"Simply, enough": The pleas of an industry veteran in the face of overly long games

“Great, another 150-hour game,” said no one ever. And by “no one,” I also mean Josh Sawyer, a veteran video game developer known for his work on titles like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, who has expressed his discontent with the current trend in the video game industry that dictates the need to create increasingly longer experiences. In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Sawyer stated that it’s not necessary for video games to expand massively, citing examples like Skyrim and The Witcher 3. “We don’t need to make them bigger. Just stop. I don’t think most players want games that are six times bigger than Skyrim or eight times bigger than The Witcher 3”, he indicated.

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More hours! It’s war!

Sawyer’s perspective highlights the importance of the quality of the gaming experience rather than its duration. According to him, it is not essential to reach the end credits of a game to fully enjoy it. This analysis aligns with opinions previously expressed by other industry experts, such as Shawn Layden, who has also raised questions about the future direction of video games.

The latest project led by Sawyer, Pentiment, presents a more moderate approach, with an approximate duration of 20 hours. This represents a clear opposition to the culture of extensive games, where many titles currently require dozens of hours to complete. Sawyer mentions that, within a reasonable margin, developers can make games a little bigger or smaller, as long as they manage to offer a rich and entertaining experience without falling into repetition or monotony.

Over time, it will be interesting to see if Sawyer’s words will have an impact on the design and development of video games. The discussion about the length and quality of gaming experiences remains relevant and could shape the future direction of the industry.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt DOWNLOAD