Are RPGs Becoming Extinct, or Just Transforming Into Something Else?

RPG games are changing dramatically these last few years, and there is a lot of speculation about where these changes are taking the genre on to – some of the critics claim that the genre is dying, others claim it is simply transforming while one thing is certain… the classic RPGs are becoming increasingly rare and the mechanics are getting a lot of fine tuning these days.

If this change is for the better or for the worse, only time will tell, for now let’s just simply analyze the changes we’re noting.

The Audience Loves Action:

First of all, we have to address the loss of some features like the complicated menus that needed to exist due to the complexity of most looting systems and the depth of items which can be crafted and so on…

We have witnessed some losses here, and we can point you out to Mass Effect 2, that really had all these changes from Mass Effect, the first, which had these menus in the first place.

We have to admit that topping the sales charts on the gaming industry, we can always find FPS, and fast-paced action games.

RPGs are a bit more dull for most gamers, and so the developers are making them simpler and more “user-friendly”.

Die-Hard RPG Fans are a Small Market:

Next, we have to discuss about the game’s markets.

Gaming is a serious business, and like in other businesses, companies want to earn money.

It is always easier to make more money appealing to a higher percentage of the gaming market, and hardcore RPG fans aren’t a big slice of the market.

Having this in mind, companies are starting to change their RPG mechanics in order to appeal to a broader audience, while claiming the changes are always for the best – but is it?

Companies are Becoming Less Indie and More Corporate:

When companies are more on the Indie side, they don’t have to hand out explanations to shareholders or worry about sales or subscription numbers so much. They also tend to have a tighter relation with their fans.

Companies nowadays are becoming increasingly corporate, which brings these worries to the table, bringing forth the changes we’ve been discussing throughout this article.