Helldivers 2, the co-op shooter from Arrowhead, has been a smash hit and has recorded amazing sales and a large player base. The game has been praised for its gunplay and gameplay, and it has used being a live service title amazingly and has also avoided tedious microtransactions.
One of the biggest reasons behind the game’s success is its price tag, which is for the “middle market” and accessible to the majority. The studio is being recognized for that by others, and one such entity is Space Marine 2 and KOTOR remake developer, Saber Interactive.
Saber Interactive Will Focus on ‘Middle Market’ Like Helldivers 2
Saber Interactive CEO and former interim COO of Embracer, Matthew Karch, recently spoke to IGN about the studio’s split with Embracer, Saber as an independent studio, and other topics regarding the gaming industry, which also includes a conversation about the $70 games.
While talking about the studio, Karch said that he sees Saber between independent studios with a low budget and AAA publishers with high budgets. He added that he wants to focus on the middle market, citing the example of Helldivers 2, saying that it performed “really, really well,” and Saber wants to do that with its titles.
Karch also said that he does not want to sell Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 for $70, but it will only happen because he is worried that people might see the cheap price tag as a symbol of poor quality. He further added:
I think that as games become more expensive to make, the $70 title is going to go the way of the dodo [bird]. I do. I just don’t think it’s sustainable.
He also gave a few examples with CDPR’s Cyberpunk 2077, saying that the game “ultimately” performed okay, but with the high expectations and “so much” money in just one title, it is very risky for developers and comes with the question, “What if it fails?” He also mentioned Ubisoft as an example and said, “It’s hard to recover from that.”
Matthew Karch Thinks the Development Market Will Shift Soon
Karch said that the game’s high development costs that studios try to recover from the $70 price tag on games will not last long, and the market will change. He said the “shift” will not mean that the games will be of lower quality, but the studios will look for new ways to reduce costs.
This suggests that he believes the $70 games will not be purchased all the time, as the high price also does not justify the quality. The recent $70 titles such as Skull and Bones and Call of Duty: MW3 were hyped much but fell flat on expectations upon release.
Karch added that AI may be able to help studios cut costs and improve the quality of AAA games, but he believes that it would not be enough as the AAA game development market is going through a major change. High budgets and long years of development aren’t sustainable.
He also said there might be a shortage of games due to layoffs and cancellations. What are your thoughts about Matthew Karch’s statements? Let us know in the comments below.
