Rivendaioh

An easy one, and I can't believe no one has asked yet: which game(s) are you playing right now? :)

Tools like Unity have had a big impact on the indie game community, which is getting stronger every day. Nowadays, it's easier to make games for people who don't have a lot of experience, budget, of publisher support.

Meanwhile, the AAA industry is suffering the cost of its growing complexity; I'm not saying that it's dying, far from it, but it's certainly been stumbling, with underwhelming releases (I'll take FFXV as an exemple, which took more than 10 years to be released, for a result that some would consider uneven or even disappointing) or big names in the industry deciding that it's not worth the hassle anymore and choosing to try their luck elsewhere (Hello, Konami). Some series that were once a cornerstones of the industry are also starting to experience disappointing sale numbers and player attention (CoD, Assassin's Creed, to name a few).

What are your thoughts about this new balance of power? Do you believe the trend will continue, that it could bring a lasting change to the industry as we know it, or do you think that the video game industry will be more or less the same in a few years?

(Sorry if the question is too broad; I chose to ask it because it's hard to think about indie games without immediately thinking about Unity)

All of this is indeed true. But I still believe that FFXV's story is quite telling of the level of complexity an AAA game development can reach, both in term of scope, team management and scheduling. After all, we're talking about an industry of which, only a few years back, the leading producers were small teams of people working in tiny office (garages, even). It was only a couple decades ago, and look how big it's become. So big that a project can span on a decade and involve hundreds of people. Anyone who worked on a game project, no matter how small, can surely imagine how humongous a task it is to create an AAA game nowadays. FFXV might be an extreme case, but it's still a valid illustration of what I'm talking about. :)

Sorry if I used the word "few" incorrectly. English is not my native language; what I meant to say, in a vague sense, is that the video game industry is one which has grown very, very fast.

As for the rest, I sense that you're disagreeing with me, but I don't get why. From your words, it would seem that we share the same point of view. Sorry if I'm misinterpreting what you're saying; there might be nuances that escape me.

All I'm saying is this: big budget game development has reached a point where it has become supremely complex, so much that it might get to a point where it's not possible anymore for studios to follow the motion. A 60$ game nowadays usually requiers a lot more time and money to make than a 60$ game 10 years ago. You have worked as a game developer, so you of all people should know that you don't just need to double the time and money to make a game twice as big. It's a different kind of logistic and creative process altogether. :)