When Enough is Enough: Popular Game Genres in Trouble

One can gamble and invest money into a unique idea or go with the pack, trying to build the next big game in a popular genre. Both strategies carry risks. I’ll examine some once-great but now faltering genres in this article, drawing lessons from recent mistakes.

Battle Royale Games Start the Death List

Remember when PUBG and Fortnite redefined the gaming landscape? It seemed like every developer wanted to get a slice of that battle royale pie. I’ve lost count of how often I was asked to “scrap a quote” for a PUBG-inspired game. But, as with any trend, the market became oversaturated, and players grew tired of the same formula. Ubisoft's Hyper Scape, for example, launched with high hopes in 2020, aiming to be a fresh take on the genre. Yet, by early 2023, it was officially shut down due to underwhelming player engagement.

Live Service Games: The Next Punching Bag

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy many games in this genre. But it’s hard to ignore how crowded the live service niche has become. It now resembles more of a blood ocean than a blue one. I remember a conversation with Alessandro Gaudiosi from Sony at GCAP in 2023. He was skeptical about the sustainability of live service games, and looking back, his concerns were justified. Games like Marvel’s Avengers and Babylon's Fall were massive investments, yet both titles were shut down due to dwindling player numbers and slow content updates. The lesson here is clear: even the biggest franchises with solid IPs can’t guarantee long-term success.

AR/VR Games: A Future on Hold

Unlike the two genres above, I wouldn’t be overly pessimistic about AR/VR games’ future. However, they faced a significant hiccup over the past few years because the expectations were too high. ByteDance, for example, shut down its Pico VR division in 2023, despite substantial initial investments. Apple's Vision Pro launch in 2024 created buzz but highlighted that mainstream adoption of VR might still be years away due to affordability issues. It reminds me of the ongoing hype around AI, which is at risk of imploding due to over-inflated promises.

But here's my take: VR games should have learned to walk before they ran. I believe it will take a few more years—and much more affordable wearables—before we see broad adoption in the gaming space.

Innovators vs. Cautious Followers

Where is the line between innovation and cautious following? The truth is that players get bored—quickly. You can only have so many "Diablo killers" and "next big MMORPGs" before even the most devoted fans of a genre lose enthusiasm. So, if it seems like your genre is experiencing an all-time high, it might be the perfect time to channel your creative efforts elsewhere.

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