The Video Game Industry is in Crisis with Jason Schreier - 283

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 11 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 2,2 тис.

  • @TheAdamConover
    @TheAdamConover  2 місяці тому +194

    Learn more about Project 2025, get voting resources, and discover more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation: www.ffrf.org/vote. // Alma can help you find the right therapist for you - not just anyone. Visit helloalma.com/factually to get started and schedule a free consultation today.

    • @zacharythomas8617
      @zacharythomas8617 2 місяці тому

      You have four types we can describe as ”Classical Gaming”, AAA, Indie, Retro, and PC. Literally pick a lane, Adam. Games Journalism is limited because the former industry leaders got their moneys, and moved on. In the 90's we had gargantuan amounts of video gaming media. Then guess what? Boomers turned on gamers, and attributed Games to a Cult Following. It's not, and never should have been. Then 4chan happened, and now the Classical Era died because nobody wants to do the thing nobody wants to do anymore: Make friends, play games. Nobody has all the answers for why gaming died. However the selfish attitude of Gamers in general is not only Myth, but Legend. Gamers should stop eating each other. Nobody asked for the culture war we've lived with since Obama. Gamers deserve better then what we've been dealt in the name of just having fun. Something has to give, and I've never seen you do an LP Adam. But you're perfectly happy to criticize my hobby.

    • @zacharythomas8617
      @zacharythomas8617 2 місяці тому +11

      After watching the full interview. I am convinced he's self interested in selling something. Unionization will kill video gaming. Or make it a hobby of the rich, and wishful.

    • @JohnDoe-ip3oq
      @JohnDoe-ip3oq 2 місяці тому +12

      Cool, I learned about how to help support Project 2025, although I didn't care before, voted early, and signed up for SBI detected alerts. Things are looking better already.

    • @JohnDoe-ip3oq
      @JohnDoe-ip3oq 2 місяці тому

      ​@@zacharythomas8617lol, he worked at gawker and they unionized. I think Hulk Hogan needs a comeback tour. As for any job reform, I think the first step is firing the entire HR department nationwide, because they do nothing useful and harass the workers. Then get rid of useless TPS report managers. The amount saved can go to workers who actually work getting a raise, and productivity will rise without micro management.

    • @MP-ix2jo
      @MP-ix2jo 2 місяці тому +8

      Adam you should learn more about your unique case of dementia.

  • @ThoughtyTheWrangler
    @ThoughtyTheWrangler 2 місяці тому +1340

    Cmdr. Sterling has long said (and I’m paraphrasing) “it’s not enough for them to make some of the money. It’s not enough for them to make a lot of the money. They aren’t content unless they’ll make all of the money that exists and ever will exist for all time.”

    • @BeldansFire
      @BeldansFire 2 місяці тому +151

      The Jimquisition was right.

    • @NatalieRath
      @NatalieRath 2 місяці тому +132

      Sterling is always right. People were just living in denial. Now we see all our favorite artists and game designers losing jobs. It's so sad. 😢

    • @GoldenGyroBalls
      @GoldenGyroBalls 2 місяці тому +43

      I've stopped following them since 2018 (they just got way too negative for my taste and I'm going to assume it has escalated since) but you know the old saying about broken clocks.

    • @TurboFrend
      @TurboFrend 2 місяці тому +90

      Thank God for James Stephanie Sterling

    • @Zalinth
      @Zalinth 2 місяці тому +63

      The Cassandra of Video Games has always been and will always be right.

  • @StarShade-l7q
    @StarShade-l7q 2 місяці тому +494

    Corporations don't learn lessons because they move the pain down to the employees. Extract Value, divert consequences.

    • @Mighty_Atheismo
      @Mighty_Atheismo 2 місяці тому +4

      Mmm! Chefs kiss! Great comment

    • @colinrussell2017
      @colinrussell2017 2 місяці тому +2

      Corporations don't have feelings I'm afraid

    • @kennethgilcrest9548
      @kennethgilcrest9548 2 місяці тому +15

      ​@@colinrussell2017but they are people according to the United States Supreme Court. They have freedom of speech and also money = speech. Sooo if you have a lot of money you have a lot of speech.

    • @BombaJead
      @BombaJead 2 місяці тому +3

      ​@@colinrussell2017 and how is that relevant to the original comment?

    • @derp195
      @derp195 2 місяці тому +1

      And they're only beholden to the shareholders, who are happy to sell and move on without giving it a second thought.

  • @kingsgold
    @kingsgold 2 місяці тому +835

    Just to note, Japan has stricter employee protections than the US. In Japan, businesses are required to exhaust other methods before laying off employees. Layoffs in Japan are treated as a last resort. Nintendo does what is within the respect of each region's labor laws. So if you want similar laws in the US, then we need to get our representatives to pass laws that have more employee protections.

    • @jfkst1
      @jfkst1 2 місяці тому +69

      Getting hired is also harder for that same reason. There's much more commitment from both employee and employer.

    • @Zalinth
      @Zalinth 2 місяці тому +76

      Regulate capitalism? In this economy!? /s

    • @peterbardsley2636
      @peterbardsley2636 2 місяці тому +83

      They also tend to put employees in a room give them nothing to do and hope they quit. So Japan also has some shitty work practices too.

    • @kingsgold
      @kingsgold 2 місяці тому +43

      @@peterbardsley2636 that isn’t a Japan only thing. Practice is used in Europe and USA.

    • @inoob26
      @inoob26 2 місяці тому

      @@peterbardsley2636 free money? sign me up!

  • @emceeunderdogrising
    @emceeunderdogrising 2 місяці тому +182

    Cost of living is sky high. I don't buy games for $60 anymore.
    The indie scene is thriving everywhere. Especially for gaming, painting, and music.

    • @urazz7739
      @urazz7739 2 місяці тому +2

      Yeah, it's really the AAA video game publishers and studios that are struggling (and some AA studios as well).

    • @raymondrembert6870
      @raymondrembert6870 2 місяці тому +2

      The issue is that their are so many games right now specially with BC. Just look at the PSN sales in the store. Why pay 70 plus tax for a new game when I can get a GOTY edition for a game for less than 20 to hold me over until that full price game goes down.

    • @Poppa_Capinyoaz
      @Poppa_Capinyoaz 2 місяці тому +2

      No game will ever cost me full price again.

    • @ArgoLember
      @ArgoLember 2 місяці тому

      I´ll just wait one of these games will be on sale on ebay or fb marketplace :)

    • @dennisdeslager3382
      @dennisdeslager3382 2 місяці тому +1

      What do you mean with 'indi painting'?

  • @justinlim1256
    @justinlim1256 2 місяці тому +104

    I graduated in 2022 with a BFA in -basically- digital and videogame art, from a prominent videogame school in the industry. The mass layoffs and mergers started about 2 weeks later.
    Now I'm working at a big box retail store, and despite applying for much of the past 2 years, I have yet to even get an interview. Many of my classmates are in similar situations. Its so disheartening.

    • @PropheticShadeZ
      @PropheticShadeZ 2 місяці тому +12

      You should look at application development, a lot of these skills apply over both industries

    • @aubriestarks2242
      @aubriestarks2242 2 місяці тому +9

      Graduated from Guildhall in May of 2023, and have only had 3 interviews in the last 15 months. It's brutal in the gaming industry right now. A lot of people are just working on passion projects with others for free just to get their names in the credits of a project that might publish.

    • @justinlim1256
      @justinlim1256 2 місяці тому

      @@aubriestarks2242 Working for free, jeeze 😔

    • @DanieleNiero
      @DanieleNiero 2 місяці тому

      ​@@aubriestarks2242 As a veteran in the broader 3D industry (worked in commercials, movies, games) I know it is hard, harder than ever actually, but please, don't give up. Secure a means of income, yes, but don't give up. Who knows, your passion project might be the next big thing and you might give me an interview in a few years from now :)
      Good luck guys and stay strong

    • @Najebanski
      @Najebanski 2 місяці тому +16

      Forget AAA studios. Apply to indie devs, mobile game devs, online casinos, advertisement studios, ... Still no answer? Improve your portfolio, rinse and repeat and you'll land something. First step is the hardest

  • @Playingwith3D
    @Playingwith3D 2 місяці тому +546

    the devs that actually create games were replaced by ceo's and bean counters because money. They first killed the music industry, they killed the movie industry now they are gunning for the games industry. Greed kills everything it touches.

    • @goroakechi6126
      @goroakechi6126 2 місяці тому +30

      I am gonna correct one thing: greed only half killed music. Being able to listen to every A-list rock star, pop band and country song whenever you want with the internet made it a thousand times harder to get into the industry period.

    • @DaveGreco
      @DaveGreco 2 місяці тому +8

      No the same devs are still making games, but they are mostly run by corp ceos and bean counters, instead of devs running the show at the top (which has downsides as well trust me). the devs themselves are the same. but your point is still true.. greed wrecks us all.

    • @mediumvillain
      @mediumvillain 2 місяці тому +38

      just say capitalism

    • @boat1280
      @boat1280 2 місяці тому +17

      Music is thriving, it's just the old-school major labels that have had problems. It's never been better for independent musicians to make a living. I make a living with a psychedelic band and almost that entire genre worldwide is independent or small labels. It wouldn't have been possible before the internet
      If you make generic rock or pop crap, yes it's absolutely harder to break into the carcass of the mainstream industry

    • @Chiatrolll
      @Chiatrolll 2 місяці тому +4

      Similar to indie music being great I've been having a great time playing satisfactory on my PC and balatro on my mobile. AAA industry fuckups don't hurt the indie and smaller scene.

  • @steve94183
    @steve94183 2 місяці тому +1633

    Support Indie games people

    • @YouTubeChannel-iq5to
      @YouTubeChannel-iq5to 2 місяці тому +69

      If they’re good

    • @jackal27
      @jackal27 2 місяці тому +66

      Completely agree, but I’m also not sure indie games are the way forward, saying this as someone who buys hundreds of indies a year. There will always be demand for boundary-pushing games on a larger scale and we have to make an environment where the people who develop those can work sustainably and live a life of dignity.

    • @radscorpion8
      @radscorpion8 2 місяці тому +10

      UNDERRAIL BEST GAME EVER

    • @GRNKRBY
      @GRNKRBY 2 місяці тому +21

      I basically only play Indies (outside of Nintendo).

    • @Crazedgamer16
      @Crazedgamer16 2 місяці тому +6

      Support indie and don't sell?

  • @devinfaux6987
    @devinfaux6987 2 місяці тому +220

    To expand on the question at 1:26:08: The thing is that capitalism isn't designed for sustainable growth for its own sake, it is designed to increase the wealth -- the *capital* -- of the person or people who already have capital. Giving your workers any kind of a stake may help the company as a whole, but it reduces the owner's control and their own profits.

    • @shawnrentfro1668
      @shawnrentfro1668 2 місяці тому +29

      This is my issue with Capitalism. No one person gets all that wealth on their own. They used folks to get there. I understand they came up with the idea and company etc, but they can't make it work by themsleves. So why are employees treated like they don't matter to the success of the company when they obviously do? There is a point where you have too much money for one person. No reason everyone who helped should live off pennies. Also, companies need to think about customers more than stockholders, thats how everyone makes money and is happy.

    • @devinfaux6987
      @devinfaux6987 2 місяці тому +19

      @@shawnrentfro1668 I'm with you 100%, but the logic of capitalism is that the asshole with the special piece of paper which says he owns the building is more important than all the people actually doing the work.

    • @shawnrentfro1668
      @shawnrentfro1668 2 місяці тому +2

      @@devinfaux6987 Yep agreed. Obviously it wouldn't have started without him, or it wouldn't be there at all, but like I mentioned he needs a team in order to make it successful and to last for years to come.

    • @DanieleNiero
      @DanieleNiero 2 місяці тому +19

      That is why unions and the right to strike (without being beaten or worse) is so fundamental... We seem to have forgotten that

    • @shawnrentfro1668
      @shawnrentfro1668 2 місяці тому

      @@DanieleNiero Yes it is!

  • @OryxAU
    @OryxAU 2 місяці тому +246

    I expected Jason to be some over inflated personality, but actually quite level headed and understands nuance. It's a good counter to Adam's more exaggerated moments where he lacks a little bit of context. Adam also has a deeper understanding of the video game industry than most personalities and he approached it with the care and curiosity it deserves. Good episode.

    • @Dopesaur
      @Dopesaur 2 місяці тому +13

      You put it into words! I enjoyed this episode a lot because of this.

    • @coolioso808
      @coolioso808 2 місяці тому +6

      @@Dopesaur Indeed, I enjoyed this episode, learned a lot and liked when Jason pushed back a little when called a "full on capitalist' or whatever, like no, he really isn't, he's just a dude trying to make a living in a capitalist world, observing and writing about what is going on around him. He doesn't even understand capitalist business logic, like why not get worker co-ops going because the worker's have a say and they share the profits, so wouldn't that be better for all? But no, apparently, corporate mergers are better for ... profiteering of the few, not the many.

    • @TheThunderbirdRising
      @TheThunderbirdRising 2 місяці тому +15

      Jason's always been a journalist first and a 'personality' second. Stand up dude.

    • @dekai7992
      @dekai7992 2 місяці тому +10

      I'm curious as to why you initially thought that way about Jason. Because, when you look at his articles, he seems to have always been interested in the human side of the video game industry. That doesn't exactly screem "over-inflated" to me.

    • @Zero0mtk
      @Zero0mtk 2 місяці тому +6

      @@dekai7992 Presumably because Jason wasn't a gamergate cheerleader back then? "Game journalist" really draws the ire of certain cohort of online communities and get caricatured to hell and back, and Jason certainly is/identifies as one.

  • @aubreyfinn4450
    @aubreyfinn4450 2 місяці тому +60

    I think one of the most emblematic things that touches on this conversation is how Disco Elysium offered a very nontraditional CRPG with a lot of depth, humour and obvious care for the end result, was turned into a husk of itself, and last week had 4 successor studios announce projects. The problem isn't the people making the games, it's the people funding them who have no idea how to make a game.

    • @DanieleNiero
      @DanieleNiero 2 місяці тому

      That was a sad situation, yes, especially because that game is so well crafted and intelligent... but these situations happened even before the current crisis and they are not related.

    • @LddStyx
      @LddStyx 2 місяці тому +8

      Companies don't make games, they only fund, publish and own the resulting IPs. People make games!
      That's why everyone should read the credits to find out who makes the games they love and then follow the people.

    • @ingrudmessenger1193
      @ingrudmessenger1193 Місяць тому

      I haven't finished it yet... how was it made into a husk of itself?

  • @SonicMTD
    @SonicMTD 2 місяці тому +169

    I’m still mourning the loss of Tango Gameworks.
    Apparently winning a Bafta for Hi-Fi Rush wasn’t enough to save them despite executives stating they want games that win awards.

    • @dbagette
      @dbagette 2 місяці тому +30

      They got acquired by the PUBG publisher in august

    • @SonicMTD
      @SonicMTD 2 місяці тому +24

      @@dbagette I’m aware. We’ll have to see how the new ownership turns out.

    • @mitchellb4551
      @mitchellb4551 2 місяці тому +2

      indeed didn't it basically come down to them fishing at the wrong time leading to them being the easiest to kill??

    • @Kaimax61
      @Kaimax61 2 місяці тому +6

      ​@@mitchellb4551 Yeah, the only reason they were axed was because they were pitching for a sequel.

    • @DrTssha
      @DrTssha 2 місяці тому

      Perhaps they meant sales awards.

  • @stickkman
    @stickkman 2 місяці тому +59

    0:50 Happening all over the tech sector. Every time the company I work for gets bought, I clench just a little bit tighter. The fact that the end goal for many businesses is just to be bought out by the big three is indicative of a larger problem.

  • @halcyon_echo42
    @halcyon_echo42 2 місяці тому +131

    That fan that was at a conference for Diablo's new game with Microtransactions and warned everyone this was wrong still echoes in my head

    • @Banquet42
      @Banquet42 2 місяці тому +4

      Was that the 'Is this an out of season April fool's day koke?' guy?

    • @NiteSaiya
      @NiteSaiya Місяць тому

      And then Blizzard allegedly made millions off of that game.

  • @Eli_Guy
    @Eli_Guy 2 місяці тому +43

    "If I was a capitalist, you really think Id write a book?" is so real lmao
    Jason is such a knowledgeable person on the games industry, so glad for his work

  • @omeysalvi
    @omeysalvi 2 місяці тому +23

    This one video has more relevant and accurate information on the games industry than a 1000 videos from outrage gamer drifters.

    • @alfgwahigain5544
      @alfgwahigain5544 2 місяці тому +7

      I'm so used to seeing "woke" and "DEI" in the majority of comments under game criticism (especially after Concord) that I was shocked to see people being mature and considerate. What is this place?!?

  • @bigpurplepops
    @bigpurplepops 2 місяці тому +125

    1. Games have taken a "too big to fail" aproach where companies turn games into massive investments and shotgun out multiple per year.
    2. Studios have been working around criteria that appeal to the investors but most players don't care about; leading to poor sales and declining audience faith.
    3. Industry culture shifts away from consumer sentiment as a feedback loop between executives and access-journalism efforts lead to projects losing their direction to toxic positivity or financial interests.

    • @USSAnimeNCC-
      @USSAnimeNCC- 2 місяці тому

      What actually ruining games not some wokeness or feminism agenda by people whi are derange ad Trump blaming everything on immigrants
      And lets be honest most MC characters are while males very few are women and non whites and its werid that half aren't females and werid that in a diverse country like US non white are rare that being even said even in a mostly Korean or Japanese it good to sometimes have storie around a black person as it give interesting story or something that the mostly japanese or Polish people aren't going to have

    • @Bustermachine
      @Bustermachine 2 місяці тому +6

      There's also the constant gambling on Games as a Service despite the fact that the market can only absorb a handful of these sorts of games at once.

    • @bladelazoe
      @bladelazoe 2 місяці тому

      So,
      1. we're reaching a point of "too big to fail"
      2. Everyone is appealing to investors vs what players really want in their games
      3. The communication feedback loop between getting constructive criticism vs whatever the executives and game company reviews is getting worse. Like honestly, who the fuck trusts IGN at this point? I value AngryJoeShow and The ActMan more than any other "proper" game review company.
      We're quickly heading towards a propery reset, aka a giant crash. Market correction. Last time I heard of this was back in 2007-2008 when the banking world was in crisis and some of the banks were declared "too big to fail" and guess what? They failed, crumbled like a house of cards, never to be seen again. We're about to see that again but maybe not just in the Games industry but economically. Yet people refuse to talk about this subject.

    • @One.Zero.One101
      @One.Zero.One101 2 місяці тому

      - The common business strategy I see today is "How to piss off your customers without them actually leaving". I see this in streaming services, gadgets, gaming, ISP providers, phone carriers, and many others. Thankfully gamers actually stopped buying and voted with their wallet finally. This is a great lesson on supply and demand, companies keep making products because you keep buying them. A company wouldn't make a product that doesn't sell. May customers apply this to other industries as well.
      - This is actually a good thing because gamers finally put their money where their mouth is. Too many times we complain about a game on Reddit and then we see it made 1 billion dollars. Customers, you have the power to tell the company what product they need to make. Unless of course they become a monopoly and there's no other option, but that's a separate discussion.

  • @bloo9699
    @bloo9699 2 місяці тому +490

    Greed ruins everything. Friggin micro-transactions.

    • @kaydub3133
      @kaydub3133 2 місяці тому +18

      For real! This comment pretty much sums up the state of the world right now

    • @aprotosis
      @aprotosis 2 місяці тому +6

      The vast majority of games don't have micro-transactions or even DLC. You normally find it in free-to-play games , which exist due to a combination of gamers not wanting to pay for anything and the creation of mobile gaming. We can point fingers all we want on how greedy any specific group involved is, but it is a holistic issue.

    • @rainbowkrampus
      @rainbowkrampus 2 місяці тому +21

      @@aprotosis "Vast majority" is misleading here, or at least unhelpful. Thousands of games come out every year. Most people will play fewer than 10 new games per year. Most of that attention will go towards two markets, free-to-play predatory games and big budget "AAA" predatory games. Both of which heavily trend towards including micro-transactions. That's why the micro-transactions are there. Because those are the sorts of games most people are likely to play. That's where the money is so that's where the most predatory behavior is found.

    • @teelo12000
      @teelo12000 2 місяці тому +8

      To reveal the counter-argument to this comment, buy one comment-reveal-charge for only $0.99

    • @aprotosis
      @aprotosis 2 місяці тому +5

      @@rainbowkrampus Almost as misleading as saying everything is "predatory".

  • @timdominik8319
    @timdominik8319 2 місяці тому +264

    what killed consoles for me is the getting rid of splitscreen. that was the best reason for owning a console, you could play at home with your friends on the couch. no teamspeak, discord, whatever extra. just meet your friends on the couch. play a bit and then do something else. socializing in real life is worth more.

    • @brad_wilson
      @brad_wilson 2 місяці тому +15

      100% agreed. Looking forward to a high quality couch co-op experience with Path of Exile 2.

    • @jojomang8333
      @jojomang8333 2 місяці тому +12

      As I've gotten older I've lost interest in 99% of single player games, apart from the odd series I've been following for years. It's just boring now - there is so much more value in using video games as a means of interacting with others imo. We're already isolated enough as is 🙃

    • @G33KSP34K
      @G33KSP34K 2 місяці тому +4

      Agreed. The last console I bought was the Xbox one so that I could play games with my brother, and then there were very few games that came out for it that were split screen capable. I abandoned it super quick and I haven't bought a new console since.

    • @mediumvillain
      @mediumvillain 2 місяці тому +5

      its so frustrating when I cant play a game with my girlfriend for no good reason.

    • @robertbensch7748
      @robertbensch7748 2 місяці тому +6

      Absolutely this. I have so many great memories of playing street fighter against friends (it was the 90s) and then going outside, coming back for another round. I've thought about offering something like that to my kids, but it's impossible. Because basically you need to buy the console, the game, a battle pass, and then each of the fighters that aren't included in the base game, and then maybe cosmetics which also have gameplay impact. No, I'm not conditioning my kids like that. This part of the industry has to die, rather sooner than later.

  • @seankale5116
    @seankale5116 2 місяці тому +19

    Game Dev here, thank you Adam and all that had anything to do with this. much appreciated for shining light on this issue.

  • @Awdreejahslin
    @Awdreejahslin 2 місяці тому +19

    I seriously blame live service games… and mobile gaming… and that’s talked about a lot… gaming turned into a business and became less about gaming… so many games a cookie cutter variants of each other… to which some of that is warranted, but it isn’t the end all be all…

    • @blacksailsfan4life
      @blacksailsfan4life 2 місяці тому

      !

    • @Awdreejahslin
      @Awdreejahslin 2 місяці тому

      @@blacksailsfan4life 😳 haha 🥲 what does just an exclamation point mean? 🤣

    • @blacksailsfan4life
      @blacksailsfan4life 2 місяці тому

      @@Awdreejahslin i agree

    • @One.Zero.One101
      @One.Zero.One101 2 місяці тому

      There's a famous saying; "Ubisoft doesn't make games, they make monetization and build a game around it".

  • @nickb.235
    @nickb.235 2 місяці тому +228

    Video games are in crisis because of the stock market's parasitic shareholder class and because triple AAA titles are ridiculously unnecessary and overdeveloped. Smaller studios and niche games turn profits.

    • @TheJadedJames
      @TheJadedJames 2 місяці тому +31

      All publicly traded businesses have this issue. If you’re private sustainability just means that your business makes more money than it costs to exist.
      Shareholders/Investors incentivize you to always make more money than you did last year … which is never sustainable. So, once a company stops growing it enters a death spiral even if it was still insanely profitable, it was worthless to shareholders

    • @Drek492
      @Drek492 2 місяці тому +8

      @@dK123-m8hPeople don’t realize the sheer amount of games releasing on Steam every day that probably only sell a hundred copies at best

    • @Trickeri1080
      @Trickeri1080 2 місяці тому

      @@dK123-m8h True, Steam NextFest had 5,237 free game demos playable during it last week. Only the top 5 has 1000+ players, top 50 had about 100 players and then it just tapered off quickly past there.

    • @Will-xk4nm
      @Will-xk4nm 2 місяці тому +4

      @@Drek492 The average game on Steam sells around 30 copies.

    • @Macheako
      @Macheako 2 місяці тому +1

      @@Drek492 nah….we do…they look like sh** 😂
      But I still respect dem boys ❤

  • @AlexP-dz7ew
    @AlexP-dz7ew 2 місяці тому +78

    The video games industry SHOULD have looked at film and TV and learned from the many mistakes that have happened over the 100 years of that industry
    Instead, they made every mistake, and in some ways made them WORSE

    • @shaderkul
      @shaderkul 2 місяці тому +32

      Because the suits that ruined the Fiilm & TV industry all mass migrated to the Games Industry over a decade ago when they saw the profits being made and made the same mess of it. Not surprising.

    • @AlexP-dz7ew
      @AlexP-dz7ew 2 місяці тому +12

      @@shaderkul and game companies let them

    • @blackdragon6
      @blackdragon6 2 місяці тому +3

      ​@@AlexP-dz7ew greed does that 😂

    • @RyanStillGames
      @RyanStillGames 2 місяці тому +3

      "What are you talking about we (and by we I mean I) made tons of money!" - Unitys Former CEO

  • @SocksAndPuppets
    @SocksAndPuppets 2 місяці тому +80

    One of the big reasons why the MS Act-Blizz merger has gone so badly is that the negotiations took a LOT of time, and for the entirety of that time, Act-Blizz execs were stripping all the lead out of the roofing.
    Game franchises like Overwatch and Diablo changed monetization and design to squeeze players for every cent they could get, squandering good will and bleeding players to make as much short term profit as possible. This had the dual effects of inflating the balance sheets (making the company look more valuable) while hitting long-term sustainability.

    • @mediumvillain
      @mediumvillain 2 місяці тому +3

      Zenimax/Bethesda did the EXACT same thing

    • @bruceleeharrison9284
      @bruceleeharrison9284 2 місяці тому

      RIP Overwatch

    • @lokinakor1
      @lokinakor1 2 місяці тому

      They have to be taught a lesson... everyone has to shun game devs who do this and ignore games that do it...

    • @hobosnake1
      @hobosnake1 2 місяці тому

      ​@lokinakor1 they won't. People will eat their slop, and in turn, they will get more slop. Gems will come out here and there, but people keep buying this trash, so I don't have much hope.

  • @bczpkhny
    @bczpkhny 2 місяці тому +6

    I messaged Jason once asking for help once and he responded and gave a thoughtful response. Prior to that, he was at Kotaku at the time and his articles influenced my taste in them, particularly with Virtue's Last Reward. Jason is awesome and has dope taste.

  • @seanhogan3967
    @seanhogan3967 2 місяці тому +8

    Love how well the 2 of you get along, really lovely interactions! Jason is an incredible writer, looking forward to Play Nice!

    • @zacharythomas8617
      @zacharythomas8617 2 місяці тому +1

      Peak NPC Liberal. Next.

    • @Slantwalker
      @Slantwalker 2 місяці тому

      @@zacharythomas8617 coming from a gamer-gate incel.

  • @severdislike4222
    @severdislike4222 2 місяці тому +106

    This is far from the first time that the gaming industry has self-destructed. There was the 97% contraction in 1983 that aggressively mirrors what is going on today. Executives thinking that the industry exists to print money for as little effort as is possible (See EA sports games) while dispising their customer base (Ubisoft is openly hostile to their customer base,) while ignoring critique about their extremely low effort recent games (Bethesda) will always lead to the same outcome a gigantic contraction because what is being produced by "The large industry leaders" is effectively garbage.

    • @Malekariel
      @Malekariel 2 місяці тому +4

      yea and nintendo is the only company that learned anything from that.

    • @severdislike4222
      @severdislike4222 2 місяці тому +26

      @@Malekariel Eeehhh no, Nintendo learned the Disney model of "If you're big you can sue your competition into the ground." I am not touching the internal work/life balance at Nintendo either as it's pretty nightmarish due to Japanese business practices operate, aka "Heaven for superstar geniuses with no social lives, an abject hell for normal people just trying to get by."

    • @thealternative9580
      @thealternative9580 2 місяці тому +7

      1983 Atari lost the right to control what games could be played on its console and a slew of crappy games came out. Also the tech wasn’t there yet to make great home video games. This ain’t the same.

    • @Malekariel
      @Malekariel 2 місяці тому +9

      @@severdislike4222 you super touched on the thing you said you wouldnt touch on.

    • @Kaimax61
      @Kaimax61 2 місяці тому +4

      ​@@severdislike4222"im not touching"
      still generalize the japanese work industry anyway

  • @nzwj
    @nzwj 2 місяці тому +133

    Jason Schreier is a great journalist, but these recent podcast appearances made me appreciate that he is also a really great storyteller.

    • @andyw4432
      @andyw4432 2 місяці тому +3

      he's def been practicing. He's had a games podcast for .. a decade?!? I'm feeling old now

    • @cghodo
      @cghodo 2 місяці тому

      @@andyw4432Triple Click is my most valued parasocial relationship. I’ve listened to and read the work of those three people for close to 15 years at this point.

    • @bargaintuesday812
      @bargaintuesday812 2 місяці тому +4

      He's a blogger, not a journalist. Video games journalism isn't "a thing".

    • @Knowingspy
      @Knowingspy 2 місяці тому

      @@bargaintuesday812He works for Bloomberg and routinely breaks news off the back of sources he has accumulated over the years. He absolutely is a journalist.

    • @arubinojr5670
      @arubinojr5670 2 місяці тому +4

      @@bargaintuesday812 Then what were all the gamergoogoogagas harassing women about a few years ago?

  • @georgesalisbury5996
    @georgesalisbury5996 2 місяці тому +128

    I'd love to see Adam Conover have a discussion with Stephanie Stirling, if only to see where it goes.

    • @BeldansFire
      @BeldansFire 2 місяці тому

      Yes Fuck Konami.

    • @toconnell88
      @toconnell88 2 місяці тому +15

      11 minute pog discussion 😂
      I agree, though. That would be fun and informative.

    • @Violaphobia
      @Violaphobia 2 місяці тому +4

      This sounds like unproductive torture

    • @georgesalisbury5996
      @georgesalisbury5996 2 місяці тому +1

      @@toconnell88 Well she does have some very nuanced and poignant things to say.

    • @yusufgerald3969
      @yusufgerald3969 2 місяці тому +5

      ​@georgesalisbury5996 you mean him

  • @nevertoolate5325
    @nevertoolate5325 2 місяці тому +22

    Until folks vote for politicians who stand up to the Corporates then these "industries" are all the same: games, foods, real estate, warehousing, drugs, transport, schooling, policing, etc etc 🙄🙄🙄

    • @snowballeffect7812
      @snowballeffect7812 2 місяці тому +4

      no, games aren't exactly the same as the others. we don't need games to survive. the problem with that industry is entirely the fault of the consumers of that industry rewarding anti-consumer behavior.

    • @tallesmagno201
      @tallesmagno201 2 місяці тому +2

      No people are too stupid so nothing will change.

    • @lrc1986
      @lrc1986 Місяць тому +1

      We tried that in the UK a few times, more often than not people end up worse off sadly.

    • @snowballeffect7812
      @snowballeffect7812 Місяць тому

      @@lrc1986 when did this happen? lol. No one's done that since the end of the post-war consensus and thatcher brought on full neoliberalism to the UK

    • @lrc1986
      @lrc1986 Місяць тому

      @snowballeffect7812 Wilson in the 60s and 70s. Attlee's reforms economically weren't considered great economically at the time. Blair, I think largely did good, tbf. So basically, every Labour PM who went along with Socialism.

  • @dermboss402
    @dermboss402 2 місяці тому +24

    Im from a european country and we have enough workers rights that unions arent necessary but iv heard some horror stories from the US where , someone can just walk into work monday morning and get fired for no reason. Thats insane. Unionising seems to be the only logical thing to do. I got hit by the downsizing as well in 2022/2023 and got let go, but i got about 2 months notice and a severence package, and the welfare system in my country is such that i would have been ok for a while without a job (got a new job lined up immediately, its way better than the last its all good). But , if i could be fired on a whim, and had to work 60+ hours per week but only get paid for 40 of them, with only 2 weeks holidays and no sick leave or paternety leave, then yeah, unionising to get that stuff seems like the only logical thing to do

    • @destronger5313
      @destronger5313 2 місяці тому

      It’s legit. However, each state has its own laws about firing/laying someone off. Despite california being a juggernaut with work, a person can be let go at anytime.
      Another thing is the ‘right to work’ states.
      en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law
      It’s sounds great but it was really meant to confuse and puts power with the corporations as the end game.

    • @mythplus4689
      @mythplus4689 5 днів тому +1

      Suggesting that you would get "only 2 weeks holidays" is wildly off base. Most Americans are lucky to get any "holiday" time, it's not guaranteed as it is in most or all of the developed Western countries.

    • @dermboss402
      @dermboss402 5 днів тому

      @@mythplus4689 Well thats..... horrifying.
      Oh and dont get me wrong, we do have unions here and they are very necessary and important, and while the government and companies arent too fond of them , they arent demonised

  • @timmyI115
    @timmyI115 2 місяці тому +32

    never have I ever seen an ffrf ad. I am glad you allowed them to advertise.

  • @FuyuBiyori
    @FuyuBiyori 2 місяці тому +46

    It's really sad seeing these companies trying to screw over voice actors by forcing AI.

    • @PropheticShadeZ
      @PropheticShadeZ 2 місяці тому +9

      I cannot imagine how bad these slop games would be with dead ai voices, not even thinking about how those ai voices are just plagarism

  • @theod0r
    @theod0r 2 місяці тому +163

    I audibly gasped when I saw Jason Schreier.
    He's such a great journalist on this topic and has to deal with an insane amount of harassment and bullshit because of it.

    • @robertdascoli949
      @robertdascoli949 2 місяці тому +15

      His behind the scenes reports on Bioware during Anthem were amazing.

    • @Sandesh98147
      @Sandesh98147 2 місяці тому +19

      And his reporting on gamer gate. Some of the most twitter mob hatred I've seen hurled at an individual

    • @duo317
      @duo317 2 місяці тому

      He knew about the sexual harassment and rape culture at blizzard for years and said nothing until whistleblowers started coming out.

    • @ruinerblodsinn6648
      @ruinerblodsinn6648 2 місяці тому +3

      @@Sandesh98147 what did he say on Gamergate?

    • @mindwall
      @mindwall 2 місяці тому +3

      @@ruinerblodsinn6648he said that he couldn’t find the keys

  • @jamievaughn1485
    @jamievaughn1485 2 місяці тому +10

    I am 48 and have been gaming since 1983. That said, I don't end up buying lots of games anymore as I work and have adult things going on. So I end up playing 3 new games a year, and lately have just been replaying the Souls games over and over trying different classes etc. Seeing gaming turn to these giant games that you wait years on turned me off. I hate when they show a trailer with zero gameplay for a game you won't see for 5 yrs. I just don't even watch the shows or previews anymore as this has become the norm. Show me the game when it's almost ready, not when it is in concept. At this point I'd rather just go play older games I missed than waste money on new games that just fuel CEO's bonuses. RIP to the industry, as with all other things, greed will kill it and Indie studios will be all that's left, oh and Nintendo.

    • @TimmyTheTinman
      @TimmyTheTinman 2 місяці тому

      The industry is not going anywhere though

    • @One.Zero.One101
      @One.Zero.One101 2 місяці тому +1

      There are games where I enjoy the first 40 hours, but after that I'm just praying for the game to end. I'm just darting to the finish line. I begin skipping dialogue, ignoring chests, planning quests that I can skip, I begin to make stupid mistakes in combat because my mind is elsewhere. I'm like a zombie going through the motions. Thankfully I'm learning to let go of my urge to be a completionist. I've learned when to stop and move on to the next one in my backlog.

  • @bross92
    @bross92 2 місяці тому +1

    I read Jason's book, I've seen 2 interviews with him so far in other podcasts, but this was firmly the best discussion I've seen with him so far - super well done!

  • @justinbuergi9867
    @justinbuergi9867 2 місяці тому +52

    As someone getting a degree in game design, this definitely has me worried right now
    Think it might be safer for me to just go into teaching game design instead of trying to get a job in the industry.

    • @morganwilliams2863
      @morganwilliams2863 2 місяці тому +17

      Sell shovels during a gold rush right?

    • @candygonemad
      @candygonemad 2 місяці тому +4

      I'm trying to get a job in tech outside of games to gain skills and experience adjacent to games and then switch to the games industry after showing my skills in development

    • @justinbuergi9867
      @justinbuergi9867 2 місяці тому +6

      @@candygonemad not a bad plan. Though I’m not sure if you’ll end up going back. From what I’ve heard tech is pretty stable and pays better.

    • @candygonemad
      @candygonemad 2 місяці тому +3

      @@justinbuergi9867 yeah it for sure is, but my heart is with games. In the meantime I'm working with some friends on an indie game and already released one last year, so I'm still getting some of my passion exercised

    • @justinbuergi9867
      @justinbuergi9867 2 місяці тому +2

      @@candygonemad congrats! I do a few jams a year but haven’t had the time for a more long term project.

  • @EnigmaticGentleman
    @EnigmaticGentleman 2 місяці тому +102

    I find it funny that Nintendo is doing well just by being commited to making good games and treating their employees well. As someone who has studied them they really don't have any secret sauce like other game companies will claim, just company wide raises and prioritizing fun gameplay over fancy tech.

    • @prefon13
      @prefon13 2 місяці тому +16

      Cannot agree more. It tracks across other industries as well. If you prioritize employee happiness, you unsurprisingly get greater employee loyalty, harder workers, more institutional knowledge, and overall better outcomes for the consumer.

    • @bria243
      @bria243 2 місяці тому +16

      Something else to bear in mind is that in Japan, there is a different legal framework on how companies are run. That is one reason why Sony shifted from being Japanese to being US led.

    • @average_geeky_guy
      @average_geeky_guy 2 місяці тому +20

      If Nintendo just wasn't so damn litigious in really stupid ways they would be basically perfect and a shining example of what gaming companies could be. But yeah, they 100% get the simple point that if you make good games, people will buy them. You just have to take the time to make quality games that people want to play and you will just naturally be successful. I love how they've embraced indie games and physical games as well.

    • @deerkaiser9983
      @deerkaiser9983 2 місяці тому

      Nintendo treats their employees really well but their customers and fans like dog shit

    • @jfkst1
      @jfkst1 2 місяці тому +2

      Sony Japan is dramatically different than the US version.

  • @effennion
    @effennion 2 місяці тому +26

    The fact this dropped the day after Riot Games just layed off a bunch of employees just highlighted the issues in the industry even more

    • @Vanity0666
      @Vanity0666 2 місяці тому +4

      Riot Games and Blizzard are basically sister companies

    • @DuvJones
      @DuvJones 2 місяці тому +1

      yeah, I'll be honest I think there's a big issue with this "survive till 2025" mentality which is... what happens once you get there?
      because if these companies are relying on the sugar rush that comes from cheap money/loans, then they have learned nothing. What's worse is that I do suspect it's going to happen.

  • @jeremybiggs8413
    @jeremybiggs8413 2 місяці тому +7

    ‘Cost so much and take so long to play’ - because they’re not making games, they’re making interactive movies.

  • @Mikes_NotSane
    @Mikes_NotSane 2 місяці тому

    such a great chat! Keep it up Adam, I love tuning in when I can. Shoutout Jason for keeping us all informed over the last few years

  • @devinfaux6987
    @devinfaux6987 2 місяці тому +33

    Are there any industries which *aren't* in crisis at this point?

    • @franjkav
      @franjkav 2 місяці тому +3

      Apple and oranges. Video games, and tech more broadly, are experiencing a lot of layoffs and have been for three years now

    • @rainbowkrampus
      @rainbowkrampus 2 місяці тому

      Capitalism is a system which engenders crises.
      A system which demands infinite growth cannot achieve stability in a market with limited resources. All industry will reach points of crisis in this system, collapse and then restructure. Assuming the collapse is not so great that demand drops to zero.
      The real question is, why do we tolerate a system which is guaranteed to produce failure and instability and destitution as a normal part of its function?

    • @darkridearts
      @darkridearts 2 місяці тому +5

      It's called a recession

    • @timpower4922
      @timpower4922 2 місяці тому +2

      No, most industries are amassing record profits right now. Stop giving the video game industry your money.

    • @timpower4922
      @timpower4922 2 місяці тому +1

      @@darkrideartsknowing things is better than just puking words.

  • @EnigmaticGentleman
    @EnigmaticGentleman 2 місяці тому +32

    I think the company that most exemplifies the current crisis is GameFreak. Thee people working there are clearly very talented and care a lot about the product (they wouldn't have such good character designs and music otherwise), but since the executives impose a strict 3 year cycle on games with such massive scope they really cant do much better than releasing deeply unpolished games.

    • @Kaimax61
      @Kaimax61 2 місяці тому +1

      Not thr companies that fires 100s of people, but the company that you hate for making games not for you anymore?
      lmao

    • @Blue-fg8vt
      @Blue-fg8vt 2 місяці тому

      Dude. The latest game was in such poor shape it gave me motion sickness.
      A game can be targeted to a younger audience and still be good. Look at Mario or miitopia.
      Pokemon's a good example of things going wrong become its the biggest media franchise in the world. ​@@Kaimax61

    • @Linklex7
      @Linklex7 2 місяці тому

      It’s funny how we always praise Nintendo for being different than the rest of the AAA industry . . . . until it comes to Pokémon. Pokémon and Gamefreak is when Nintendo becomes EA, Activision, or Ubisoft.

  • @michall6376
    @michall6376 2 місяці тому +32

    Adam really seems to keep up. Usually content creators that call themselves gamers just pose as ones. I get why Jason enjoys the interview so much.

    • @TheMetalGaia
      @TheMetalGaia 2 місяці тому +5

      That's Adam's strong suit for sure. He is always genuinely interested in the topic at hand.

    • @PhoTC
      @PhoTC 2 місяці тому +5

      well, calling Adam just a content creator is kinda wild given what he does in terms of unionization, and how he handles his research (Adam has ADHD and is particular, per his recent standup special). he's OG

    • @notreallythere477
      @notreallythere477 2 місяці тому +1

      Well, of course he's a gamer, he even tried to bring back Bleep Bloop!

  • @toverkleet
    @toverkleet 2 місяці тому +6

    Good counter example for the long hours playing is Baldurs Gate 3, released in 2023, almost fully independent financed, single and mulitplayer RPG, one run can last 100 hours, sales according to the makers (on reddit) 15 milion copies, won a huge slew of rewards, so there are those games still out there without corporate overlords looming over the process.

    • @goldbergbrain
      @goldbergbrain 2 місяці тому

      Surprised that BG3/Larian didn't come up. To me, they seem like the future model. Where's that book/analysis?

  • @AnimalXing
    @AnimalXing 2 місяці тому +1

    Phenomenal interview - loved it!

  • @Malekariel
    @Malekariel 2 місяці тому +68

    Nintendo doesn't chase trends it does it's own thing and focuses on quality rather than short term profit. Seems to work.

    • @The_Babe
      @The_Babe 2 місяці тому

      They're suehappy and shitty in plenty of other ways. While the games may be fun, everything surrounding it is pretty garbage

    • @jeffreblumenshine7103
      @jeffreblumenshine7103 2 місяці тому

      What about Game Freak?

    • @YouToobLovesNazis
      @YouToobLovesNazis 2 місяці тому +8

      They're also pretty terrible. They just have good PR, so only see the wholesome parts.

    • @Malekariel
      @Malekariel 2 місяці тому +10

      @@YouToobLovesNazis i dont think they're wholesome. They are a corporation like every other corporation, they just are less susceptible to the overeach and growth until bloat and layoff cycle. Stability > infinite growth

    • @pronoun171
      @pronoun171 2 місяці тому

      They are scum, they chase the trend if crush the competition and everyone else with lawsuits

  • @necromandy
    @necromandy 2 місяці тому +10

    As a friend of two people who have been long term Zynga employees: the buyout was SO disruptive to their work culture and environment. They both love their work but the energy shift Take2 brought seems to just be a constant buzz of giving their employees some serious anxiety when before it was a genuinely chill place to work at. I feel bad for them both because they both felt like they were working dream jobs before a deeply corporate hand closed around their throats. That said: they do still work there and didn’t get axed at least. It’s just before when the culture promoted creativity and fun it (from what they describe) feels more like they’re just trying hard not to be the slowest runner, now.

  • @NateBear
    @NateBear 2 місяці тому +25

    Enshitification and falling rate of profit issue all over every industry

    • @alfgwahigain5544
      @alfgwahigain5544 2 місяці тому

      And yet the industry doesn't seem capable of connecting those two things.

  • @ventusvero4484
    @ventusvero4484 Місяць тому +1

    24:50 No, People will not stop falling for it. People can't even stop falling for bad products. Why put effort and money into a product if you can do the bare minimum legally, sell it by the millions, apologize and promise to do better, wait 2-4 years and do it again, and the dum dums will buy it.

  • @arxaaron
    @arxaaron 2 місяці тому +6

    Nice to see donations to FFRF going into sponsoring your production work along side my Patreonage!

  • @kudlac1322
    @kudlac1322 2 місяці тому +35

    "Let's all laugh at an industry, that never learns anything. Tee hee hee" Ben "Yahtzee" Crowshaw

  • @takuminishijou5697
    @takuminishijou5697 2 місяці тому +8

    Games design by board rooms and micro transactions that run like garbage are ruining the industry. The suits fire the very people that tell them they are making crap. As a gamer from the first quarter dropped in a pinball machine before an atari existed, I have never seen such garbage pushed on the public by the high-end publishers. So sad.

  • @BeldansFire
    @BeldansFire 2 місяці тому +7

    How is each new episode my new favorite episode. Who the heck is your booking person they are doing great!!!

  • @Fazuchi24
    @Fazuchi24 2 місяці тому +9

    The lies Blizzard tould about Overwatch 2 was the nail in the coffin for me.

  • @WiiWillCtrlU
    @WiiWillCtrlU 2 місяці тому +2

    I've always heard things from Jason Schreier and his reports through other people. This was my first time ever seeing him & also hearing him directly. Instantly made me buy his newest book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment". Much appreciation for all his hard works

  • @bnbronstein
    @bnbronstein 2 місяці тому +5

    I MADE IT THROUGH THE BELATRO TALK and I just want to say this was a fantastic interview Jason was incredibly insightful and funny.

  • @faryndoodle
    @faryndoodle 2 місяці тому +11

    It seems silly to me that video game companies won't listen to their fans. If they want to make more money, supply consumers with what they want to pay for! And treat your employees as human beings...

    • @Spigele
      @Spigele 2 місяці тому +1

      Nope only shareholders and ceos matter

    • @bladelazoe
      @bladelazoe 2 місяці тому +1

      It does seem silly, because customers are the lifeblood of a company's survival. It's very simple, Amazing product= more money! Keep your talent and make better products = more money!! lol

  • @vexorian
    @vexorian 2 місяці тому +6

    I know what Jason is saying at 30:00. But I don't know. Maybe it was good for Blizzard at first that they were able to become an empire thanks to the initial corporate buyouts. But maybe it was bad for everyone else. Maybe Warcraft 2 was good enough, and we could have gotten stuff equivalent to Diablo or Starcraft from other indie companies, which would then be replaced by other small indie companies. Maybe it's fine for a company to exist only as long as its main game and then just dissolve and have the devs join some other ephemeral company.
    I am tired of empires.

  • @danielpotts7462
    @danielpotts7462 2 місяці тому +2

    Triple Click listener signing up to the Adam Conover podcast. Great, thoughtful podcast!

  • @WizdogC
    @WizdogC 2 місяці тому +1

    This was a great interview with Jason. I've been catching most of his appearances the last two weeks or so on all the other podcasts he's guested on. So it was nice to see mostly unique questions posed and the conversation taken in different directions compared to his other interviews.

  • @Ajbarili
    @Ajbarili 2 місяці тому +14

    The nintendo switch is an amazing console. Portable, but capable of bigger Tv games, so easy to add couch co-op and multiplayer, tons of amazing games. Everything the PS Vita was suppose to be.

    • @Kaimax61
      @Kaimax61 2 місяці тому +5

      Vita's main problem was the price and the proprietary memory card. Then sony giving up instead of making things cheaper.

    • @alfgwahigain5544
      @alfgwahigain5544 2 місяці тому

      The Wii was a fantastic system for its time. I'd buy a Wii 2 with better graphics and motion control. A console that encourages group play is always a good thing.

  • @LandOfTheFallen
    @LandOfTheFallen 2 місяці тому +20

    Can people stop with the “layoffs being a correction”! These studios are more profitable than ever. The layoffs simply occurred because it’s a quick way of pleasing the shareholders.

    • @anena2487
      @anena2487 2 місяці тому +9

      Yeah, if anything im glad people are getting radicalized to not stand for this shit anymore, but genuine change in the industry is gonna be hard to achieve :((

    • @txDDS
      @txDDS 2 місяці тому +1

      Yeah Arrowhead Studio is real profitable. Lol.

    • @LandOfTheFallen
      @LandOfTheFallen 2 місяці тому

      @@txDDS idk if you’re being sarcastic or not.

    • @txDDS
      @txDDS 2 місяці тому +1

      @@LandOfTheFallenmeant to say Firewalk studio. Arrowhead is actually one of the few super profitable studios. I can't believe these 2 guys spent an hour talking about the state of the games industry and didn't once bring up DEI and woke agendas screwing up that's games

    • @LandOfTheFallen
      @LandOfTheFallen 2 місяці тому

      @@txDDS so you’re just dumb.
      Keep on keeping on.

  • @21CenturyBreakdownX
    @21CenturyBreakdownX 2 місяці тому +3

    59:30 : I usually stick to a $1-$2/hour of gameplay rule when buying games. Consequently, I only play indie games now. And it has worked out beautifully for me.

  • @QuercusQuest
    @QuercusQuest Місяць тому

    This discussion is so important. The gaming industry's paradox of record-breaking profits alongside mass layoffs is mind-boggling. Jason Schreier's insights on the cost and instability of game development are eye-opening-thanks for shedding light on an issue that impacts both creators and players. Can we as gamers do anything to help support sustainable development practices? Amazing work, Adam!

  • @AlexRFightgames
    @AlexRFightgames 2 місяці тому +1

    Adam, it is so cool to see you doing so well and being such a media presence. Brett and I talk about you pretty often. Big ups from buddies you may or may not remember from high school in Florida. (-- Alex R)

  • @soeasyastonercoulddoit
    @soeasyastonercoulddoit 2 місяці тому +5

    An FFRF ad!?! You just earned yourself a UA-cam premium subscriber

  • @MedievalGenie
    @MedievalGenie 2 місяці тому +4

    I am disappointed to not hear microtransactions covered as an industry trend in and of itself. It fundamentally changed the market so that eventually games were being replaced by live services.

  • @Graghma
    @Graghma 2 місяці тому +3

    That 30% transaction fee is indeed huge... it works out to be 50%+ of all the profit games make. Wish there was more discussion around all the money made in the industry that doesn't seem to make it into the workers hands that made the games.

  • @ConorRochon
    @ConorRochon 2 місяці тому +1

    FYI: I would listen to Adam and Jason talk about Balatro for hours. Excellent interview.

  • @phithinker02
    @phithinker02 2 місяці тому

    I love that Adam's interviews often bring up a labor perspective. Also really appreciated Jason's commentary from that angle too.

  • @dziooooo
    @dziooooo 2 місяці тому +8

    1:31:40 this is such a uniquely American nonsense. Almost every developed country (and many developing countries) have stronger labor laws, worker protections and mandatory notice periods for employees. Mine is currently 3 MONTHS. Somehow, buisenesses manage to fire and offboard staff without much trouble.
    It may come as a surprise, but if you don't treat your employees like disposable and easily exploitable trash, they generally don't retaliate against the company during their last weeks of employment, when you can no longer threaten them with firing.

  • @dziooooo
    @dziooooo 2 місяці тому +19

    38:13 the description of Blizzard's "college campus culture" and imagining working in that environment just made me recoil. A bunch of 20-30-something male "alpha nerds" working, living and partying together - you just know they had zero incentives to develop ANY kind of emotional maturity, basic adult skills or good personal hygiene habits. I can SMELL this concept.

    • @ScudForEver
      @ScudForEver 2 місяці тому +1

      They made the phrase "shit games" smell kinda literally.

    • @gceskkng3568
      @gceskkng3568 2 місяці тому +4

      Yeah, but that was at the height of their popularity. They were producing games that people wanted to play just because they've added more women Now. Doesn't necessarily mean that they're better. In fact, it seems to be the opposite. The majority.
      Of gamers are male, so it would make sense to have the majority of your company male if you wanted to resonate with that demographic

    • @dziooooo
      @dziooooo 2 місяці тому

      @@gceskkng3568 i don't even know where to begin. First of all, today this is a tiny majority. Something like 70-75% of women play video games, they make up almost half of all the gamers.
      Second of all, the video you're commenting under very clearly explains that increased diversity had nothing to do with the problems of the gaming industry and the quality of games produced - the key factor was greed and corporate mismanagement. Increased diversity (of gender, age, academic background, economic class, nationality - any category) is ALWAYS beneficial to an organization, unless it's managed and staffed by incompetent bigots.
      And third of all, the idea that the author needs to be from the same demographic as the audience for the work to reach that audience and resonate with them is just nonsense. Almost every person on the goddamn planet has spent their life enjoying games, movies, books and tv shows made by and about people who don't look like them and don't share their exact experiences. The only demographic that seems to loudly announce that it makes it impossible for them to relate to the story if it's not explicitly for and about them is cis white straight dudes.

    • @sophiaperennis2360
      @sophiaperennis2360 2 місяці тому +3

      Those people made their greatest games. Emotional maturity brought nothing but mediocrity, and Blizzard has produced nothing but utter trash since 2010.

    • @argylemanni280
      @argylemanni280 Місяць тому

      "Ummm are you emotionally mature? I can SMELL you!" it was a great time and great games and people like Schreier and yourself could never fit into that environment so you're complaining about it decades later

  • @mrBignick-v9g
    @mrBignick-v9g 2 місяці тому +58

    In today's world you pay 70$ for a game and then once you buy it, you have to pay 20$ more for the ending.

    • @Xenophagist
      @Xenophagist 2 місяці тому

      Wrong!

    • @brandongers
      @brandongers 2 місяці тому

      Name one game where you have to pay for the ending…

    • @Bobnumber6million
      @Bobnumber6million 2 місяці тому +12

      ​@@brandongersdiablo 4

    • @nateolison7553
      @nateolison7553 2 місяці тому +5

      ​@@brandongers That's basically every game with an expansion pack tbh. They give you part now and you pay for the rest later.
      Even in fighting games... pay $70 for the game and then pay for the rest of the cast.

    • @aprotosis
      @aprotosis 2 місяці тому

      @@nateolison7553 I suppose as long as we consider it the same thing when you watch a new season of a tv show or a movie sequel. How dare they not include the whole story in the original offering!

  • @sledgehammer5033
    @sledgehammer5033 2 місяці тому

    Schreier is one of the best people you could have gotten to talk about this. Great episode!

  • @AlexMakesGames40
    @AlexMakesGames40 9 днів тому +1

    That documentary series Jason recommends, psyodessy I just watched it. It is also now the best documentary I've ever seen
    It's not like I'm surprised Jason schreier has good taste in documentaries, but it's a shockingly good documentary

  • @tiffdd4282
    @tiffdd4282 2 місяці тому +4

    He’s like if Jason from Home Movies was real and was an adult

  • @lazloholyfield9902
    @lazloholyfield9902 2 місяці тому +4

    Capcom is a fairly big studio and they are doing pretty well, but they never lost sight on who their main customers are.

  • @nickblomgren
    @nickblomgren 2 місяці тому +5

    I'm just going to throw out this wild theory: That four years into a consoles lifecycle, and your game system still hasn't seen like, _a basic price-cut,_ maybe contributing to people not purchasing your console and sticking with the old one?

    • @alaskanyeti907
      @alaskanyeti907 2 місяці тому

      And they're still pumping out games for the previous console generation

    • @MissLadyRukia
      @MissLadyRukia 2 місяці тому

      Developers don't even have time to master a current-gen console before they have to start learning how to use next-gen. Games in a 5-7 production cycle making it a cross-gen.

  • @levierickson7321
    @levierickson7321 2 місяці тому +2

    I pivoted to teaching game design at a STEM high school this August
    These students are the future of the industry

  • @yorusama5011
    @yorusama5011 2 місяці тому

    Love Conover's youtube! The old show he had was a ton of fun. But I def love keeping up with him here. I hope he will continually do well enough to keep providing content for me!

  • @IndianTelephone
    @IndianTelephone 2 місяці тому +7

    it's just so sad that the gaming industry has fallen to capitalism l was always so proud of it. Its the most unique form of art, where the consumer can interact with the art, and yet...

  • @Manic.miner2077
    @Manic.miner2077 2 місяці тому +3

    They stopped listening to the customer, instead they are focused on safe profit.

  • @SIGNIFYING_NOTHING
    @SIGNIFYING_NOTHING 2 місяці тому +15

    1:34:08 -- For the record, I made it past the Balatro talk.

  • @OtherMomo
    @OtherMomo 2 місяці тому +2

    Theres a meme that goes around every once in a while of a really old image of sonic the hedgehog, saying "i want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and i am NOT KIDDING", and boy is that not a joke, considering how successful indie games are these days.

    • @OtherMomo
      @OtherMomo 2 місяці тому

      Another thing i wanna mention is, ps5-to-ps5 pro, it's not easy to actually OBSERVE the benefits, you need pros with technical knowledge (and a trustworthy reputation) to show you the benefit, plus some games like turismo actually in my opinion look worse on pro.
      The switch is very obviously a lower end console on the performance side, so the rumor thst it will be able to perform atlnearly the se level as the ps 4 pro means almost all modern games will not only be able to run on it, but also will already have a version thst can be optimized easily, since so many new gen games launched with old-gen versions (ps5/ps4) or in Xbox specific cases, a version that needs to run on the series s (a thing that should not have existed)

  • @stevenbanks1548
    @stevenbanks1548 Місяць тому

    This is an excellent interview. Thanks.

  • @TheWes.t
    @TheWes.t 2 місяці тому +8

    I tried to check my library and couldn't get it. Might just buy the book

    • @dziooooo
      @dziooooo 2 місяці тому +5

      Many libraries accept book purchase requests! Check if there's a form to fill out, they might buy the book and make it available to all readers in your area.

    • @HeftyHalfling
      @HeftyHalfling 2 місяці тому +1

      Jesus. Just buy the book. Support the author. Then donate it to your library.

  • @Aries73
    @Aries73 2 місяці тому +15

    Nintendo saw this crisis coming a long time ago, which is why they stopped chasing power and tech and focused more on making fun games like Fire Emblem, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Metroid Prime. The obsession with cutting-edge graphics and cinematics has put the "AAA" industry in a no-win situation.

    • @alfgwahigain5544
      @alfgwahigain5544 2 місяці тому +1

      The Wii hit the market at the perfect time when my kids were younger. But it wasn't just the kids. We had parties with adults and kids playing Wii Sports and others. When's the last time that happened?
      I really believe if Nintendo released a Wii 2 and it was just the same idea with updated hardware, it would be another hit. The group and family aspects of it may not appeal to the hardcore segment of the gaming community, but a console that got people off the couch and playing together was a magical thing. But there were also a lot of good single player games, as well. The graphics were sub standard, but when those games hit right, they were great.

  • @praxp
    @praxp 2 місяці тому +10

    Looking forward to this. Let me know if you want to talk about the games industry and environmental sustainability!
    We are writing a book about it and the political economy of the industry as big tech is a huge issue that is super hard to address.

  • @aznjoker77
    @aznjoker77 2 місяці тому

    Love both of you guys separately, super pleased to see you altogether!

  • @victorvila1389
    @victorvila1389 Місяць тому

    Loved this conversation!

  • @humech
    @humech 2 місяці тому +6

    I am one of those laid off gamedevs, I was in admin and not the actual making of the game but as support staff. Deciding in my 30's to leave that dream behind and find a new career. I do have an indie project or two that I plink away at slowly but it's over for me

  • @daetros1626
    @daetros1626 2 місяці тому +3

    The problem with the Game industry is that there is no captive audience to exploit. Companies want to abuse their workers, produce "barely acceptable" garbage, scrape their customers, and generate maximum shareholder profit. Unlike almost every industry, there ARE STILL passionate individuals and small studios making indie games that put the milled out corporate crap to shame. They can't just charge $infinity for trash, so their SOP is failing to generate expected profit.

  • @ZZ-sb8os
    @ZZ-sb8os 2 місяці тому +14

    P2W ruined the greatest MMORPG ever, RIFT. The first few years of RIFT were glorious, the most fun I've ever had playing any video game since I first began in 1985...and then the microtransactions began. It caused all the really serious, dedicated players who really love the game to lose interest and move on, and before long they were only two player types, the whales who could afford the P2W content that followed, or noobs who had not yet realized that they needed to either start coughing up the $$$ or find another game to play.

    • @daviddobarganes9115
      @daviddobarganes9115 2 місяці тому

      This describes so many games
      Im at the point if I see some kind of premium currency I almost always immediately uninstall

  • @tomasalem
    @tomasalem 2 місяці тому

    What a great dynamic and insightful talk, first time viewer from Brazil, thank you

  • @aungthuhein007
    @aungthuhein007 2 місяці тому

    OMG! Adam is a such big gamer! Absolutely loved this episode and re-discovering Adam.

  • @thomaskim2159
    @thomaskim2159 2 місяці тому +3

    Consumers are running out of money. Restaurants are going bankrupt. Walgreens closing 1,000 stores. Disney world attendance lowest since pandemic. Credit card defaults highest in years. It’s no wonder video games are struggling

    • @alfgwahigain5544
      @alfgwahigain5544 2 місяці тому

      Housing - and rentals in general - is a huge part of the current financial crisis. Wall Street now buys up hundreds of thousands of family units and jacks up the rent. It makes it difficult for everyone and anything that needs to rent or own living or business space to afford things.

  • @dustinkilburn
    @dustinkilburn 2 місяці тому +5

    Replied to one his tweets asking what a Chud was. And why I couldn't respond to his previous post.
    Got blocked within 2 minutes. For no reason.
    But it makes much more sense now

  • @UNSCMarine117
    @UNSCMarine117 2 місяці тому +7

    Hey weren't monopolys illegal at one point?

    • @AlexP-dz7ew
      @AlexP-dz7ew 2 місяці тому +1

      Yep. And Ronald Reagan decided that was stupid

    • @UNSCMarine117
      @UNSCMarine117 2 місяці тому +1

      @@AlexP-dz7ew
      Is Ronald Reagan still alive?

    • @Vanity0666
      @Vanity0666 2 місяці тому +2

      Yeah so were stock buybacks

    • @Vanity0666
      @Vanity0666 2 місяці тому

      ​​@@UNSCMarine117doesn't matter, the laws and bills he passed gave all power of government office over to the highest bidder. Those positions of power have no financial interest in changing it back because they are personally being enriched to an obscene extent.

    • @anena2487
      @anena2487 2 місяці тому +3

      @@UNSCMarine117no but the consequences of him being alive at one point sure are

  • @hazmodanCola
    @hazmodanCola 2 місяці тому +1

    Jason is an absolute hero for the game industry. Great interview!!