10 Ways Gaming Is Better (And Worse) Than Ever

9. Worse - Larger Companies Focus More Than Ever On Existing Franchises

I'll get onto the whopping cost of producing the 100 hour-long behemoths we call video games in time, but as an opening salvo, it's imminently clear that the largest developers are primarily interested in the biggest returns.

You see this in everything from Rockstar only making GTA expansions to the majority of Ubisoft's titles being sequels or soft reboots. EA's treatment of the Mass Effect IP was to forgo the star-chasing spark that made the original trilogy so loveable, in favour of boilerplate crafting mechanics and milquetoast humour - so much was made clear by ex-Bioware employee Manveer Heir.

Like Hollywood, gaming's top brass are trying to find a way to crowbar any new pitch into an existing mould. It's why Metal Gear Survive is a lifeless husk of rote zombie horde mechanics, Agents of Mayhem still retains a connection to the Saints Row universe, and why even Assassin's Creed Origins felt the need to retain its franchise name, despite barely tying into the canon until the last 20 minutes.

It's understandable for companies not wanting to take risks, but calculated ones... are kind of what the entire industry is built upon.