{"id":929,"date":"2021-04-19T15:12:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/?p=929"},"modified":"2021-04-19T15:12:24","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:12:24","slug":"the-end-is-nigh-because-of-the-darkside-of-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-end-is-nigh-because-of-the-darkside-of-delays\/","title":{"rendered":"The End is Nigh … because of the Darkside of Delays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in January of 2020 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MY FOLLOWERS!!!  THE FINAL DAYS ARE UPON US!!!  VIDEO GAMES ARE COMING TO AN END IN 2020.  We have been blinded by false promises and an avalanche of hype.  We failed to heed the warnings presented to us and now it is too late.  The end has finally come for video games.  With Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Marvel\u2019s Avengers, Dying Light 2,<\/em> and the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 <\/em>all being delayed, we can only conclude the end of video games is nigh.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now surely, you think I am mad.  DOOMSAYER, THIS IS NOTHING NEW!!!  Game delays have almost become normalized.  From the vile abomination, Duke Nukem Forever <\/em>to the highly anticipated, Animal Crossing New Horizons,<\/em> hearing a game is met with delays has become routine.  In fact, many developers have spoken out how delaying a game can help them put on the correct polish to tie the whole game together.  Many often bring up that famous Shigeru Miyamoto quote whenever devs have to delay the release of a game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA delayed game is eventually good.  A bad game is forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

       -Shigeru Miyamoto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, I, the Video Game Doomsayer, must be for game delays when they are not ready for release.  My sweet summer child, this is the game industry, where ideas that are good on paper are turned against us to appease the avaricious executives and shareholders.  Yes, I believe if a game is not ready for release, publishers should not ship it incomplete.  However, I can\u2019t stand by a delayed game, if developers are going to experience crunch to complete it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the announcement that Cyberpunk 2077<\/em> is delayed to September 17, 2020, speculation began to grow on whether CD Projekt Red would subjugate its developers to crunch.  Word of CD Projekt Red\u2019s love for crunch had broken out during the development of The Witcher 3<\/em> and were merely hand-waved by CD Projekt Red claiming the way they make games isn\u2019t for everyone.  Well, the rumors were confirmed by CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kicinski during an investor call:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs the development team required to put in crunch hours?  To some degree, yes, to be honest.  We try to limit crunch as much as possible, but it is the final stage. We try to be reasonable in this regard, but yes. Unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Adam Kicinski<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quite frankly, it is disappointing to see CD Projekt Red, a company that is so charitable to the consumer, turn around and abuse their employees.  If EA were to say every game had to have microtransactions and that\u2019s the way they always did it, we would string up their executives for lashings.  While it might not seem as apocalyptic as microtransactions, CD Projekt Red\u2019s apathy to crunch could lead to the end of the industry.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You need only glance at the web to find stories of developer burnout.  Jason Schreier\u2019s article on Anthem <\/em>highlighted tales of developers taking time off due to stress and never returning.  This burnout can cause many to leave the industry.  The mastermind behind the Bioshock <\/em>series, Ken Levine, stepped away from Bioshock <\/em>and developing games in 2014.  The stress of managing the exorbitant Irrational Games had driven him to pull back from it all.  While he has started his own small indie studio, Ghost Story Games, I can only fathom how many creative people like Levine, have stepped away from the industry due to crunch.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some people might see developers as replaceable.\u00a0 Many tech companies have fostered this idea that the next guy in line can fill your spot the mere second you step out of line.\u00a0 Some publishers have also seemed to have weaponized their fans against the notation of developers being treated as anything less than slaves.\u00a0 While many hoped CD Projekt Red would take all the time necessary to complete Cyberpunk 2077<\/em>, a small vocal minority threw temper tantrums.\u00a0 They demanded developers work excruciating hours just so they could have their toy now.\u00a0 Well, my followers, this childish attitude is the road to the ruin of the games industry.\u00a0 By all means, be disappointed that Cyberpunk 2077<\/em> is delayed, but remember people make games.\u00a0 People will eventually push back when backed into a stress enduring corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While it might seem like there is an endless supply of developers looking to work themselves to the bone, I am here to tell you that well will eventually run dry.\u00a0 With all the stories of crunch coming to light, I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if publishers start struggling to find developers.\u00a0 With less and less creative people entering the industry due to its love of crunch, the best we can hope for is every game turns into a factory standard copy-paste job similar to the recent Call of Duty\u2019<\/em>s.\u00a0 <\/em>A fate worse than death for this medium.\u00a0 Nothing lasts forever, not even the blind loyalty of developers.\u00a0 I can only hope my soapbox cries against crunch can be heard.\u00a0 We must not turn a blind eye against it; even if it means chastising CD Projekt Red.\u00a0 So no delays will not cause the collapse of the video games industry, but I am certain delays combined with crunch will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good, Owen S. \u201cCyberpunk 2077 Still Needs Crunch Time to Complete, CEO Says.\u201d Polygon<\/em>, Polygon, 18 Jan. 2020, www.polygon.com\/2020\/1\/18\/21071895\/cyberpunk-2077-delay-crunch-cd-projekt-red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makuch, Eddie. \u201cWhy Ken Levine Stopped Making BioShock Games.\u201d GameSpot<\/em>, Gamespot, 15 Sept. 2016, www.gamespot.com\/articles\/why-ken-levine-stopped-making-bioshock-games\/1100-6443595\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in January of 2020 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy. MY FOLLOWERS!!!  THE FINAL DAYS ARE UPON US!!!  VIDEO GAMES ARE COMING TO AN END IN 2020.  We have been blinded by false promises and an avalanche of hype. … Continue reading The End is Nigh … because of the Darkside of Delays<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":939,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929\/revisions\/939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}