Recap: Gaming studios face difficult decisions as they weigh the ever-mounting cost of cutting-edge visuals and the diminishing returns that they provide. They have to figure out a way to combine visual spectacle with engaging gameplay and sustainable development practices.

For decades, giants in the gaming industry like Sony and Microsoft banked on realistic visuals to captivate audiences. This strategy has transformed once-flat pixelated worlds into immersive experiences that rival cinematic productions. However, the cost of achieving such realism has skyrocketed, leading to a reevaluation of priorities within the gaming sector.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, released in 2023, is one example. Leveraging the PlayStation 5’s processing power, developers at Insomniac Games crafted a visually stunning New York City. Peter Parker’s iconic suits were rendered with intricate textures, while skyscrapers reflected sunlight with remarkable accuracy.

This level of detail, however, came at a steep price. The game’s development reportedly cost around $300 million, more than triple the budget of its predecessor from just five years earlier.

There’s a scene in The Last of Us 2 where a character just…takes a shirt off, over their head, without any clipping, and it’s probably the most technically impressive thing I’ve ever seen in a game?? Like have you ever seen a character do this in a game before? pic.twitter.com/v4AvYe0JGz

– Dan Hindes (@dhindes) June 19, 2020

Another example of the industry’s technical prowess can be seen in a particularly noteworthy scene in The Last of Us: Part II, when the protagonist Ellie removes her shirt, revealing bruises and scrapes on her back. This moment unfolds without any graphical glitches, demonstrating the painstaking attention to detail that has become a hallmark of high-budget game development.

While these visuals are impressive, they raise questions about the sustainability of such investments. Despite Spider-Man 2’s commercial success, with over 11 million copies sold, Sony announced 900 layoffs in February 2024, which affected the game’s developers at Insomniac.

In short, the financial returns on these investments are diminishing. At the same time, audience preferences are shifting as well. Jacob Navok, a former executive at Square Enix, told The New York Times that high-fidelity visuals primarily appeal to a specific demographic of gamers in their 40s and 50s.

Meanwhile, younger generations are gravitating towards games with simpler graphics but robust social features, such as Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite. For many young gamers, “playing is an excuse for hanging out with other people,” said Joost van Dreunen, a market analyst and professor at New York University. This social aspect has become a driving force in game design and popularity.

As development costs soar and player preferences evolve, some studios are exploring alternative approaches. The live service model, which prioritizes regular content updates over graphical fidelity, has gained traction. Games like Genshin Impact have found tremendous success, generating billions in revenue primarily through mobile platforms.

However, this model has risks. High-profile failures like Warner Bros. Discovery’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Sony’s short-lived Concord demonstrate the challenges of entering the competitive live service market.

Industry professionals are divided on the path forward. Some, like David Reitman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, see potential in artificial intelligence to reduce the costs associated with high-end graphics. Others, like independent developer Rami Ismail, are skeptical of quick technological fixes and worry about the industry’s current trajectory.