In the gaming industry, concerns are increasingly being raised about the new generation of consoles and games for them. One of the harshest critics of the future generation was former artist and art director of Naughty Dog and Rocksteady studios, Del Walker.
Walker stated that the next generation of consoles could lead to even more layoffs and studio closures. In his opinion, each new hardware cycle invariably increases the complexity of development, costs, and timeframes for creating games.
The new generation of consoles will bring even more sacrifices. The cost of game development has never decreased with the advent of new platforms – it has only grown. But do the games themselves become more interesting because of this? A debatable question.
According to Walker, the industry has already faced serious problems: rising prices for gaming hardware due to the boom in artificial intelligence technologies, as well as mass layoffs and studio closures. He believes that the transition to more powerful consoles will only increase pressure on developers.
The industry veteran paid special attention to the issue of creative limitations. In his opinion, it is often technical constraints that force teams to look for unconventional solutions and create the most memorable game mechanics.
The best ideas are born from limitations. When there are fewer limitations, there is more waste. And when costs rise, there are fewer successful projects and more layoffs.
Walker also expressed the opinion that modern big-budget games are becoming increasingly cautious in terms of design and new ideas. Due to huge financial risks, publishers prefer not to experiment with new franchises and mechanics, focusing on the widest possible audience.
To illustrate this trend, the developer gave an example with in-game puzzles. According to him, many modern projects practically do not allow players to find a solution on their own, as companion characters too quickly suggest the correct answer. Critics often cite God of War Ragnarök and The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales as examples of such games.