Individuals are what makes up the masses. I agree that enough people are too dumb to see what they're doing though. DLC stored on the disc is even worse, that's just a slap in the face.

Why not? We're not talking about a Borg collective here. People drive on motorways, control complicated electrical goods, walk, talk etc.

It's all about momentum and popularity. I'm forever spouting bad words about DLC -and I shall continue to do so. If I can convince one person it would have been worth it.

"Sales say otherwise."

Sales =/= Quality, remember?

"Neither do books, movies, or tv shows then."

In fact, most of them don't. Books are, to a certain extent, based on fictional, uninspiring stories or treatise based on political and social situations. Oh, don't forget the typical "HURR CONSPIRACY" literal piece, too.

Movies? EXPLOSIONS MAN

TV Shows? Ridden by bullshitty tween-aimed dramas and other, rather saddening, unoriginal pieces of entertainment.

"Actually, there are more as technology advances and allows the lines between each one to blend even further. It looks like less only because they implement more.

In the 90s, FPS were just FPS. Now, they combine FPS, RPG, and even RTS in many ways.

In the 90s, RPGs were just RPGs. Now, thy combine TPS, FPS, RTS, Puzzles games, and tons more."

And said combinations forget, most of the time, their own roots; resulting in rather mediocre mechanics glued together and sold at 60$ because games try to be too much.

"I think you misunderstood their statements, either overall or in the context being used."

Actually, developers HAVE stated that, in the current market, most of the times publishers won't allow total creativity. It's a business, after all.

"Tons of new IPs each year. Just from last year: Bayonetta, Darksiders, Matt Hazard, Sands of Destruction, Glory of Heracles, Dark Void, MAG, Shadow of Destiny, Global Agenda, White Knight Chronicles, Star Trek Online, Dante's Inferno, Shiren the Wanderer, Crime Scene, Deadly Premonition, Risen, Arsenal of Democracy, Heavy Rain, Last Rebellion, Greed Corp, echoshift, Rise of Prussia, Calling, Metro 2033, Infinite Space, Section 8, Again, Nier, 3d Dot Game Heroes, Rocket Knight, Things on Wheels, Alan Wake, Gray Matter, Blur, Modnation Racers, Backbreaker, Alpha Protocol, Planet Minigolf, APB, Deathsmiles, Naughty Bear, Singularity, DeathSpank, Limbo, R.U.S.E., EyePet, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, ProtoGalaxy, Invizimals, Vanquish, Super Meat Boy, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, Def Jam Rapstar, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Epic Mickey, Infinity Blade, Raskulls, and a ton more I'm sure I missed.

The problem is people just want to focus on the sequels, which is why many new IPs get greatly overlooked. But, luckily, many of them get sequels. made. Games like Dead Space, BioShock, and Mass Effect."

You DO have a point here, though- and that's the problem.

The current market focuses too, TOO much on sequels because they want a safe, sure purchase- because IP recognition boosts sales, publishers also make them.

What do we end up with? Cliff hangers, DLC by tons, and other rather bothersome issues that are slowly, but surely, murdering gaming little by little- quality-wise, at least.

***Sales =/= Quality, remember? ***

But sales do paint a picture of how people would prefer to spend their time. Sales would decline if people stopped being entertained. I'm not arguing that games are better this year than last, only that people who find games boring wouldn't be at all likely to continue buying them.

***Actually, developers HAVE stated that, in the current market, most of the times publishers won't allow total creativity. It's a business, after all.***

Which is a statement on total creativity, but not on creativity itself. Everyone needs to be held back on how far they can go. Look at Brutal Legend and Alpha Protocol for an example of what can happen when creativity is given without restriction. I'm not saying this is always the best option, but it is a business that is aimed at trying to balance how far to go to make it better versus making it too much of something that people won't understand and thereby purchased and enjoy.

Games cost millions to make. You can't expect companies to not want to protect said investments, but that doesn't mean that creativity is not encouraged and many times supported.

So, yes, there exists creativity stifling habits, but the opposite is also true in the industry.

***The current market focuses too, TOO much on sequels because they want a safe, sure purchase- because IP recognition boosts sales, publishers also make them.***

A generalized statement that might apply to some, but I'd hardly say all. ME2 and DA2 changed drastically from their first games. Neither of them played it safe, though.

I agree that many games are overdone (CoD, Halo, Guitar Hero, etc.). But, that doesn't mean that creating an IP and a new game for said IP every other year is a bad thing overall.

I look at what gamers buy and tend to be confused why they buy each FPS game that pops out and is just like one another or a slightly improved game from last year's version of the game. But, I don't take how the majority of gamers react to these games as a sign of the overall industry, just a trend I cannot comprehend as I pop in a new IP or a the second in a series of games that sees sales at a fraction of others.

These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse