November 16th 2024.
As a reader, I was taken aback when I realized that there are only a few triple-A games being released in November, traditionally known as the busiest month for gaming. While there are many issues with the video game industry, one complaint that I find confusing is that there are too many games being released. I personally do not agree with this sentiment. In terms of big-name triple-A games, there are actually very few being released, especially if we discount the low-quality indie games on Steam.
November is usually a big month for new game releases, especially with the holiday season approaching. However, this year, the biggest multiformat launch is... well, there isn't one. If I had to choose, I would say it's either Farming Simulator 25 or Planet Coaster 2. This is a concerning situation, to say the least.
There are a few format exclusives, but they are not exactly top-tier games. We have Nintendo's least anticipated exclusive, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the poorly reviewed Lego Horizon Adventures, the not-really-a-game Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and the probably good but not very mainstream S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl.
What's even worse is that, apart from Assassin's Creed Shadows, which was supposed to be released in November but got delayed, this lack of major game releases is not due to delays. This is simply all that's being offered. [Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was also delayed - GC]. And the outlook for December is not much better, with only one major game release, Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, which is an Xbox console exclusive that is not likely to sell well.
This is a sad state of affairs and, in my opinion, further proof that the people running the games industry are incompetent. While some may argue that this is a result of the pandemic, I believe it's also because games take longer to develop nowadays. What they thought would take four or five years to complete, now takes six or seven.
Publishers often complain about the lack of growth in the console market, but they fail to see the connection between the decline in triple-A game releases and the decline in console sales and overall interest in gaming over the past two years. PlayStation 5 console sales have not met expectations? Maybe it's because there haven't been any major game releases for the past 12 months? Xbox sales have been lackluster for the past two generations, and they had to spend a ridiculous amount of money acquiring Activision Blizzard to try and compete. I think it's pretty clear why that is.
But, despite all this, the Nintendo Switch is still selling well, and Nintendo has been consistently releasing well-received games, with three new ones this autumn. Maybe there's a correlation there?
Imagine if the movie industry shut down for two months in the middle of summer, and instead of the latest Marvel movie or Tom Cruise blockbuster, all we got were a bunch of indie films no one has ever heard of and a vague promise of something better next year? That's the position the games industry is in right now, and it's pathetic.
The people in charge of these companies need to realize that they are in the business of making video games, and they are failing. It's not the fault of the hardworking developers creating the games, but rather the incompetent executives who think the solution to every problem is to lay off more employees.
Here's a thought: perhaps those 500 people they laid off could have been working on a new game that could have been released during the holiday season and actually made a profit? It may sound crazy, but maybe it's worth a try.
And on a final note, how is it possible that Planet Coaster 2 is considered one of the biggest games of the month? It just doesn't make sense.
As a disclaimer, the views expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of GameCentral or Metro. But I welcome your thoughts and opinions on this topic. Let's start a conversation.
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