Discussion DS2 and GTA6 prove that development talent, not console power, is the limiting factor

[James Sawyer Ford]

It's not just talent, it's also resources and time. Both Rockstar and Kojima have the clout to basically get blank cheques from publishers.

I don’t think this argument works in all cases. EA also had resources and time, yet we get botched Star Wars releases

Same with Ubisoft. Same with From.

Some devs just truly have better technical talent.

 

[Admiral]

I don’t think this argument works in all cases. EA also had resources and time, yet we get botched Star Wars releases

Same with Ubisoft. Same with From.

Some devs just truly have better technical talent.

Isn't it reasonable to assume that those devs command a bigger salary? Rockstar can hire them, Kojima can lure them with his prestige, I don't think such a developer would go to work for EA and get laid off as soon as the game is done. These publishers seem to be burning through developers and most of their hires are probably inexperienced devs with not many other options.

 

[Yobo]

But this has always been the case

The cream always rises to the top. The same devs that were the graphical powerhouses on PS3 are the graphical powerhouses today

They just have more ambition and better ways of working to achieve graphical success

But there's a lot of examples now that it's not the only way to success. BG3 and Elden Ring are way behind what we will get from Rockstar or Naughty Dog in graphics but their scale of ambition shows up in other ways

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X are all more than capable gaming consoles. It's up to the publishers to give the money, resources and most importantly of all, time to their development studios in order for them to make sure that the game they're developing looks, runs and plays great while also accomplishing what they want the game to be.

You really wanna give them more time? Are some biblical prophet who expect to live 900 years?
By the way, DS2 took less development time than average AAA nowadays.

 

[John Silver]

Let's all just say the truth, UE5 is a disaster from a performance standpoint and too many projects are using it that don't need it and too many people got swept up in the hype and rushed into an engine change without properly scoping out the games

UE5 is not the problem, UE5 is great, it has made C tier developers punch above their weight And accomplished ones shine amazingly more than they would without it. When UE5 hits it hits on levels nearly nothing can touch it. You people have to play helblade 2 even if like a movie, the things there REAL TIME are insane for an Xbox, Robocop game have incredible detail for the enviroments and runs at 60 fps.

Plus you are going to get a look at what UE5 can do when Amy Hennig drops Marvel 1943.

 

[John Silver]

Fromsoft would benefit switching to Unreal Engine.

 

[heroeskillrats]

Rockstar Games is in a really unique position. For one they popularized open world games with GTA 3 so they were basically "first." Being there first with a gigantic new genre is safe to say a great advantage, just look at Fortnite.
Being first has ton of advantages, they've built up a reputation not only with gamers but also with critics which means they can land 10s easier, a huge advantage in a competitive market.
The driving in GTA 4 and 5 wasn't fun at all, the guns sound mediocre, despite being open world their game design is really restrictive.
And perhaps most importantly gyro controls is a necessity for any shooting game, it should be industry standard, autoaim shouldn't exist because it'd ruin not only the single player but the online, too.
There's no reason why Splatoon should have superior shooting than a billion dollar game.
If GTA 6 comes out with autoaim/no gyro etc and still gets 10s that's the being there first edge, I don't think any other developer would get rewarded for worse gameplay.
I'm sure critics will talk about some new feature like horse balls again like that's an excuse the core game mechanics aren't any fun.
But I don't think there's any question custom engines are the way to go. I think any gamer that celebrates when their favorite franchise switches to Unreal Engine are simply ignorant.
The reason why Unreal Engine is gaining popularity is because the gaming industry is scalper based, most companies fire employees for any reason they want (just look at Microsoft deleting Tango Gameworks after they said they wanted "smaller games that give us prestige and awards" which exactly what that studio did) or employees leave because they have to work unreasonable hours and then new employees have to learn a custom engine which takes time which no company wants to waste.

 

[Boswollox]

No shit

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

GTA6 has a rumored $2 billion budget.

DS2 is from a studio prodigy whose startup was directly funded by SIE, a major platform holder.

I'd say both are indicative even more of having huge budgets and the right industry connections & pull, more so than simply being down to talent (although the people involved with them are very talented, of course).

 

[ethomaz]

GTA6 shows the opposite lol

Console factor was a big limiting factor for over a decade.
Still is when the biggest discussion is if GTA6 will even be 60fps before PS6.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

GTA6 has a rumored $2 billion budget.

DS2 is from a studio prodigy whose startup was directly funded by SIE, a major platform holder.

I'd say both are indicative even more of having huge budgets and the right industry connections & pull, more so than simply being down to talent (although the people involved with them are very talented, of course).

Studios using UE5 should, in theory, have massive teams at EPIC to support….much more than SIE for Decima

 

[peter42O]

You really wanna give them more time? Are some biblical prophet who expect to live 900 years?
By the way, DS2 took less development time than average AAA nowadays.

Depends on the game. A lot of games need more time and im someone who's always on the "delay" bandwagon because I want the game to be great. I don't want games being rushed and for what? So people can bitch that they were rushed? I have no problem waiting.

 

[Evilms]

Console power isn’t the issue, it never was this generation

I agree with this.

 

[Yobo]

Fromsoft would benefit switching to Unreal Engine.

They'd benefit from using Bluepoints upgraded version of their engine

 

[R4tion4l Sk3pt1c]

GTA 6 has been in development since 2014 with the backing of Take-2 one of the larger video game publishers not ever game has that long of a development cycle with a big publisher funding their game