Anthem and the peculiarities of modern monetization.

[blackdog]

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.

[Beck]

God that one guy giving a presentation on his games monetisation was horrible. I hope the industry changes soon. A lot of the big publishers are getting really greedy.

[Maria Atmanaki]

I'm really tired of such grindy games. Microtransactions ruin everything...

[Radu]

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.

[blackdog]

13 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.

[Radu]

31 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.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Radu

[Radu]

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/2019/07/02/video-game-loot-boxes-bad-roulette-wheels-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/03/france-makes-a-post-brexit-grab-for-uks-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/2019-07-05-tiga-calls-for-video-game-investment-fund-for-uk-devs-to-help-prevent-post-brexit-exodus

Edited July 5, 2019 by Radu

[Radu]

 

[blackdog]

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.

Edited July 26, 2019 by blackdog

[Minos]

5 hours ago, Radu said:

 

I won't give a single dime of my hard earned salary to that shit.

[Interfearance]

 

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

[blackdog]

Jesus Christ, is there actual basketball in this game??

 

[dux]

Why are there basketball players in that gambling game?

[-HP-]

Lul

[Radu]