Square Enix: Tomb Raider-studion borde inte ha gjort Marvel's Avengers

Square Enix förstod redan tidigt att Marvel's Avengers var en riktig besvikelse försäljningsmässigt, och nu verkar det japanska företaget ha insett några av sina misstag. Högste chefen Yosuke Matsuda sade följande i Square Enix senaste kvartalsrapport:

"I would also note that Marvel's Avengers was an ambitious title for us in that we took on the GaaS (Games as a Service) model. We overcame a variety of unexpected difficulties in the final phase of the game's development, including needing to transition to work-from-home due to the pandemic. We were able to surmount these challenges and release the game, but it has unfortunately not proven as successful as we would have liked. Nonetheless, taking on the GaaS model highlighted issues that we are likely to face in future game development efforts such as the need to select game designs that mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams."

Även om det fetstilade lämnar visst utrymme för tolkning, säger Matsuda praktiskt taget rakt ut att Crystal Dynamics och andra utvecklarstudior som är mest kända för storyfokuserade singleplayerspel, inte bör hoppa på live service-tåget med multiplayer utan vidare (vi minns ju även hur det gick för Bioware med Anthem). Detta betyder dock inte att Square Enix är färdig med live service-titlar, utan Matsuda avslutar:

"While the new challenge that we tackled with this title produced a disappointing outcome, we are certain that the GaaS approach will grow in importance as gaming becomes more service oriented. How we go about creating new experiences by incorporating this trend into our game design is a key question that we will need to answer going forward."

Vad tycker du? Skulle ett annat team ha lyckats bättre med Marvel's Avengers, eller borde Crystal Dynamics rent av ha gjort det till ett linjärt singleplayer-äventyr istället?