Q&A: March 1st, 2023

Popey Asks
Given the shift for video games to no longer be Console/PC exclusive, how do you think this will impact the market and gaming experience? What are your personal thoughts on the matter beyond the fact it’s nice to have access to more games/you can play online with friends on other consoles?

I've been waiting for this to come since the late 2000s.

These companies don't make their big profits off of hardware, the late 20th century is when everybody figured out that Intellectual Property is where infinite profit can be found.

So the only reason Sony or Microsoft would want to keep building bricks, is to have complete control of their industry; thing is, it's not a fair fight.

Sony is 110 Billion.

Microsoft is 1.9 Trillion...

So Microsoft's doing what it's got the power to do, and buy everything up, whereas Sony's holding onto the one thing that's done very well from them in the last ten years, gaming... even though there's no real logical reason on a technical front for that to be the case anymore.

Personally, I'm ready to move on, these boxes have been bullshit since the 7th-gen, and more bullshit with each following generation; if we've got people being able to play on Xbox with their friend on an Apple Tablet, what's the point of a locked console anymore?

I very much detest Sony trying to hold the entire industry back as much as possible, though it does make sense from their side, being it's one of the only real things they have, and they're not nearly to the scale of Microsoft, working towards a world where they're trading blows with Amazon, and Google.

Everybody's moving to Subscriptions right now for a reason, because they'll be around in ten years, where as an exclusive console?

They might just become phones... and in many ways, they kinda already are.

Nikita Asks
What are your thoughts about Grid Legends? Do you think Grid has a future under the EA?

Honestly?

No.

I think GRID's time in the spotlight was very, very brief, and while it did have an amazing sequel, it got slagged off at the time and hasn't really made a big comeback since, the 2019 reboot was rather unnecessary.

They dropped DIRT in favor of the WRC license to give to Codies, that's not on paper a bad thing, however, there's not really an equivalent to that for GRID. Not really a division or style of racing that has a large audience which can be convienetly held under one banner, especially not with the BTCC and WEC being absorbed by Motorsport Games, the bastards.

I just don't see EA putting a """"""""sports"""""""" game under an unlicensed IP.

Snuron Asks
Team Fortress 2 or L4D2?

Easiest question of my life.

Team Fortress 2.

I'm not a big Left 4 Dead fan... sorry.

andylad Asks
Thoughts on the Metal Gear Solid series? Is there potential for a “Years Later” video in there somewhere?

SuperBunnyhop and MatthewMatosis' videos are some of the biggest inspirations behind my work, so it's very unlikely... especially with how well those videos still hold up.

Joshua Lovejoy Asks
Did the 2020 shortage of PC hardware and consoles hurt gaming as an industry long term?

Yes and no?

Yes, in that a potential splurge of users were left behind... no, in that it's entirely possible those people wouldn't have really gotten into much in the first place.

That is what kinda happened with niche's like Sim Racing.

People got into it during COVID, and then moved on once everything was back to """"""normal"""""".

This is just coming out of my ass, I don't have a large scale view on this via statistics or anything of actual analysis, but what seems to be the biggest effect in my personal experience talking to people... is that it delayed their PC build a year or two.

All the Pre-Built companies who became the only option, I'm sure, LOVED it.

Canaan Meyers Asks
I was curious if you felt like there is a “primary creative force” through an individual within game studios, or if the studio as a whole ultimately decides the artistic quality of the product.

I kinda view these as two separate things.

A game can have a strong primary creative force, and the studio is still ultimately deciding the artistic quality of the product.

Perhaps you mean artistic quality as in-direction, in that case, it depends on the studio. Something like Kojima Productions? Less so... however, that being said, even in super Autuer-led games, there is much less influence of that lone person compared to film, just out of the nature in how they're made.

Whereas a film director has the ability to lead on several departments by themselves... it's very unlikely for a game director to also build levels, rig models, light environments, setup AI, etc.

There's so much that goes into building games that even the most obnoxious director in the world is not going to be able to unleash their wrath was much as other art just based on the inherent collaboration games require.

Unless your that Stardew Valley developer, then everything you say truly does go...

Including your sleep.

Callum Chapman Asks
Why is Capcom so afraid of releasing AA games like they use to (Dino Crisis/Onimusha/Shadow of Rome/Haunting Grounds) and mainly to Dino Crisis, will the upcoming dinosaur based games (Exoprimal/ Compound Fracture) make it possible for a remake now RE remakes look like they are done?

AAA publishers did this to themselves, where by having every project of there's be "major" it means that everything must be the next big thing, and that the space for smaller projects that can find their audience, make a buck, and explore an idea, are gone.

Though I'm sure many people would be very happy with a Dino Crisis game in the vein of even something like the recent Signalis, Capcom isn't going to go for it because it wouldn't have potential to take over the world in their eyes.

I heard from a developer pitching to EA that their game "wasn't expensive enough for them to fund."

That's the kind of thinking we sadly have to deal with...

Submit your questions in the comments below, for future Patreon Q&A's.