2024 Was the Year the Bottom Fell Out of the Games Industry

Games with black leads and characters were derided as forced. Female characters perceived as unusual or masculine”DEI chin” Dragon Age: VelgardIt was criticized by far-right trolls for its customization options, which allowed players to create characters with top-notch surgical scars or play with an abinary companion. After the reviews were released, conspirators used clichéd phrases or other language to prove that studio BioWare was dictating to reviewers how to talk about their games.

Even titles that have yet to be released have bombarded. Compulsory Games’ south of midnightAbout a young black woman in the Deep South, drawing ire from the anti-DEI crowd on platforms like X, where they photoshop The heroine makes her look less “obnoxious” and introduces conspiracy theories about Sweet Baby’s influence on the game’s development.

But the pressure to remain apolitical—a curious agenda for an entertainment form that marries the artistic choices of narrative and fictional worlds given the agency given to the players who inhabit them—didn’t just come from a vocal minority. After its release Black Myth: WukongThere were some streamers Instructions are given To avoid talking about covid-19 or “feminist propaganda”. The guidelines had the opposite effect, encouraging streamers to lead with code words they were barred from: a pushback against standards for censoring players.

looking ahead 2025, Ball says he usually hears more pessimism, but “it’s just bad to think, let alone predict.” If there’s a plus, he says, it’s that “there’s a lot more recruiting going on than is commonly believed. The downside is, it doesn’t nearly compensate overall, especially in the indies.”

As 2024 approaches, the industry is operating with an outwardly business-as-usual mindset. In early December, developers gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate The Game Awards. On stage, host Geoff Keighley gave a short speech, between game announcements, accolades and a performance by Snoop Dogg.

“The sad reality is that the gaming industry has suffered significant and unprecedented industry-wide layoffs over the past few years,” Keighley said. “They affect the games we play and, more importantly, the people who make the games we love We can debate and certainly disagree with the reasons, and honestly as a show we struggle with how to deal with these issues in a constructive way.”

Keighley used the segment to introduce the TGA’s first “Game Changer” award, for an individual who has positively impacted the industry. Then the show goes on, with headline-making announcements about major projects The Witcher 4 and to the next heading our end Developers are naughty dogs.

Amidst all this lies the specter of AI. There’s still little insight into how much AI will continue to grow and how future games might use it, but this is one Anxiety is growing Rank and file personnel are being laid off. No one knows when, or if, the industry will return with sustainable jobs and compensation. Yes, there will be games to play. It’s hard to say how many people will be able to make it.