There is an opinion piece on gamesindustry.biz about Fortnite's decline. I bought a founder's pack for the game when it was only a PvE game. When it switched to battle royale, I was livid. So to hear it's declining and not becoming that game that's just a money printer does have me feeling a bit smug.
-beats the schadenfreude back- ...is it schadenfreude when the misfortune is deserved? Anyway.
The piece presents two possible train of thoughts. One is that the game industry will be treated less like a money making machine and actually try to make art that doesn't try to capture every single demographic out there.
The other train of thought is that (which the writer hints aligns better with them), these execs will just flock to something else to imitate, continue to chase that dream of a "forever game" like an addicted gambler.
In all honesty, I hope the "forever game" concept dies in a fire. This idea that it needs to be a zero-sum...game is one only someone with (metaphorical) cartoonish dollar signs for eyes would openly support. I know there's been a study that suggests most people who plays games don't really buy more than two a year...although I find the fact that there's only one source for that suspect. It does seem to be from one person that's fairly high up there in his company but he's been the only one that shared those numbers? This was back in late 2025.
Anyway, game is a form of art and art is creative expression. To try and lock people into one is like trying to stifle their own personal growth. They would only ever be exposed to one point of view, one way of thinking of things, one way of consuming things and that's whatever that corporation behind such "forever games" approve of.
I'm sure I'm throwing all these words out into either the void or preaching to the choir here, but I needed to get them out. It is also past 4am when I should be sleeping but this whole "forever game" concept is just...so stupid. It's like being told you can only ever look at paintings by one artist, or listen from one band, or you can only wear specific outfits.
The sad thing is that it's already happening anyway.
I'm still gonna try and fight the best fight I have in me. I'm going to keep trying to push forward and write, make games, hopefully get back into 3D art so my games can be from me as much as my skills will allow. I remember doing something like that for a game jam. Just digitally sculpted a little squid as the player character for my game. I remember enjoying that experience...but now I digress and it's late so thanks for sticking out through my rambling now!