Great insights. Whether or not developers should cut costs depends significantly on understanding why players disengage after purchasing a game. This is particularly intriguing to me given the high cost of these games, so what could be the reasons? I have some thoughts: 1. Unmet Expectations: - Players may have expectations that eventually are not met, leading them to drop the game. One could assume players are doing their dilligent research work before deciding to buy a game. Does the game fit their style? Are they the type of players for the game? This is the economic-driven player, one that is rational and cold focused, but we know that this might not be the case, and despite diligent research, various factors can influence their decisions beyond rational evaluation. 2. Marketing Influence: - Effective marketing can persuade players to purchase games they might not otherwise choose. We know the great lenghts advertisers are willing to go, and this field in particular has evolved quite a lot in the last decade, raising concerns about potentially misleading representations of game content and value. 3. Social Trends: - Social influences and trends can drive players to commit to games they won't finish. The rapid pace of gaming trends and competition for quick releases can prevent players from becoming fully engaged before moving on to the next popular title. We've seen this in the last two years, as we had a lot of moments in which the gaming trend always shifted. One could argue that there is simply not enough time for players to be hooked by a game, commit to it, and also finish it in time before the trend shifts. 4. Triple-A Fatigue: - The value proposition of Triple-A games is diminishing. Repetitive design formulas, particularly in open-world games, can result in large but unfulfilling experiences. Likewise, the design mentality in often cases tends to lean more into Quantity-over-Quality, AC Valhalla is a good example. Overall, it is likely a combination of these factors and others. It's important to remind yourself that today's player is vastly different from the one a decade ago, and the needs and trends are changing rapidly. The industry knows this and is always in a rush to adapt, [Just think about today's slaughter on FPS games, or the hype in the not so recent past for Extraction Shooters] but considering the high pace at which everything unfolds, when you add the time required for a Triple A budget to be approved, and the crazy development timelines nowadays..it's hard to successfully keep up.
⏳Most gamers aren’t finishing games. It's an issue⏳ Maybe publishers should cut costs by minimising spiralling development budgets and timelines – NOT firing swaths of talented, value-creating employees. I digress. 📉There's something of a negative correlation between game length and completion time (see the image for a taste in the RPG genre).📉 This suggests the growing development timelines and budgets fuelling longer games have reached the point of diminishing returns. For example, #AssassinsCreedValhalla – a game known for its bloat – has completion rates as low as 15%, as shown by #Steam and #Xbox achievement data and #PlayStation trophy data. Those nine-figure development budgets and five-year-plus timelines are getting out of hand. It’s time to cut down on the bloat. 👇New MIDiA Research blogpost in the comments👇
