Or are there just too damn many games, and gaming platforms out nowadays? I'm not talking about the big three platforms so much, because last gen turned out just fine, but with the extreme amount of games coming out nowadays for not only the main consoles, but all the handhelds (aside from the DS, and PSP, I'm talking I-phone, I-touch, and a ton of other none gaming specific devices like cell phones), and then you can factor in the downloadable service for each console as a platform to itself for the most part. There are literally thousands of games released each year. It makes keeping full track of all the good to great games of this generation nearly impossible, and if you do manage to keep up, that means that any game that's over a week old is ancient in your world. To be honest, I sometimes wonder if the industry isn't going to crush itself due to it's sheer size.
Yes, having more platforms means more possible chances for your game to sell, but unless you've got millions for advertising to hype your game up, it's just not going to get noticed. It's a wonder why many of the smaller to medium sized 3rd party developers have either died out (RIP Midway, and Free Radical), or have switched to the so called casual games out there, because they take a lot less money to make so even a small number of sales can turn a profit.
It's that same hype machine that makes some games multi-million sellers, and buries other just-as-worthy games. Between the huge number of games on the market each year, and the giant hype machine, I foresee a future where most 3rd party developers either go out of business, or just get eaten by the big guys like EA and Activision. The market is completely bloated right now, and I don't see that changing.
I get the feeling that the future is Call of Madden, and pet games with a "Z" in their title.
Yes, having more platforms means more possible chances for your game to sell, but unless you've got millions for advertising to hype your game up, it's just not going to get noticed. It's a wonder why many of the smaller to medium sized 3rd party developers have either died out (RIP Midway, and Free Radical), or have switched to the so called casual games out there, because they take a lot less money to make so even a small number of sales can turn a profit.
It's that same hype machine that makes some games multi-million sellers, and buries other just-as-worthy games. Between the huge number of games on the market each year, and the giant hype machine, I foresee a future where most 3rd party developers either go out of business, or just get eaten by the big guys like EA and Activision. The market is completely bloated right now, and I don't see that changing.
I get the feeling that the future is Call of Madden, and pet games with a "Z" in their title.
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