Kyuu said:
According to Wikipedia, Diablo 2 sold over 1 million copies in the first two weeks, which set a record for computer games. Just over a year after release, Diablo 2 had sold around 4 million copies.
Diablo 3 did not sell 10 million copies on "day one". It had sold 10 million copies 2 months after release.
hair-splitting. Seriously. 10 million copies is still a lot even for 2 months.
Kyuu said:
You can't really compare a game released in 2000 with a recently released game in terms of simple numbers sold. The games market is different; it's much more mainstream. There is a much larger potential customer base. There's much more marketing and buzz and hype around (AAA) game releases.
well, yes and no. I think you can compare a lot of things though.
Companies back then had to make money, just as they do today. With the difference that today there is a much broader access to expertise, thx to more education programms, schools dedicated to design, particularly game design, more people geting involved and interested in that field. Compare the quality of concept art for example done during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000 for games with what you can see now. It is not NOT only about technology, people like Syd Mead or Hr. Giger have thrown out great designs with traditional media long before the PC became a standart in both Graphic design and Visual art (Concept art). Many of those people though worked in huge fields, like the Car industry, Movies etc. But today you have more and more people with the skill and konwledge making art and concepts specifically with games in mind -> see
http://www.fzdschool.com/
So the access to the technology has become much easier as well. Just imagine, not long ago to realize things on the PC took not only ages, but it was also very expensive, as it required hardware and knowledge that had yet to be developed. The software those people developed could easily buy you an home thats how expensive it was. Now? There is more 3D art and stuff out there then ever before, thx to the software becoming affordable for the normal person and the home PC beeing capable to render things in an decent time frame. Seriously, Some projects have been realized completely with free software like Blender. And even very professional software like ZBrush or 3D max are in price ranges a normal person can buy. So money, is less of an factor for people to follow the things they are interested in.
So with that alone, making games is today not only easier, but also cheaper compared to the past, like the early late 1980s and early 1990s. The teams have been a lot smaller though, companies too, which did not require a game to sell 3 milion units to be profitable. A lot of the tasks have been done only by a handfull of people, be it from the writing, to the concept art and the programming even. Sim City for example was basically made in an garage, by if I remember correctly just a few people, 2 or 3 people. But I am not sure anymore where I have read that so I could be wrong here. Anyway, fact is that over time when games became more popular teams and companies became bigger as well. So if an game was made by maybe 10 people, today it can be easily 100 or even more, with their own teams, and team leaders, concept artists, lead designers and this does not count in the work that is outsourced to people specialiced in character design, creature design, world design (for Half Life 2 they hired Viktor Antonov known for his world designs who also designed the levels/world and characters of dishonored together with many other artists of course). So there are lot of people that have to be feed. And there is still the publisher and investors eventually which want their part of the game as well. But even all that, can be still managed.
What is really pushing the costs of games high? Its marketing my friend. TV ads, big campaigns, like viral marketing campaigns, AIDA models and what else exists. I guess that a company like Bethesda for example is not doing the marketing all by them self. They probably either go to an known agency (expensive!) or hire consultants with the right expertise. This is very common as far as usual graphic design goes, because graphic design is so close to advertisements, albeit only for the visuals. But the jump from graphic design to marketing is not that high, as far as studing goes its what many do. I remember a chart where they showed what ONLY the production costs of a game like Call of Duty are, and what the marketing costs. Compared to the marketing which have been easily more then 200 milion dollar, the production of the game though was compared to it relatively small, "only" around 40-50m
Of course such games also generate a lot of money for the companies, but when you have to consider that a game like Modern Warefare might have sold what? 15 million units?
But I personaly think its a bit disturbing that a game today has to sell a MINIMUM of 3 million units to be succesfull, and when you see that an kick starter project like wasteland 2 or torment numnera asks for "only" 1 million $, then I have the feeling that the costs have reached an point that is in no relation to the game you get. A game like CoD, which costs so much, but offers you maybe entertainment for just a couple of hours. Shooters like Half Life 1 for example could take days to finish them. If you dont rush trough the game. FEAR was one of the shooters that I played not long ago, where I was very surprised how long it took you before you reached the end of the game for example. Compared to that games like Metro are finished in almost 1 day. And still, I am convinced that Wasteland 2 and Numnera will be games of high quality, with great and interesting content and pleasing visuals, as far as the engine and all that goes, I mean the screenshots they have shown look already pretty neat in my eyes. Its not using the latest technology, but who ever said, that would be needed?
