Monday’s letters page reveals how triple-A video games cost to do, as a reader is convinced GTA 6 will end up being hated by fans.
Games inbox is a collection of letters, comments and opinions from our readers. To join the discussions, email yourself gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Changing plans
Seeing as how expensive the components are at the moment, I wonder how this will play out Switch 2 Literally? We all assumed that was a given Nintendoa few years after the original start, but now I’m not so sure. The Switch doesn’t have a hard drive, so that’s not a problem, but it does have a lot of RAM, so trying to cook with another recipe looks like it might not be possible at the moment.
It’s a shame for me as I was waiting for the Lite before I got the console as I never used the original in TV mode. And because it was cheaper. Now I’m thinking maybe I should buy the current model asap or it will go up in price.
At this point, even if the Switch 2 came out, it probably wouldn’t be cheaper than the original was at launch anyway, so I’d barely make anything. This generation has truly been a disaster on every level, even if not everyone’s fault.
St.
Immortal Formats
I find myself agreeing with most of what Reader feature said about Xbox and PlayStation is already dead. We can all see that Xbox is running into the ground, but I don’t see any sign of Sony that they have any real plans for the future.
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For either of these companies, if their plan revolves around people buying new devices, then they’re doomed because nobody has the money or the inclination. As other people have said, Nintendo they were really lucky they released Switch 2 when they did. Just a few more months and things would have gotten a lot worse for them.
Sony and Microsoft they’re not that lucky and since they don’t seem to have any ideas to do anything different, I don’t see them surviving as long as they are. Sony will be fine as just a publisher, but I bet it will take you a long time to admit to yourself that that’s all they’re good for.
It is the children who are wrong
Given the amount of time people have been waiting for it, and the state of Bethesda (and Microsoft) at the moment, I see no way that The Elder Scrolls 6 won’t turn out to be a massive disappointment. How it will be sold I can’t say, but I don’t have the feeling that the name The Elder Scrolls it’s almost as popular as Skyrim anyway.
Fallout is much more likely to do well if Obsidian is making it, but if The Elder Scrolls 6 is a disaster what causes real change at Bethesda, it will be for the better. Things should have changed massively after Starfield and I don’t get the feeling that it did at all. They just tried to convince themselves that it was good and people didn’t get it right.
FOCUSING
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Impossible prediction
I know the game has already made enough money to run a small country, but I think GTA 6 will go down as one of the most hated games in history and a massive moment in gaming.
Not only has it helped provide the justification to kill off physical media, obviously talks were going on behind the scenes with Sony/Microsoft and Rockstar, but now government digital ID checks are coming to be able to play it (does Rockstar get government grants?).
The fact that nothing has been shown of the game tells me it’s going to be pretty terrible and a mess when it releases. None of this matters because everyone has rushed to pre-order a digital game and the money is already made. Plus, once things come online (late 2027?), then it’ll just be another money printing machine.
The future of gaming is very bleak and I can’t see anything out there to turn it around at this point.
Simon
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Ignore the price
It’s a shame that 007 First Light will lose any game of the year awards this year to GTA 6, because I agree that it’s really great and a better action movie than most actual movies. People talk about the training montage, quite rightly so, but the game is full of clever and fun stuff, and that’s before you even know if it’s Bond or not.
Every game released this year will be steamrolled by GTA 6, so not only will all those games coming out in September eat into each other’s sales, but they won’t get the critical attention they deserve because of Rockstar’s monster.
Taylor Moon
Shmup gold
I know GC were fans, but I’d like to say that if you’re looking for a modern 2D shooter with sky-high production values and bold, engaging mechanics that shake up the genre, then I’d wholeheartedly recommend this great one Swan: All Guns Blazing.
Although it features a fairly comprehensive tutorial, the game doesn’t do a great job of explaining the game’s complicated systems, but once you’ve done a few runs and adjusted to the central power distribution management aspect of its design (think the X-Wing series and Star Wars Squadrons) has an engaging, challenging and visually rich experience.
Gameplay involves activating attack mode to upgrade your armaments and lay waste to a deluge of interstellar opposition with moving missiles, then quickly switch to defense mode to bolster your shield reserves and absorb hits; as in the same way the traffic beat mechanic in Burnout Revenge.
Furrowing your brows, dodging multiple laser beams and deadly pyrotechnics, swinging between defensive and offensive modes, and engaging air and ground forces in a double whammy all weave energy to prolong your survival as you face the barrage of arrivals. To describe the experience as exhilarating would be an understatement.
GG
Buyer’s remorse
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that all the gaming news was about Microsoft desperate to buy Activision Blizzard and paying $70+ billion for them. I wonder if they just wish they hadn’t bothered now or do you think they will benefit from the deal?
Same with ZeniMax for $7 billion – that doesn’t seem to have gone well either.
Mark Matthews
GC: We doubt there’s anyone at Microsoft who doesn’t regret buying Activision Blizzard, as it hastened Xbox’s descent into the mess you see now. Phil Spencer, in particular, must wish he’d never suggested it.
The cost of entertainment
Shockingly, when I asked the internet how much it costs to make a triple-A PlayStation 5 game, the answer came back between $200 and $300 million. And the production and advertising costs of Grand Theft Auto 6 are expected to be more than that.
I guess I shouldn’t find these astronomical numbers surprising since I watched the last title roll for ages after the end of 007 First Light a while back. But $200 to $300 million? Is a single game really worth that level of investment? And isn’t most game production done using software engines and tools these days, so developers no longer have to code a title from scratch.
In the film industry, throwing bags of money into the production of a film is no guarantee of artistic quality or commercial success. Think how many ultra-low budget films perform better than mainstream films. If this is a fact, it stands to reason that low budget games can perform better creatively and financially than triple releases of $200 to $300 million.
I can’t help but think that the core basics of a game, especially whether it’s fun to play or not, just don’t cost that much to make. In the eighties there were some classic games that were made by single programmers who often did coding marvels on no budget.
Michael Viçi
GC: Publishers don’t want to make modest profits on a low-budget production; they want to make money from GTA and Fortnite. Keep this in mind and their actions are easy to understand, even if they are nonsensical.
Inbox-ka too
I wish Capcom would bring back Final Fight, I always like it better than Streets Of Rage. It doesn’t have to be super big budget, just something a little more modern.
ransom
Did I blink and miss it or wasn’t Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave at the summer Nintendo Direct? I don’t remember seeing it at all.
Pascal3
GC: It was in there, briefly. It received a September 17th release date.
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