The Rise of Unfinished Games

Modern AAA game studios increasingly release unfinished or buggy games. This trend stems from several key factors:

The Shift to Digital Games

• In the early 2000s, games began receiving post-launch updates over the internet.
• This enabled studios to release games in an unfinished state, then patch them later.
• Fully digital game downloads accelerated this trend, as physical discs were no longer a limiting factor.

Treating Games Like Software

• Many studios now follow the “minimum viable product” approach common in software development.
• They release an unfinished game quickly to get feedback, then improve it over time.
• This doesn’t work well for AAA games, where first impressions are critical.

Prioritizing Money Over Quality

• Publishers like EA often force studios to launch games before they are ready.
• Even if a game is unfinished, launching it quickly allows them to make back development costs.
• Developer wellbeing is sacrificed, with excessive “crunch” becoming common.

Communication Breakdowns in Large Teams

• Modern AAA games have development teams of hundreds of people.
• This makes effective communication and coordination extremely difficult.
• Key information falls through the cracks, leading to poor execution.

The Indie Opportunity

• The failure of big studios to release polished games creates an opening for indie developers.
• With smaller teams of just a few people, indies can often better deliver on their visions.
• Quality indie titles that outshine AAA games will continue to find success.

The combination of these forces has resulted in a sad state of affairs for big budget games. Still, by learning from past mistakes, the industry can course correct. Players and developers alike deserve better.