"Starfield Dev: Players Tired of Long Games"

Summary

• Players are increasingly feeling fatigued by long AAA games with extensive content, as noted by a former Starfield developer.
• The saturation of the AAA market with lengthy games may be driving a resurgence in shorter games.
• Despite this trend, long games like Starfield continue to dominate the industry.

Will Shen, a former Bethesda developer who contributed to Starfield, has expressed concerns about the length of modern AAA games. Shen, whose experience includes working on titles like Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, believes that players are experiencing "fatigue" from games that demand significant time investments.

Starfield, released by Bethesda in 2023, marked the studio's first new intellectual property in 25 years and continued their tradition of expansive, open-world RPGs. This approach, also seen in hits like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, has been successful, as evidenced by Starfield's launch. However, there's a growing segment of players who crave shorter, more focused gaming experiences. Shen, who left Bethesda at the end of 2023, shared his insights on this topic in an interview with Kiwi Talkz (via Gamespot).

Shen pointed out that the industry is "reaching a point" where a significant number of players are tired of games that require dozens of hours to complete. He suggested that the market is already saturated with such games, making it a "tall order" to introduce yet another lengthy title. Reflecting on past successes like Skyrim, Shen noted that these games have set a precedent for "evergreen games." He drew parallels to other trends, such as the influence of Dark Souls on high-difficulty combat in third-person games. Shen also highlighted that most players don't finish games longer than 10 hours, stressing the importance of completing a game for full engagement with its story and content.

Discussing the impact of long AAA games, Shen suggested that their prevalence has contributed to the "resurgence" of shorter games. He cited the example of Mouthwashing, an indie horror game, praising its success partly due to its concise duration. Shen argued that a longer game with numerous side quests and additional content would not have received the same positive reception.

Despite the growing demand for shorter experiences, long games remain a staple in the industry. Starfield's 2024 DLC, Shattered Space, added more content to its already extensive world, and another expansion is rumored for 2025, indicating that Bethesda plans to continue supporting their long-form gaming model.