One word: Indie.
I agree with you that AAA games absolutely have stagnated and regressed. But smaller productions are far more frequent today and very creative and innovative. Arguably even more so than back in the day, if you really cherry pick.
Personally, the main thing I feel is really missing from that time is mid-budget, AA games.
UFO 50, A Hat in Time, Celeste, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Outer Wilds, Balatro, A Short Hike, Smushi Come Home, What Remains of Edith Finch, Undertale, Deltarune, Hylics, Hylics 2, Peglin, Void Collector, Nubby’s Number Factory, Superliminal, Pizza Tower, Anton Blast, Rift of the Necrodancer, Night in the Woods, Uktrakill, Fallen Aces, Dusk, Scratchin’ Melodii
I think this is the big issue of the next few years. Large AAA studios have budgets so high that they are completely risk adverse. The low end of the indie scene is flooded with vibe coded Unity junk. And the gooey middle goodness with the awesome stuff is being squeezed by those two.
I suspect we will correct back to some form of sanity but it is a few years away and the interim period will be rough.
One word: Indie. I agree with you that AAA games absolutely have stagnated and regressed. But smaller productions are far more frequent today and very creative and innovative. Arguably even more so than back in the day, if you really cherry pick. Personally, the main thing I feel is really missing from that time is mid-budget, AA games.
What are some good indies from the past few years? Most of my most placed indie games are over a decade old by now.
UFO 50, A Hat in Time, Celeste, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Outer Wilds, Balatro, A Short Hike, Smushi Come Home, What Remains of Edith Finch, Undertale, Deltarune, Hylics, Hylics 2, Peglin, Void Collector, Nubby’s Number Factory, Superliminal, Pizza Tower, Anton Blast, Rift of the Necrodancer, Night in the Woods, Uktrakill, Fallen Aces, Dusk, Scratchin’ Melodii
Lethal Company
I think this is the big issue of the next few years. Large AAA studios have budgets so high that they are completely risk adverse. The low end of the indie scene is flooded with vibe coded Unity junk. And the gooey middle goodness with the awesome stuff is being squeezed by those two.
I suspect we will correct back to some form of sanity but it is a few years away and the interim period will be rough.