Dyack: Industry making more games than consumers can handle

by Justin McElroy { Jul 17th 2009 at 2:15AM }

When we first heard about Denis Dyack's vision of a single-console future, we were ready to dismiss the idea as, if you'll excuse our language, cockamamie. Now, in a world with cloud computing systems like OnLive and Gaikai in the works, it doesn't seem that nutty.

He's still banging the drum and elaborating on his point, saying that the single console would help reduce a glut of games overwhelming the consumer. "There were 300 or so games released last November. We're in a state of performance over supply. We're making more games than consumers can possibly consume," Dyack told Videogamer.com. "Marketing is having a disproportionate effect over the success of games because there's so many out there people are ignoring us."

Hey, you're a consumer, right? Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Tags: cloud-computing, denis-dyack, gaikai, onlive, single-console-future

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Vcize @ Jul 17th 2009 2:20AM

I for one can't keep up with all the games I want to play nowadays, there are just so many that look great, and I feel like I'm missing up by not playing some of them.

That said, keep 'em coming. Too many good games isn't really a problem so much as it is awesome.

Reinard @ Jul 17th 2009 2:25AM

Too many good games IS a problem if no one can afford to buy them all :P

pearl @ Jul 17th 2009 7:42AM

dude it's so true.

I wanted Red faction and Prototype and had to choose. If I had a ps3 the choice would have been harder again.

This sort of overkill I'm sure is a major contributor to piracy. People just cant (or in my case wont) spend so much money on games. I will choose a title and maybe pick up the others I missed

ryan @ Jul 17th 2009 8:31AM

Too many games isn't a problem, play the few you want now, and buy the rest at a lower price later on. It's simple and cheap.

umm....hello??? @ Jul 17th 2009 9:19AM

*looks at backlog of videogames he hasn't played*

yep, overwhelmed!

R (XBL: Esoteric Lord) @ Jul 17th 2009 9:27AM

I keep a stack of the games that im playing on my Xbox, and that stack has certainly gotten way too big. Been pondering canceling my gamefly lately too, since I own like 4 games that I havent beaten but want to.

Sad thing is that its all I can do to keep myself from going and buying more games.

The Baron @ Jul 17th 2009 9:41AM

I just buy any games I couldn't afford at the time about a year later, when they're down to £5-10.

Courtney @ Jul 17th 2009 11:26AM

This is the same problem that any mature medium has though. There are too many good movies, good tv shows, good musicians and good books for me to possibly keep up with. I would say this is just another sign that gaming is growing into out of its adolescence as a medium.

Geist @ Jul 17th 2009 11:45AM

Yeah but movies take 2 hours to watch. You can watch a few in a day, but when games take 10+ hours to complete, do you have time to play through multiple ones in a day? If you have a job, you do not.

Professor Lario @ Jul 17th 2009 11:56AM

I just maintain a list of the games I want. Once a title reaches $30 or less I get it. There can't be too many good games.

gamersadvocate @ Jul 17th 2009 12:42PM

The only problem with that is when the game goes on sale, there is a sequel that has already been released, and your playing multi-player with two guys while there are thousands of others playing the new game.

ryan @ Jul 17th 2009 2:38PM

If it's multiplayer I get them alongside the friends I plan on playing with, regardless if it's day one or 2 years from day one.

The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 2:21AM

is that why no one bought too human? OHHHHH SNAP!

Lestat @ Jul 17th 2009 2:22AM

Nah, too human just sucks

Saihna @ Jul 17th 2009 2:34AM

I bought too human, and then wish i hadn't.

BananaBoat @ Jul 17th 2009 2:49AM

Ohhhhh no you didint!

Mind-of-Madness @ Jul 17th 2009 2:46PM

I bought it, and now I can't even give it away.

Lestat @ Jul 17th 2009 2:22AM

I AM FEELING OVERWHELMED!!!

I ALWAYS have to choose between like 5 good gamess during this season >=(

Reinard @ Jul 17th 2009 2:24AM

Honestly? Yeah, a bit. There are games that came out months ago that I still haven't gotten to play. I only JUST recently got Fallout 3. That was released in... October?

I am thankful there are so many quality games, though. Just... slow down a bit ;_;

Lestat @ Jul 17th 2009 2:26AM

tell me about it, i just got Bioshock o.O

spirit1969 @ Jul 17th 2009 9:29AM

I've gotten just about all the big games when they were released and have only played some a few hours each. Especially the big games that come out so close together or at the same time. Some of us may want to buy them but not going to buy them so close together then end up waiting for when they get heavily discounted. Then the game companies start pissing and moaning when the used sales are overshadowing the new sales.

Nate @ Jul 17th 2009 2:24AM

Less is more sometimes.

gordo @ Jul 17th 2009 8:49AM

I know, I recently reverted back to my Super Nintendo just to get some perspective and get away from it all.

Lestat @ Jul 21st 2009 4:50PM

but now that I think of it, its better that all games come out at once, that way I buy one, and by the time Im done with it the price of other games has lowered.

Minter @ Jul 17th 2009 2:26AM

Owning more than one system and a PC is probably the worst situation possible nowadays

Oh how I sometimes with I was one of those "fanboys."

Premature ejaculation man @ Jul 17th 2009 2:27AM

I don't buy gaes as often as I used to. So yes, when I see 9000 games thrown at my face, I don't know if I'll buy any.

A big factor for me is if its got splitscreen or my friends are buying it. Make split screen a priority guys

Lestat @ Jul 17th 2009 2:28AM

split screen is dead...just look at RE5 and COD waw...the split screen ob both of them sucks =(

Akuma FTW @ Jul 17th 2009 9:18AM

Left 4 Dead called, told me you failed with that comment

Gemini Ace @ Jul 17th 2009 9:32AM

Left 4 Dead fails at split screen, too, so good comment.

Halo 3 is the only one that's done it right.

Akuma FTW @ Jul 17th 2009 9:56AM

Fail?? Considering I can switch between horizontal and vertical with Left 4 dead I'd love to know how that is fail? Halo does 4 people in custom games, whoopdeedo

aristokrat @ Jul 17th 2009 11:07AM

Halo does 4-player coop for the campaign, and for all online modes (if you have 4 gold accounts you can do ranked). There is no better splitscreen game out there (in terms of capability). This doesn't mean that other games (Left 4 Dead) aren't awesome too, though. I definitely agree that splitscreen is one of my favorite features.

Vcize @ Jul 17th 2009 11:32AM

Left 4 Dead fails at splitscreen because IT'S A GAME GOD-DAMNED DESIGNED FOR 4 PLAYERS AND ONLY LETS YOU PLAY SPLITSCREEN WITH 2.

Sorry, but that still bugs me.

Akuma FTW @ Jul 17th 2009 12:39PM

Last time I checked 4 player splitscreen was for customs only. 4 player coop campaign possible but only 2 player per Xbox/TV. Correct me if I'm wrong

aristokrat @ Jul 27th 2009 11:06AM

4 player splitscreen is allowed in all social games (1 Gold and 3 guests), and allowed in ranked (non-lone wolves) if you have 4 separate accounts.

BPMOmega [GT,Steam] @ Jul 17th 2009 2:30AM

I've got plenty of games on Wii, PS2, 360, DS, and PSP that I haven't had a chance to fully enjoy.

Yes, there's too many damn games being made! Slow it down a bit! Consolidate your efforts: make fewer games, but make BETTER games.

The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 2:31AM

i'd much rather be overwhelmed with new games than not have anything to play. I would prefer if they didnt all come out at once though, which is why i so greatly appreciate what capcoms been doing, although the summer is once again a bit of a lull, but even better that lets me catch up with stuff i missed.

TheDigitalWasteland.com @ Jul 17th 2009 4:45AM

I think you mean not have any "NEW" games to play. Back in the day, we used to replay video games. Even games that encourage multiple play throughs with achievements never get touched for that second go around. There is NOTHING wrong with going back and replaying good games.

I get what Dyack is saying, and I completely agree. I haven't purchased a single new game in 2009, and I still have about 16 unplayed game from previous years that I've picked up (I just played through Oblivion for the first time... that's what, 3 years old now?). Not to mention finding time to squeeze in playing old games I love like Shadows of the Colossus, Bioshock, or any of the Final Fantasy titles. Games just really lose the "buy me!" connection now since there's no time to go back for a second play through. I think this is why Gamestop, Goozex, and Gamefly are so profitable. No one has a reason to keep games any more.

sam @ Jul 17th 2009 5:48AM

Who's 'we'? Back in the day, *I* didn't used to replay video games. (Come to that, back in the day, I rarely used to finish them once.)

Of course with titles like King's Quest you couldn't really replay them, at least not without a very long delay so you forgot all the puzzle answers. But even arcadey games, such as they were, I didn't replay if I completed them.

I think Resident Evil 4 is the first and only game I've significantly replayed (i.e. I played it to completion three times; once on GC, twice on Wii).

As for the original topic of this post... um I only own a Wii... so no I'm not feeling overwhelmed with games. Don't get me wrong, that's fine, I have lots of other things to do than play games. (And I haven't finished The Conduit yet, actually.) Wouldn't mind a few more quality games though - there's quite a lot coming out for the remainder of the year, which is good.

Cody @ Jul 17th 2009 8:29AM

Damn sam,

Everything in your post sounds like me and my experiences.

Back in the day, I hardly finished a game I played. Must have been my kid ADD or something.

Nowadays I only play Wii, yet have other things going on to keep me occupied instead. Not too worried bout lack of games or too many games.

And YES, RE4 was the first game I beat, then played again and beat, over and over. Except it was more like 3 times on GC and 4 times on Wii lol

uncle jesse @ Jul 17th 2009 9:54AM

I get what you mean when you talk about replaying games back in the day. It used to be months in between new games for me. It was a special occassion getting a new game. Now it seems like I'm buying a new game every other week. Games simply were not pumped out at the rate they are now.

I used to play games a LOT more than once - Mario Bros. 3 (any Mario game, for that matter), Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Bionic Commando, Megaman, etc. Now I'll pbuy a new game, play it, beat it (if I didn't just stop in the middle), and move on. Very few titles have gotten me to go back through them again. Mass Effect is one that comes to mind.

TheDigitalWasteland.com @ Jul 17th 2009 5:26PM

I may be talking even way back before your time then Sam...

Back in SNES days when you got games like Earthworm Jim, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger (which has multiple endings, meaning it was meant to be played over and over), Super Punch-Out, Castlevania, Mega Man, Zombies Ate my Neighbors, Final Fight, Contra, Gradius, Sunset Riders, Out of This World, Final Fantasy 4... You replayed this games. They weren't a one-shot then never touch again.

Maybe I'm old, but I miss having to know the order to kill the mavericks, where all Mega's power ups were, the extra E containers, etc. Games used to be a lot more intimate.

Sarge @ Jul 17th 2009 11:08AM

Sounds like someone had a lot more games than I did growing up. That means you either had more money than I did, or very giving parents.

Me, I didn't get a Super Nintendo until well after Final Fantasy III came out, and that was purchased at a yard sale for $55. My Nintendo collection was constantly in flux, given the fact that I had to constantly and consistently trade away some of the less-played games for something new at the local pawn shop.

So yeah, I replayed through games a BUNCH. I can't count the number of times I've played through the Mega Man games. Or the Dragon Warriors or Final Fantasy. When you have a limited selection, you either replay them, or you don't play at all.

That being said, there ARE too many games, and I actually have the money for them now. Unfortunately, there's one other problem... I don't have the time anymore. Funny how that works, when you get a job. My backlog has stacked up tremendously, and shows no signs of going down. Doesn't help that I seem to have overcompensated for my lack of games in my childhood and now own 1000+ legit games (on top of the more... dubious acquisitions).

So, Too Human may have sucked, but that doesn't make Dyack wrong on this. How many games do we have that slip through the cracks, not because they're necessarily bad, but just because they don't get noticed? Beyond Good & Evil is probably one of the better examples of this.