When it comes to the video games, consumers react to them similar towards blockbuster films, essentially consumers gravitate to what they know. That’s at least what it seems Cliff Bleszinski, the current owner of Boss Key Founder and Gears of War creator, sees it. Thanks to a report made by Games Industry, we got a slight insight as to one of the subjects that were brought up during Cliff Bleszinski’s panel at Reboot Develop.
There’s a ton of money that goes into these big budget video game titles, at times, they even rival some of the blockbuster films you might catch on the silver screen. With upwards of millions going into the production of AAA video game titles such as Call of Duty and Uncharted, it really doesn’t come to much surprise why some developers are fearful of taking a step out of the ordinary.
Bleszinksi compares AAA video game titles to restaurant chains. No matter where you go, there’s a chain of restaurants that are established everywhere. Again, this is similar to the countless video game franchises that spin out a new installment yearly.
“AAA is starting to feel like the American restaurant scene. They’re not bad, they’re not great, they’re just there.”
Although, regardless of the amount of money that goes into these productions, another significant part that goes into the fear of developing a new unique IP is consumers. The Gears of War creator spoke of how $60 is a lot of money to ask consumers to pay for a video game title especially if they are liable to hold out for a video game title they are more familiar with.
Because of the fear of paying $60 for a gamble on an entertaining title, some high production titles may actually cause the development team to take a major hit. For instance, the video game Singularity from Raven Software was a big budget title that received incredible reviews, though it failed to really find sales in the market.
At this rate, there is a new adventure game developers are hoping to chart a stable pathway for future productions. Bleszinski describes it as AA which would allow game developers to deliver a video game title that looks and plays great but doesn’t fetch the budget an AAA video game title would require.
Perhaps with this pathway, gamers would take more risks on new IPs as they could potential release into the market below the $60 pricetag. Though, we want to know if you agree with the famed developer’s views. Let us know by leaving a comment down below.
