A former Starfield developer, Will Shen, observes a growing 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 experience on titles like Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, notes that while games like Starfield, with their extensive content, remain popular, a significant portion of gamers are overwhelmed by the sheer time commitment. He highlights that many players fail to complete games exceeding ten hours, impacting their engagement with the narrative and overall product. He draws parallels between the success of Skyrim and the current trend of "evergreen" games, similar to how Dark Souls popularized challenging combat mechanics.
The rise of shorter games, according to Shen, is a direct consequence of this AAA market saturation. He cites the success of Mouthwashing, a shorter indie horror game, as a prime example, arguing its brevity was crucial to its positive reception. A longer version, burdened with side quests and extra content, likely wouldn't have achieved the same impact.
Despite this trend towards shorter games, longer titles like Starfield, with its 2024 DLC Shattered Space and a rumored 2025 expansion, continue to thrive, suggesting that both shorter and longer experiences will likely coexist in the gaming landscape.
