Video Games Are Dead

Chi Kong Lui · 08-18-2009, 06:24 PM

Freefalling sales. Skyrocketing unemployment. Studios tanking left and right. Tune in for the first of a special two-part series as we ask: Is it game over for thousands of developers and publisher.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Mike Doolittle · 08-18-2009, 10:01 PM

Of course videogames aren't dead. It's still a huge industry, and lots of games are still selling very well. Big-budget crap is endangered, and ambitious new IPs may be a bit more scarce.

We are seeing a rise in really quality indie games and inexpensive downloadable games like Trine, Shadow Complex, the Bionic Commando remake, and Battlefield 1943.

A lot of failed developers are simply restructuring, as GRIN recently did. There are two possible responses to the hard times: one is that developers will try to make "safe" games, and the other is that developers will grow a pair and realize they need to be ambitious for long-term growth.

Chi Kong Lui · 08-19-2009, 11:54 AM

Yeah, a more appropriate title would have been "Video Games are evolving" (which is what the end conceeds), but the whole "dead" thing grabs attention I'm sure. I still thought the reports were pretty decent at capturing the climate of the industry as you described.

Chi

Jet Black · 08-25-2009, 08:20 PM

Doolittle is right on this one, in my opinion.
"Big Games" are the ones hurting, much like the bloated auto or airline industries. Simply put their old models need restructuring, and if that means phasing out certain companies, then so be it.

But the platform for gaming, no matter the developer / company, is still very much rock solid.

Complex Games · 09-27-2009, 05:13 PM

Great articles, but a manipulative title.

In many ways it the best time to be a developer with so many new markets and ways of distribution being available. But the challenge is the amount of competition and noise.

RoryC · 10-09-2009, 10:18 AM

Totally wrong title but interesting videos nonetheless. thanks for sharing.

chezka · 10-10-2009, 08:27 AM

Free to play games will be booming i guess.

LordFarid · 10-13-2009, 12:43 AM

Well at the moment you can replace "videogames" with any other product, company or sector. A friend of mine is an architect who recently lost his job. He told me there are at this moment thousands of architects in the netherlands who are doing nothing all day but surfing the web for the simple reason that there is no work for them. Most of them will still get fired at some point, others might be lucky that their bosses don't want to fire them for fear of needing them when the building market suddenly recovers.

I guess the videogame market has found out its not immune to the recession.

chezka · 10-17-2009, 10:59 AM

You have a point there.
Or they can make their games cheaper hehe.

GuitarCrazyo · 11-02-2009, 10:12 PM

Do you like some video games music? my favourite are Castlevania series music like : Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, Wicked Child, Beginning..etc And you?

FalloutMazza · 11-05-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chi Kong Lui

Freefalling sales. Skyrocketing unemployment. Studios tanking left and right. Tune in for the first of a special two-part series as we ask: Is it game over for thousands of developers and publisher.

Your first two points are inline with the kind of things that usually occur during a global recession. The tomato scauce industry isn't dead because a Heinz factory gets closed down. Sales are not freefallling, do you know how many people pre-ordered Modern Warfare 2? So Imagine how many people will buy it post release.

I want to know where you get these "facts" from.Games are progressing from a form of media for nerds, to an art style, and progressing in every aspect. Sales are rising, if anything. Halo 3 sood 8.1 million copies, the Wii sports sold 50million +, Nintendogs sold 22 million, and The Sims sold 16million copies.