A former Starfield developer, Will Shen, reveals player fatigue with excessively long AAA games. This saturation of the market with lengthy titles, he suggests, is fueling a resurgence of shorter gaming experiences.
Shen, a veteran with credits including Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, points to the industry's trend towards "evergreen" games, exemplified by Skyrim's success. However, he notes that many players fail to complete games exceeding ten hours, impacting overall engagement with the narrative and product. This observation, shared in an interview with Kiwi Talkz (via Gamespot), highlights a growing segment of gamers seeking shorter, more focused experiences.
The success of shorter games, like Mouthwashing, is cited as evidence of this shift. Shen argues that Mouthwashing's brevity was crucial to its positive reception, suggesting that extending its playtime with side quests would have diminished its impact.
Despite this trend towards shorter games, longer titles like Starfield, with its 2024 DLC "Shattered Space" and a rumored 2025 expansion, remain prevalent in the AAA landscape. The industry, therefore, appears to be catering to both preferences simultaneously.
