Modern game development has fallen into a trap: "cheap fun" no longer exists for major publishers.
According to Dale Walker, an artist who worked on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Apex Legends, the industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation. GTA 3 cost around $5 million, while today a project below $100 million in the AAA segment is called "small." This financial gigantomania reduces the space for risk and true creativity, leaving players with repetitive patterns.
Publishers are looking not just for "fun" games, but for projects mathematically programmed for success. The result is the disappearance of mid-range (AA) games. Instead of niche racing or extreme sports games, we get either 80-hour blockbusters or games with microtransactions and skins. Experimenting is too risky: $100 million for a project that won't become a game-as-a-service is unacceptable for corporations.
The market is divided into three parts:
- Top – Overloaded, expensive blockbusters on well-known franchises.
- Bottom – The chaotic world of indie, where thousands of authors fight for attention on Steam.
- Middle segment – Almost disappeared; original mid-budget projects are dying.
Rare successes like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are exceptions. Most investments go into proven brands and remakes, as evidenced by the recent God of War Trilogy update.
In conclusion: the top becomes more massive, the bottom becomes more chaotic, and the middle segment disappears. Games are earning more, but the industry is no longer moving forward.
