Assassin's Creed actor and Metroidvania director Abubakar Salim says that “too much money is being spent on games that people don't want” by figures “who are out of touch with the environment” and who are chasing the service's next hit. live.
Speaking to Dexerto, Salim, who stars in the second season of House of the Dragon, played Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins and last year released the standalone Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau, suggested that the process of creating his own game “made me feel a much deeper appreciation for the developers and the work that goes into it.”
However, he also suggested that that process had opened his eyes to the fact that “games are still largely treated as a business and not necessarily an art form.” That approach, he says, is why “a lot of these big publishers and game companies are turning to games as a service model. They want to try to recreate the next Fortnite because it will make them more money. Games shouldn't be a game.” “It shouldn't be about money, it should be about expression.”
Following those comments on Twitter, Salim said that “too much money is being spent on games that people don't want.” The search for the next Fortnite, he says, means that “there are drivers in the industry who are out of touch with the medium and want to make the next big thing.” [game as a service]”.
Salim's comments certainly ring true around several high-profile live service failures in recent years. The largest of these was PlayStation's Concord, which was shut down after just 14 days despite reports that the project's budget ran into nine figures. On the other hand, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Redfall were examples of traditionally single-player studios' live service pivots that were critical and commercial failures.
Keep an eye on the horizon with our list of new games 2024.