You're a disgrace is this is your attitude. What happened to gaming, for everyone? Inclusivity for all people, regardless of their world view?
It's particularly irksome because I've been gaming since the late 80's, which, admittedly isn't as long as some, and to see the hobby I've put decades in to, like many others, become occupied by corporate ball-washers under the guise of "everyone should be able to play games, casual gamers won't affect your games or how you play", only for those new players to now support and defend practices damaging to the industry, does indeed grip my shit.
More over, for someone who supposedly writes about the industry, your dismissive attitude towards it and its customers shows your inexperience of both business and gaming. How can you support always online? When those servers inevitably shut down, we lose those games, forever. Why would you want to lose those experiences?
I think you are blowing this out of proportion. It's not about whether I support always online or not. It's where the industry is heading and there is nothing I can really do about it. The rules of the game have changed, people have changed, monetization has changed, social media has changed everything, including the world, politics and gaming, and as a whole, the industry has changed over the last few decades. Nothing is forever.
As far as the customers go, the only thing I can do is suggest someone or give a piece of advice and an honest opinion of whether I believe game X, Y, or Z is good or bad, and here is why it is good or bad and here is why you should or shouldn't spend your money. My inexperience in both business and gaming? You have no clue what my experience is with gaming and with the business. I have been playing games since the 90s myself, I lived through the PC era and early dial-up and the rise of Facebook, YouTube, and Social Media just like many people have as well. I've met gaming industry executives, producers, CEOs, and so on. And have done over 50 interviews with high-profile people in person. So for you to tell me I have no experience is quite a reach don't you think?
The reality is we are a dying generation of gamers and we are growing old and one day we won't be here anymore. When I was growing up I didn't have a smartphone or a iPad or a VR device. Did you? Pretty positive in the 80s you had even less shit than the people who were born in the 90s My nephew who's 7 years old has already witnessed VR, Smartphones, and Social Media at an extremely young age, and that age is 100% digital. Do you think he's going to give a shit if you have to be always online? His already born into it.
Once again, people here are too upset about someone else having a very strong opinion and the one who actually realizes where the industry is heading in the near future. Me telling someone to quit the hobby simply means that based on what people tell me that the future of gaming doesn't seem like it's going to be for them anymore. It's not me trying to be a dick or snarky to tell you to go away. You either adapt and go with it or you move on with your life.
Do you really think Sony just bought Bungie for shit and giggles? The whole goal was to secure a wide variety of Games As A Service titles for the future. They even came out and officially said they'll have 10 or so games by 2025 that are all based on live service. And all live services games are 100% online only, whether you play alone or not. Destiny 2 is one example, Sea of Thieves is another.
BR Games like Fortnite and Apex Legends are as well. You then have titles like Final Fantasy 14 and World of Warcraft, granted those are MMOs but plenty of people play them solo as well and do solo content and those games require 100% online uptime since the day they were released. I am 100% confident that Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Factions will also be online only 100% of the time. The new upcoming Horizon MMO title or whatever it will be will also be 100% online only and I have no issues with it. Redfall is obviously going to be a live-service game as well. There is no possible human way that Redfall won't be receiving any updates or some sort of playable content.
The game is on Game Pass, the game is online only, and the game supports solo and multiplayer play, the game will be supported as long as it is needed to be supported. I will be very shocked and flabergasted if Redfall isn't a live-service game. Now if you dislike live service titles, it's fine, its not for you. Not everything is made for everyone. It's physically impossible to make everyone happy.
