The soul has left the gaming world, and artistry has been replaced by an obsession with making as much money as possible. This is according to a former BioWare producer. Mike Darrah, who previously led the development of Dragon Age and Anthem, among others, believes that the industry has become scandalously risk-averse and now focuses almost exclusively on maximising revenue. All while the creative aspect has been completely side-lined.
Darrah describes how skyrocketing development costs mean that large studios prefer to follow tried-and-tested templates rather than try something new. The result is games that look fantastic from a technical standpoint, but feel hollow and empty. We're talking big, flashy productions with identical open worlds, gameplay, and stories.
"In an effort to remove risk, in an effort to address as large of an audience as possible, all of the spirit, all of the art has been sanded away from the resulting product"
Darrah claims that this homogenisation may actually make players more inclined to accept generative AI in game development, precisely because they already perceive it as soulless. A dystopian vision of the future? Yes, perhaps, but perhaps it is also what may happen if blockbuster games continue in the same direction as they are now. Without any change occurring.
Darrah concludes by saying that the industry can certainly reverse the trend, but only if developers dare to let go of the railing and actually invest resources in innovation.
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