Former Sony PlayStation CEO: Low density of mid-production games erodes creativity and takes less risk with new ideas.

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  • Abdelsalam's Avatar
    Level 26
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    In a press interview with the Games Industry Biz website, Mr. Sean Leyden, former PlayStation president, said that it is a major threat to the gaming industry due to the decline in the amount of medium-production games around the world. Leiden says that big games are very expensive, and therefore it is difficult for their developers and publishers to take risks when their development budget is around $200-300 million, so we find that most of the games released today are new parts of old series, with fewer new names on the scene compared to the past.
    Leiden says the industry needs to focus on mid-production games because they are the games that move the industry forward and can take risks on new ideas that no one has tried before.
    What do you think of what Leiden said?
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  • Halim3050's Avatar
    Level 48
    Sean Layden highlights the decline of mid-production games as a concern for the gaming industry, as they traditionally foster innovation and creativity.

    While AAA games have massive budgets and risks, they often rely on established franchises, limiting diversity.

    In contrast, mid-sized games can take creative risks without the same financial pressures.

    Layden emphasizes that a balance between big-budget blockbusters and mid-tier projects is crucial to maintaining the industry's vibrancy and innovation.
  • Abdelsalam's Avatar
    Level 26
    @Halim3050
    Logical talk, and sometimes the beauty of things lies in their simplicity!
  • mazen18's Avatar
    Level 27
    i do agree, a game doesn't need to be a triple A to be good or demanded. there is alot of indie games that are amazing and popular, which made a big success. big companies should try to venture out.
  • Abdelsalam's Avatar
    Level 26
    @mazen18
    That's right, not all games have to have a huge budget to be great. There are many medium-budget games that are considered much better than huge-budget games, like Astro Bot,a mid-budget game that presented beautiful and diverse ideas and became one of the games nominated for the Game of the Year.
  • ZaidH's Avatar
    Level 23
    Man, I really miss Shawn Layden's era 😭 Imo, game prices need to be dynamic as well. Consumers expect a $60 game to offer at least 30+ hours of content. For AA games, lowering the price instead of slapping a $60 tag on them could boost demand for shorter but more innovative games 🤔

    But then, publishers like Take Two might put a price tag of 100+ dollars on games like GTA 6 🫥

    What do you all think? Should dynamic pricing be widely adopted by the gaming industry?
  • mazen18's Avatar
    Level 27
    Man, I really miss Shawn Layden's era 😭 Imo, game prices need to be dynamic as well. Consumers expect a $60 game to offer at least 30+ hours of content. For AA games, lowering the price instead of slapping a $60 tag on them could boost demand for shorter but more innovative games 🤔

    But then, publishers like Take Two might put a price tag of 100+ dollars on games like GTA 6 🫥

    What do you all think? Should dynamic pricing be widely adopted by the gaming industry?

    a dynamic pricing system sounds great. it could evaluate the game based on multiple criteria, then set a price range.
  • Aapje's Avatar
    Level 16
    We need more creativity and focusing on what players actually want. Lots of the newest AAA games don't actually show off the amount of money being spent on them, in part due to UE5 not really being a big jump forward (yet).
  • DearCassee's Avatar
    Level 4
    Some games need to be big and others can be just as good with less of a budget so I think it really depends on what kind of game it is and what the story is trying to express, if anything ☺
  • miskkie's Avatar
    Level 9
    Agreed. Hopefully some current CEOs understand, and act, on this too.