Is it the pandemic or ...

[pk500]

... is there true stasis in gaming? It's starting to resemble stale Hollywood, with little but sequels and remasters/remakes.

What's the last truly great IP to be introduced in gaming? I'm struggling to think of one in the last five years, although I'm sure I'm missing one. Dishonored? Maybe. Destiny? Derivative grindfest. Anthem? Sucked.

Is this seeming lack of development pandemic-related, or are we in a really sluggish time for creativity in the industry?

[Dave]

You aren't wrong, in my opinion. At least in the AAA space, where the costs and time make it risky to step out of what you know will sell.

Thinking about my time at EA, where there were upwards of 20-30 new releases per year (actual titles, not individual SKUs). New franchises ranged from cult favorites like Dead Space, Skate, & Mirror's Edge to fun little experiences like EA Playground for Wii to bombs like Facebreaker, Spore, or a whole range of sh*tty Nintendo titles (Charm Girls Club, anyone?).

Now, it's pretty much a few sports games, a Star Wars game, a sequel...and maybe a Need for Speed or a random swing like Anthem every once in a while. Will they revisit the Titanfall franchise? There are stories that pop up occasionally about canceled games, like the one Jade Raymond was leading at EA Motive. But the release slate is bare.

But I do think the current drought is related to the pandemic. These massive games are difficult enough to make in normal situations, but with everyone spread out and working from home I have to think it is a barrier.

Another factor is that the industry has kind of changed the way games are announced. It used to be a big E3 drop 2 years out from release and then a regular cadence of updates. Now we're getting direct-to-consumer messaging where the game is available within days or months, so we know less about what's on the horizon.

[Danimal]

Most of the really innovative and unique games are being made my indie or small studios. The problem is most of those game don't make it to consoles, why that is would be speculation on my part. Or maybe they do and I just don't notice. However there have been a lot of really good games that would never be made by a studio like EA or Ubi.

Valheim
Solasta
Phasmophobia
Trials by Fire
Star Renegades

Those are just some of the games I've really enjoyed off the top of my head. In terms of Triple A titles, honestly the last ones I can recall being worth a damn were Witcher 3 and Division 2, other than that I can't think of anything.

[dbdynsty25]

Are we really ignoring the games that have come out in the last 5 that have taken over the world? PUBG, Fortnite, etc? New genre, huge hits. Nothing before them took off like they did, especially the latter.

A couple other new IP that sucked upon release but have taken off since with pretty huge communities these days: Sea of Thieves and No Mans Sky

[greggsand]

PUBG, in particular, was a real, uh, 'game changer' (pun semi-intended). I also think games like GTA and No Man's Sky have made real innovations in the way they evolved their games in the "community space" over many YEARS. For us old dudes, I could have never imagined playing the same game for 6 years, but GTA has found a way to do it (even if it's not really my 'cup o tea').

[Danimal]

Are we really ignoring the games that have come out in the last 5 that have taken over the world? PUBG, Fortnite, etc? New genre, huge hits. Nothing before them took off like they did, especially the latter.

Both games are shooters with collectable loot / emotes and companies can monetize the s*** out of. They are huge games for sure but I didn't get the impression that was the kind of game PK was talking about.

[pk500]

Are we really ignoring the games that have come out in the last 5 that have taken over the world? PUBG, Fortnite, etc? New genre, huge hits. Nothing before them took off like they did, especially the latter.

A couple other new IP that sucked upon release but have taken off since with pretty huge communities these days: Sea of Thieves and No Mans Sky

Good point about PUBG and the horde of battle royale imitators. Definitely a new, successful take on an old genre.

[AcemanPR]

I would have to say the pandemic and the lack of new consoles have been the major roles in the delay of videogame releases. I'm OK with delays if it means that we will get some quality produced and fun games in the future. Cyberpunk 2077, The Avengers, and Anthem are just a few games that have launched recently that shows that releasing them before they are ready will end up being catastrophic for them.

I know you don't have an Xbox Series X yet, but I have fallen in love with some of the older games due to the enhancements with the new console. The Division 2 being a dramatic change. This drought is giving me an opportunity to go back and play some older games that I never did complete.

I will agree that gaming has become more stale than it used to be. They have mirrored Hollywood where we are mired in sequels, remakes, and not doing much to change things up. Not saying there hasn't been some quality stuff, but there hasn't been this "must have new shiny game" in quite some time. For me, The Show 21 will be one of those as I have never played it before. Excited to play a season with my son and hopefully get involved in a league with it.

These new consoles are very meaty and beefy. I think 2021 will be another slow year, but I expect 2022 to be a big year for new IP's and gaming will get out of its rut. Also, the PS5 and Xbox Series X should be easily available.