The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is among the most-played games on Steam this week. The role-playing journey debuted Might 1, 2015, however it’s truly extra common than ever. Whereas it had 92,268 simultaneous Steam gamers on its 2015 launch day, it surpassed that concurrent-player determine with 94,601 gamers yesterday, December 29, 2019. This comes because of the megapopular new Netflix present The Witcher, which premiered December 20. However extra vital, it reveals how games like The Witcher Three are lasting longer than ever.
Again in 2010, I used to be writing about games “freelance” (I used to be getting paid $200 a month to put in writing information tales whereas additionally delivering sandwiches for Jimmy John’s). And I did an interview with then Netflix VP of communications Steve Swasey. That authentic story is misplaced to the web Langoliers, however right here’s an archived model of a G4TV story concerning the interview. One of many questions I requested Swasey was if Netflix would ever start renting games.
His reply: “Most likely not.”
“[Renting games] is an entire totally different mannequin than motion pictures,” Swasey informed me again in 2010. “A terrific film from 1972 continues to be an excellent film, however no person needs to play Madden 95.”
And Swasey had some extent again in 2010. At that time, games shortly misplaced their worth as a result of expertise was advancing so quickly. However that has began to alter, and The Witcher Three is indicative of that.
The Witcher Three was made to final
OK, Swasey’s level that nobody goes to wish to play an outdated Madden is correct, however gaming has changed loads since 2010. And, actually, that change began in 2011 with the discharge of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. There’s a cause writer Bethesda Softworks has re-released that open-world RPG so many instances: It holds up. It’s nonetheless simply nearly as good as virtually any sport popping out new in 2019.
For proof of Skyrim’s endurance, we will return and test Steam’s concurrent participant stats as soon as once more. Regardless of launching eight years in the past, Skyrim surpasses greater than 20,000 simultaneous gamers virtually day by day.
And The Witcher Three exists in that identical paradigm. Folks have gone again to it time and again for years. And, once more, for this reason CD Projekt Pink has been in a position to re-release it a number of instances. The newest model hit Nintendo’s transportable Swap system earlier this yr.
Games are lasting longer for a number of causes. Games already look actual sufficient, and they’re about as sophisticated and deep as folks may need. Visuals will proceed to enhance and gameplay will proceed to evolve, however the charge of these enhancements has slowed as a consequence of diminishing returns.
Eight years earlier than Halo debuted in 2001, we have been simply getting Doom and Star Fox. Eight years in the past from now, we obtained Skyrim, and that sport may launch right this moment with just some minor upgrades.
In fact, that doesn’t imply that Netflix ought to begin a rent-by-mail service for video games. The time for that is over. However the level is that now you can construct a library of engaging games from the final decade that all add vital worth to one thing like a cloud streaming service. That’s one of many causes Xbox Recreation Move looks like it’s catching on. Positive, it’s getting new games, nevertheless it’s additionally counting on a again catalog that will get folks excited in the identical manner that Netflix’s library of flicks from the 1970s used to.