current one The crisis of the video game industryMarked by ongoing restructuring and mass layoffs, it continues to spark discussion about the real reasons why the industry is unsustainable. The latest news comes from Double Fine founder Tim Schafer, who admitted in an interview with the BBC that he no longer understands the economics of video game development. Schaefer hypothesizes that excessive profit logic is the source of the problem and speaks openly about it greedy.
Among the responses he received was one from Joe Brammer, author of the hit “War Dogs.” According to Brammer, the economics of video game development are not complicated at all and boil down to a very simple equation: “Games are too cheap and development costs are too high”.
What if it’s braking?
While the recent generation transition has increased the price of AAA games, production costs have also increased, In a manner that is disproportionate to the income guaranteed to individual users. Against this backdrop, Brammer believes games with devastating cultural and commercial impact should drive fundamental changes in prices across the industry.
Referring specifically to the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6, the developer noted that Rockstar “had the opportunity to raise the bar, but they didn’t, so we just kept treading water.”
GTA 6 turns Miami into Vice City, costing nearly a million dollars
Brammer then invited his most prominent colleagues to take a clear stance, and figures like Schafer to be more specific: “Let’s not pretend we don’t know why, and people like Tim should be stepping up and saying ‘games have to cost more,’ instead of acting like we don’t know.”
Bramer does not appear to have considered that further price increases may Keep the public awayreducing game sales. So while on the one hand it is undeniable that current development costs are a huge problem that needs to be solved, on the other hand the increase in prices may prove to be a double-edged sword that will benefit some very successful series, such as the GTA series, and hinder the development of other markets.
