Is open-world design making games worse?
a year ago
- #data-analysis
- #gaming
- #open-world
- The author hypothesizes that AAA games are getting worse due to an increase in open-world and franchise games, which may sacrifice quality for scale.
- Data analysis reveals that the number of AAA open-world games peaked in the late 2010s and has since declined, contradicting the initial hypothesis.
- Late-stage franchise games (those with four or more entries) have also decreased in the 2020s compared to previous decades.
- Median ratings for open-world and late-stage franchise AAA games are generally higher than for AAA games overall, though there's a slight dip in the 2020s for open-world titles.
- The author concludes that games aren't getting worse due to being more open-world or franchise-heavy, as these trends are actually declining, and humorously attributes their dissatisfaction to simply getting older.