Horizon Zero Dawn PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Big-budget blockbuster games are a massive risk these days. With development budgets soaring and expectations rising ever higher, it’s amazing that games like God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn see the light of day at all. And as part of an interview with MCV, Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that there is a degree of trepidation each time a new project is started.

“In the AAA space, the scale and the tech of game development has grown so much that I feel like we are making a huge bet every time we start a new project,” he said. “The end results are, when successfully executed, an amazing fusion of art and tech, providing hours and hours of highly engaging interactive entertainment in a big, often open, world to explore with lifelike characters and imaginative creatures.”

He continued: “Because of the size of the investment, each title feels too big to fail. It creates an enormous pressure to manage these AAA projects. These games are the drivers of the industry to become more and more mainstream entertainment. We need to keep pushing the art of making AAA games.”

Because of the sheer risk involved, Yoshida noted that the number of AAA titles has decreased in recent years, but he feels that indie developers are picking up the slack. “I’m a huge fan of indie games as I always enjoy fresh game experiences and artistic expressions,” he beamed. “Indie titles drive innovation and experimentation in the industry and it’s important for the gaming landscape that we continue to support this flourishing market.”

[source mcvuk.com]