That’s interesting, if you go back to interviews with GabeN at the time of the Episodes announcements, he was praising Blizzard for the subscription model for WoW. As a company that’s of course the best model to have, as gives more margin (that’s why gyms have very restrictive contracts and so on).
At the moment they don’t seem to have the IPs to do a Valve subscription, but maybe they can come up with a scheme for Steam.
Yeah, I'm not liking the look of all the subscription based services. I doubt physical/digital copies are going to go anywhere too soon but the industry could definitely go the same route TV/Film has gone with every studio having their own service with their own content locked to that service.
In other news, unskippable adverts in full priced games.
Quote from Beck1 hour ago, Beck said: Yeah, I'm not liking the look of all the subscription based services. I doubt physical/digital copies are going to go anywhere too soon but the industry could definitely go the same route TV/Film has gone with every studio having their own service with their own content locked to that service.
Yeah, ok, I can probably deal with the massive segmentation of having several launchers and services as long as I can play the games. What is troubling me more lately, and this is something that Ross Scott is also stressing a lot, are the games that require authentication to an online server. With this subscription service that is being pushed and also stadia's streaming, I think this will become even more of an issue in the future. Sure, you can argue that this is an issue even with regular platforms that offer digital copies. If the platform dies, then shieeet. But that's less likely to happen than say a game's servers being shut down. Take for instance the Games for Windows Live. When they shut that down they also killed a lot of games. Some of them were patched to use Steamworks, but others not (Dirt 2).
Ross Scott tried last month to push forward the idea that some games being advertised as services are fraud. While he does have some fair points, the argument was partially shut down by various lawyers. However, some pointed out that he could instead try to branch into the duration of granted copyright time. Here's his video:
Quote from Radu25 minutes ago, Radu said: Yeah, ok, I can probably deal with the massive segmentation of having several launchers and services as long as I can play the games. What is troubling me more lately, and this is something that Ross Scott is also stressing a lot, are the games that require authentication to an online server. With this subscription service that is being pushed and also stadia's streaming, I think this will become even more of an issue in the future. Sure, you can argue that this is an issue even with regular platforms that offer digital copies. If the platform dies, then shieeet. But that's less likely to happen than say a game's servers being shut down. Take for instance the Games for Windows Live. When they shut that down they also killed a lot of games. Some of them were patched to use Steamworks, but others not (Dirt 2).
Ross Scott tried last month to push forward the idea that some games being advertised as services are fraud. While he does have some fair points, the argument was partially shut down by various lawyers. However, some pointed out that he could instead try to branch into the duration of granted copyright time. Here's his video:
This is one of the lawyers responding with the copyright idea:
Ultimately, shitty monetization and segmented as the market might become aside, I'm more concerned about the actual games and being able to play them long after their release.
Yeah I don't care about multiple launchers, I've already got like 4 or 5 on my PC. I meant subscription services (ala Netflix, Prime, HBO, Disney etc...) and the fear that gaming equivalents will become the norm in the future doing away with physical/digital copies of games. There would be no way for those games to be preserved except in YouTube lets plays like Jim Stirling mentioned.
I saw that Ross Scott video and it was really good, hopefully it does get somewhere and will lead to a way to keep games alive once their servers are switched off.
As things are, the only way to ensure some future proof, would be supporting companies like GOG that have made their mission to maintain access and playability of old games.
Also a devil’s advocate point is this: both Sony and MS have gone to great lengths in the last generation to provide compatibility with old games. Considering that the value of a platform/service is in great part linked to the offering, these companies have all the interest in maintaining their games long after their main “profitability lifetime”.
I also wonder for independent/privately own developers what entitlement they have to eventually make their games available in case their publisher shuts down the servers.
I'm really tired of such grindy games. Microtransactions ruin everything...
I doubt it will change. At best you'll have a few studios like CD Projekt Red, indies or most console exclusives that don't add monetization.
Another issue in regards to the streaming game service, which @grapen brought up, is that if it catches on it will potentially lead to the death of modding. All files are on an official server, can't be modified, can't add anything to it.
Quote from Radu13 minutes ago, Radu said: Another issue in regards to the streaming game service, which @grapen brought up, is that if it catches on it will potentially lead to the death of modding. All files are on an official server, can't be modified, can't add anything to it.
Well considering there have been initiatives like SnapMap or FC Arcade, you could potentially create a sandbox environment for mods, with tools that are as well streamed.
i know is far fetched and most unlikely, but content creation don’t have to necessarily die.
Is all in the hands of devs and publishers, if they see value in enabling mods, they will find a way to allow their player base to play with tools.
I’m pretty sure no one ever expected modding tools to end up on console, but then you got stuff like Halo and Far Cry… ending up in games that are content creation tools really.
Quote from blackdog31 minutes ago, blackdog said: Well considering there have been initiatives like SnapMap or FC Arcade, you could potentially create a sandbox environment for mods, with tools that are as well streamed.
i know is far fetched and most unlikely, but content creation don’t have to necessarily die.
Is all in the hands of devs and publishers, if they see value in enabling mods, they will find a way to allow their player base to play with tools.
I’m pretty sure no one ever expected modding tools to end up on console, but then you got stuff like Halo and Far Cry… ending up in games that are content creation tools really.
Sure, but you'd still have limits. For instance, I wouldn't be able to make my FC map without a mod that removes the imposed budget on details and AI. And SnaMap is shit. There, I've said it.
Yeah, ok, I've hijacked this thread, after it was previously hijacked by @[HP], to keep track of the lootbox issue and company trends over time. I'm gonna keep updating this with notable headlines.
"In an at times tense hearing, digital minister Margot James told the committee she did not believe there was enough evidence to class loot boxes, which appear in games certified suitable for children as young as three, as gambling.
Members of the Culture Select Committee accused the Government of being “complacent” over the features, which they said were exposing children "to all the emotions of gambling"."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/0…heels-mps-warn/
"The French government has launched a major push to poach British game developers in the wake of Brexit, promising subsidies, tax breaks and loans to creatives who make the move across the Channel.
“In only a few years, video games have become France’s second largest cultural industry, behind books and ahead of cinema,” the French Directorate General for Enterprise, which is leading the campaign, says. “It is one of the most dynamic sectors in the French economy, with more than 5,000 direct jobs.” Video game revenues totalled €4.9bn (£4.4bn) in 2018, it added."
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/jul…game-developers
"Industry trade association TIGA has urged the UK government to consider new policy measures following the reveal of a French programme to attract game companies, post-Brexit."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-…t-brexit-exodus
I listened to a couple of these comments on Stadia and I was very surprised to find that it’s not a streaming subscription with a catalogue of games to play at any time.
I think there’s still a value in buying the game, but the proposition is way less interesting than it would have been.
Quote from Radu5 hours ago, Radu said:
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I won't give a single dime of my hard earned salary to that shit.
I'm not sure what is so thrilling about AAA game studio discussion. The bottom line is that they do what will result in the most profit for themselves whether it be in the long or short term. There is not really anything new on the table anymore, and game features are starting to actively feel manipulative even though they were ages ago, just not as intrusively. The same community that complains about microtransactions and unfinished games is the reason they exist. High budget publishers have found their boundaries and they are quite forgiving. I think the gaming industry was a place of innovation and excitement every year, and it saddens me to see how monolopolized it has gotten. I don't think consumers will come out and change this... It will take a serious threat to big publishers business to change things. Lettuce pray
Jesus Christ, is there actual basketball in this game??
Why are there basketball players in that gambling game?
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