[Muzikguy]

I have a surplus as well because of not having the time to play them. I have no problem with games taking a long time to beat though. I've definitely gotten wiser about what to buy as well. Even doing that I still have a backlog along with a whole list of games I want to buy. I'll just keep that list around for Black Fridays and flash sales 😊

[Fist4achin]

Yes sir, fully agree with you. Life happens and I don't have, even close to the amount I used to have for gaming. I plan to really solve my backlog in retirement!!! Unfortunately my backlog might be a mountain by then.

[arkard]

I love rpgs, the problem with that is those take about minimum 60 hours. I don't have the time to lay 8 hours a day to finish a game a week after I get it. With games coming out needing 10 patches before they are Playable. I find myself buying a plethora of games around black Friday when they are 20$. That usually keeps me busy through the year. I usually buy a shooter when they come out to play with friends and the occasional AAA (like Horizon). Games are becoming needlessly open world and padded with useless collectibles and fetch quests. This adds to me buying less and less games because they are taking longer and longer to play through.

[DivoJones]

Bingo.. that and franchise fatigue. I essentially stay up on weekends after kids go to sleep to play a couple hours, so your statement on limited time rings true here as well. Needless to say, Horizon Zero Dawn is taking some time to get through.

Also I have a group I play CoD with, and we have a mantra when someone gripes about the game.. we say "it'll be worse next year". And that's been pretty true for some time now.. between getting older and the feature-bloat of CoD games, it can be an exercise in futility.. yet we keep buying the damn game every year, knowing/admitting that it'll be worse than the one we're playing. Here's to hoping CoD:WWII is better!... (it'll be worse somehow)

[MilkMan]

@sonywarrior
You have a great point. I myself have stated 1000 times on this site that indies are indies and should never have been made to be fillers or stop gaps for gamers.
Where are the double A games?
Chainsaw Lollipop, Never Dead, Spaltter house? These were delicious B grade games that keot my library fresh and exciting. Instead im playing horrible indie games that are just that independent with piss poor budgets. For some reason they all want to be either to artsy, to much like zelda, dark souls or castlevania.

A few years ago penny arcade had an excellent rpg that last 4 installments or 5 i cant remember. These where independent and a rarity. It was nice to try it and play it and i went right back to my B games, so that i could enjoy my Triple A's

The industry is in shambles right now. Theres an identity crisis. Fact is they want to cater to the new games while leaving the older gamers alienated.

I think they have to look at the market the same way sony did so many years agonwhen they realized the kids graduating from Nintendo had no place to game.

No one wants to admit it, but a new look at the market is required.

[uth11]

There aren't enough games in the mid tier anymore. Everyone acts like a game needs 30+ hour campaign or it isn't a real game. I played games before 30 hour campaigns were even a thing, so I call BS on that thinking.

Indies could fill the gap more than they do. But a lot of them focus more on being artsy than being a solid game. So there is still a gap in the industry that needs filling

[XStation4pio_Pro]

I haven't really seen a lot of new ones I want to play. Watchdogs sucks imo, completely over assasins creed, COD is tired at this point and so on. Also sick of most sequels and want new IP. HZD is the only game I have purchased in the last couple months because it was new and different. Aside from that I stick to my usuals (big racing fan so I love forza, and also gtaV, HZD, UC4 etc) round and round til something different pops up.

[Timesplitter14]

AAAs are in the same situation as Hollywood blockbusters imo. Most of them are formulaic quantity-over-quality garbage like all those Marvel/DC movies. Only a few end up being good. In games, movies and music alike, real quality tends to reside in the lower-budget stuff

But they keep selling millions so companies have no real reason to stop producing them.

[UltraNova]

Want different? Dark souls/ Bloodborne, Nier Automata, Yakuza, Persona 5. Japan is in full swing when it comes to 'different'.

[rainslacker]

I think a lot of them are moving into the territory of more MP focused, or service based as is the new hot term. While there can be fun to be had there, it means putting more time into the game to get the most out of it....and honestly, I find them a bit more shallow at times. The games which actually are just one and done type experiences are actually taking a back seat....at least in the AAA arena.

Franchise fatigue could indeed be part of it though, because while many of those games are good, it's just more of the same.

[Gaming_Cousin]

Due to shit developers releasing unfinished games

[KickSpinFilter]

Also in the over 30 crowd prob get in on Wed and Sunday to play from 11:00pm till 2am and that's it.
Just finished Horizon ZD, but want to turn around and finish my back catalog of many games, it's just been nuts this year. I was going to perhaps pickup XB1 or/and Switch but I just don't have anymore time to add to this hobby. PS4/PSVR has done me in.

[Artemidorus]

Happy to have too many AAA just buy them at a discounted price.

Like many here, responsibilities come first.

[00]

it because they are all copy and paste garbage. it been three years since I bought an AAA game because they all play the same along with being filled with micro-transactions.I would rather play games in my backlog then waste money on new games.

[JackBNimble]

Sounds like you need to find a new hobby.

[Tetsujin]

I somewhat agree with you. Anymore it seems a lot of games is copy/paste, and hyped as the "end-all" every time. I've revisited some older games, and had more fun than in recent times.

On the flip side, there are a lot of new experiences I have ran across, however they're Indie titles.

[Tetsujin]

People started voting with their wallets. Trash won't sell, and the whole DLC/Season Pass situation is only going to cause companies to amp their game up and release complete games without advertising extras later.

[Petebloodyonion]

This article is quite interesting and brings lots of good points.
I'm in my 40 and my gaming time consists also of a few hours per day( stolen on sleeping time).
I have a huge Backlog on Steam (500 games plus) due to exactly what the author said, cheap bundle or insane deal on Steam.
The same also apply to my console collection ( yep I have a gaming crib).

----------------------------- ------------------------------- ------------------------------- -
Now I think the problem for the decline of AAA is a collection of many factors.

1) The games are longer and longer to complete and companies are trying their best to make us stick to that game with Micro, addictive multiplayer, etc.
Thus it's leaving us with less time to play other games.

2) Saturation of the market in term of games releases.
20+ games releasing this week only on PC, Ps4, Xone and Switch https://www.vg247.com/2017/...

3) Old games now offer similar quality and experience as a new one at fraction of the price.
Since the PS2 Era, a game structure has been consistent. FPS play mostly the same, Driving, Sports, RPG, etc.
And would say that X360/ps3 era offers exactly the same as now.
Would you complete again the old Nes Zelda game? probably not
Would you complete again Any Zelda after Wind waker?

4) Cheap offering
This month alone I got 10 free games and Plus due to Xbox live and PSN, now let's add the whole collection of Gears I got free when I purchase Gears4, the Bundle from bundlestar and well you get the idea.

[Muzikguy]

I agree with these points too. Cheap bundles take a lot longer to complete the games you get. All the free games if people choose to play them take time as well. I'm more into single player games and because of that I've noticed the MTs and all that are put into multiplayer games to keep people playing them. How many Destiny games, Halo, COD, or BF games can one person play at any given time? Any of those games for me I wanted to spend years on, so that would obviously cut into other games. Saved me money too

[QUIMICOMORTAL]

um, that is only on PC and xbone! PS4 is fine!

[Petebloodyonion]

Funny cause Capcom barely broke even on Resident evil 7 despite the acclaimed reviews, being the only AAA VR game.
And what about Titanfall2, Yakuza 0?

[QUIMICOMORTAL]

RE was in a tough spot after 6, and eventough it reddem itself it had the missfortune of coexisting with Nioh, Horizon, switch, Zelda, etc. I wouldnt call Yakuza 0 a AAA, Titanfall 2 was killed by being put between the two biggest FPS franchises in the market!

But nioh and horizon did great! if you count Nier as a AAA it did too! MLB the show had an excellent 1st week too!

[XXanderXX]

Gamefly people is what recommend to all those short on time and family budgets to tend to . Best service out there

[PS4Gamer1984]

32 years old here, kids, wife, job.. Most of my gaming now is pretty much exclusively online multiplayer or VR. Why? Because they are PERFECT in small pieces at a time.

In the span of 45 minutes I can fire up my PC and get in on a match each of Overwatch, Doom, Gears 4 and BF1 and when im done, cap off the night with some Oculus Rift games and I have satisfied my gaming urges for the day..

Why spend one hour playing one single player game when playing a online shooter and some VR in that same hour is immensley more satisfying

[Mulando]

Decline of AAA?
Where is the author living? There are so many AAA games out every year, it is almost impossible to play so many good games.
The problem I have with the current AAA titles is most of them are just not my type of game, but that's my personal problem with >25 years of playing games :) ("seen it all"-moments), but there are still enough games for the little time I have now :)
Would love another old school C&C (not 4)

[rainslacker]

I think that was the point of the article. There isn't enough time to play all the AAA games that one may want to play, so the AAA market is taking a hit.

I don't know the veracity of this claim, because it assumes that games only breaking even or taking a loss somehow equates to a decline in software sales, which actually isn't the case, as software sales in general are up YOY.

[zb1ftw777]

I agree with uth11.

I can't be bothered to grind for months in one game to be able to progress.

I also can't be bothered with a million shooters that are all the same and fragment the user base.

The trillions of indies are all rather boring too if I'm going to be blunt and honest.

Most online multiplayer games are simply not fun either.

Couch co-op and great single player games are coming back in fashion thanks to the Switch too.

Maybe that's why it's selling so well.

Don't want to buy a triple A game just to discover you need to pay double to get the full game that is disguised as dlc or microtransactions too be able to compete...aka pay to win.

I'm done with PC, XB1 and PS4 to be honest. The Switch is the only console that currently offers a platform that you buy a game and simply play for fun.

[Derceto]

It's due to surplus of "the same old s**t". Amazing the money that's thrown into cardboard cutout, checklist, soulless garbage, by these "AAA" publishers. It's been copycat trash for the past 10 years now, and it doesn't look to be getting any better.

Not to mention the utterly broken piles of vomit they release as well, with day 1 patches that are bigger than the game itself, all the while shoveling out dump trucks of "dlc" at the same time.

Thankfully there are some gems released on occasion to shine through the tidal wave of trash that populates the market these days.

[Dirtnapstor]

Free time for me is not what it use to be...I have a pretty large library of games, excluding all the freebies. I enjoy the lengthy SP campaigns. I feel as though it was money well spent vs a game I could finish in 2-3 evening sittings.
That said, being a SP completionist is much harder with the appeal of the multiplayer games that I love. I love having a variety of game types, but the downside is having to pick, catering to my time that avails itself to me...having to streamline my gaming habits.
Too many AAA games, not enough time.

[C-H-E-F]

lOl, AAA games decline is because lack of content. and it's not AAA games it's Third Part AAA games, because Sony AAA games are in no way shape/form declining. lOl we get hit with a new one like every 3/4 months it seems lOl. Like as soon as we played out a game Sony release a new one like here yah go... ahahaha. Now if you have an Xbox then well, i can only imagine how boring gaming must be lOl.

[MilkMan]

Im an over 40 year old gamer and the truth is ill buy whatever interests me. Ive made piece with my backlog problem long ago.
Im even more wiser today than i ever was in my 20s when it comes to buying games. Discounts, sales, moving to digital have all been awesome ways to get what i want.

The problem for me is not hiw long the game is. I dont mind a 100 hour game..my issue is how they are designed.

Modern games dont take into account my limited time. I should be able to save anywhere and the game mechanics should be such that whether i have 30 minutes or 4 hours to play each moment should feel awesome.

I almost stopped playing Prey for the last reason i mentioned. Luckily, it picked up right before i was going to retire it.

Longevity in my case is not the issue, its just most modern games are not designed with my time restrictions in mind.

Hell Kingdoms of Amalur is one of my all time favorites because i can save anywhere and do 15 missions in 2 hours and I look absolutely awesome doing it all.

[FernDiggidy]

What decline?