It’s clear that the gaming industry is changing every day. Things that were once the norm are becoming an anomaly and it’s clear that many of the developers and publishers that we’ve grown to love, are now showing their true colors. In spite of all the negativity surrounding the gaming industry, there are still a few gems out there that shine their light in a dark time.
Naughty Dog
Sadly, we were hit with an announcement from Naughty Dog stating that the Last of Us Part 2 will be delayed until May 29, 2020. While seeing all the comments about this sudden statement, the community seemed to take the news fairly well, as expected. We’ve seen in the past how a rushed video game release can spell disaster for a developer and can ruin a good reputation. The most prominent and most recent example would be EA’s Anthem, which managed to garner a lot of hype without delivering what was promised. I still think about how things could have been different if Bioware had more time to develop this beautiful game.
Most gamers would rather have a complete game that comes out later than have a half-finished game come out on time. Huge thanks to Naughty Dog for staying true to their morals by making sure they release a polished game that both developers and consumers can be happy with. Certainly rare in this day in age.
Gearbox
Another, not so sudden, the event began today, but it’s an anomaly in the gaming industry nonetheless. The Bloody Harvest, a special event for Borderlands 3, began today. Though The Bloody Harvest isn’t rich with content by your typical sense, it still gives players another opportunity to enjoy Borderlands 3.
Oh, did I mention this new event is free? Yes, I can’t put enough emphasis on the fact that this is a FREE DLC release to the public, and that’s why I’m talking about it within this article.
We’ve all seen the money-grabbing side of the gaming industry in full force. Heck (pun intended), we’ve just seen a perfect example with Bethesda’s $100 annual subscription for Fallout 76. Making people pay extra money for an incomplete game is bad business and bad for a developer’s reputation.
Gearbox and Naughty Dog are clearly doing things the right way by catering to the community and going against the grain. They are willing to sacrifice a little more time and a little more money in order to give gamers what they want, which is becoming less common. Honestly, developers need to take a page from their book and learn something.
For more on The Last of Us Part 2 and Borderlands 3, be sure to check out our website or podcast on iTunes and Spotify.
Thanks for reading. Stay gritty, gamers.
