In this article, I will talk about the turmoil currently taking place in the gaming world and how this turbulent situation negatively affects players.
Perhaps strange things have been happening in the gaming world for the past year or two. Mass layoffs, monopolistic behavior by major game companies, pressure on programmers and designers working at game studios, and so on... An endless list of events like these.
And yet, the gaming industry is currently the most profitable and highest-spending entertainment sector. The film industry ranks second after games. So why is decay taking place in the sector that receives the most investment and ultimately generates the most revenue?
To find the answer to this question, read the article patiently to the end. Get yourself a cup of hot coffee and read the article by simply scrolling with the finger on your right hand.
Chapter One. Renaissance.
Renaissance is a term referring to a period when science, art, and thought flourished.
Gaming culture perhaps begins forming in childhood. That was certainly the case for me. The year was 2006... I played a game on my own computer for the first time while I was in fifth grade. My father had bought that computer for my birthday. If I remember correctly, the computer was a “DELL.” Its monitor probably weighed more than five kilograms. I would sit at my desk, staring at a screen slightly larger than me. I cannot describe how happy I was that day. I had no experience with computers at the time.
I did not even know how to turn on the computer or launch games. Every day, I would impatiently return from school, eat my meal, and sometimes sit down at the computer without even doing my homework. I would ask my father to turn on the computer and launch that game... “Need for speed,” and sometimes “Desert Storm.” These two games introduced me to the concept of “gaming culture.” Perhaps that was my “renaissance.”
After a while, I had learned to play games without asking for help, and even to install them from discs onto the computer. As time passed, games came to occupy 30 to 40 percent of my life. Back then, newly released games were stable and came out without bugs. Not everyone had internet at home, and even those who did did not have an ADSL modem. I myself accessed the internet through dial-up, using a card similar to a prepaid phone card.
No more, no less... 54 to 56 kilobytes. That may sound funny, right? But back then, accessing the internet at that speed felt like finding the key to the gates of heaven.
The year was 2008. That year, I had to upgrade my computer. Two games from a company whose name I did not even know were scheduled for release in 2009 and 2010. Those two games were “Assasin’s Creed 2” and “Splinter Cell: Conviction.” I had to be ready before those games came out. And I was, more or less. Once again, my father had prepared a new surprise for me on my birthday. However, I already knew about the surprise because he had given me a small spoiler beforehand. My birthday arrived, I assembled my new computer, and waited for those two games to be released.
The time had come. I was ready to play both games. I installed and played them on my computer a year apart. I could not believe my eyes. Their graphics, stories, and music captivated me completely. I had fallen in love with both games. Around that time, I had also discovered “Ubisoft.” After “Rockstar Games,” “Ubisoft” became my second-favorite company. “EA Games” was third.
This article will be about the current turbulent and chaotic state of these three companies I have mentioned.
Chapter Two. Babylon.
Babylon is a gigantic ziggurat said to have been erected in the city of Babylon, in Mesopotamia, at the beginning of the second millennium BCE, with the aim of reaching God. It is said to have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Although Alexander the Great reportedly wanted to rebuild it for the last time, the project remained unfinished.
“Ubisoft” and “EA Games” had advanced so far in the gaming industry that they already saw themselves as gods. Every game they developed sold millions of copies. At “Ubisoft,” things had reached the point where the company released a game from the same series every year. With the same gameplay mechanics, the same graphics, and the same meaningless missions, they kept players occupied. For several years, players made no sound. Everyone bought, everyone played, and when they liked it, they were happy, while when they disliked it, they cursed and raged... Yet despite this, games from the same company continued to sell millions of copies.
There was one common point connecting these two companies. Instead of suddenly developing games with strong stories, they began making games known as “live-service” games. Live-service games were released once, and their lives were extended for several years through “season packs,” which were considered new additions. New skins, new game maps, and new weapons. In short, empty garbage. Neither company could make it work, of course. The more they invested in those games, the more they lost. Players had already awakened from their deep sleep. No one’s eyes were closed anymore. Everyone had stopped playing live-service games that were copies of one another, released year after year. Every new game represented a loss of value for them.
At the end of last year, or rather in January of this year, the Chinese company “Tencent” acquired most of “Ubisoft.” Along with this, “EA Games” was also sold to the Arabs. One is now in Chinese hands, while the other is in Arab hands. A few days ago, “Ubisoft” announced that it had canceled seven games, meaning they had been postponed indefinitely. This was very bad for them. On the day this news was announced, “Ubisoft’s” share value fell to its lowest levels. The following day, they announced that the “Watch Dogs” game series had been abandoned permanently. I think these are already the company’s final struggles.
“EA Games’” latest release, “Battlefield 6,” failed to meet expectations. “EA” had played its strongest card, after all. But it did not help. True, we do not know what the next step or decision of either company will be, but it is clear that neither company managed to preserve its former respect, not only among players but even among investors... and the “Babylon” towers they built in the gaming industry were razed to the ground by players and investors. Looking back, we can see that the games these two companies released in the past might have been considered masterpieces. They were very good games for their time.
Chapter Three. Chaos.
Chaos is the unformed, disordered, and confused primordial state of the universe before its creation. Figuratively, it also refers to disorder and lawlessness in society.
I do not know how actively you follow gaming news. But surely something has crossed your path. A few years ago, an incident of sexual exploitation involving several female employees took place at “Ubisoft.” After some time, the matter was quietly closed. Perhaps the company’s status as a “family” company helped them quickly shut down this uncomfortable discussion. Around those days, turmoil began to emerge within the company. Over time, several high-ranking and skilled game directors, writers, designers, and programmers were dismissed. Perhaps they were fired because they knew the truth, or perhaps internal restructuring had begun.
The release of games that were copies of one another accelerated even further. We had begun seeing a new “Assasin’s Creed” every year. The company had directed all its power toward it. But the latest release, “Assasin’s Creed: Shadows,” failed to deliver the success they wanted. The game did not meet expectations in terms of sales.
Can you imagine? Guillaume Broche, who left the company and founded his own studio, had the game he developed win the GOTY award in December last year. The main reason he left the company was that he was not allowed to use his creativity there. In other words, the company had conditioned its employees to create formulaic games like robots. Anyone who wanted to use their creativity had to leave the colony. And I think Guillaume Broche made the right choice. His game, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” won the award for best game last year. In addition, it became the second-most-awarded game ever. The first was “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.”
After talking a little about “Ubisoft,” I think it is now time for... “Rockstar Games,” whose games are loved and played by people of every age group.
A few months ago, “Rockstar Games,” already overwhelmed by major scandals, caused suspicion in many people, and fear and hatred in some, after “GTA 6” was postponed. I wonder why the game was postponed for a second time?
The answer to this question gradually began to emerge. Several employees working at “Rockstar Games” had opened a “Discord” channel among themselves, where they shared their objections regarding management and their demands for salary increases. When the company found out, it dismissed those employees. The reason was that simple.
Although the company did not state it officially, it implied that they had been leaking information about “GTA 6” through that “Discord” channel. It is somewhat difficult to determine who was right directly. However, it became clear that this company, beloved by everyone... was not actually so beloved. Although the dismissed employees protested in front of the company, the company offered no response.
The End.
This may sound like a cliché, but life really is strange. Many of us spend some part of our lives playing games and watching films, dedicating that time to those games and films. Some people are unhappy with this situation, while others support it.
As Andrew Ryan from the game “Bioshock” said: “We all make a choice... and ultimately, it is these choices that make us who we are.”
For me, video games became a strange way of overcoming difficulties. To succeed, you have to see “Game Over” countless times... Because you absolutely have to see that happy ending.
