Stellar Blade game director and Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae shares their strategy moving forward amid the evolving landscape of gaming. Read on to learn more about his thoughts and the current climate of the gaming sphere.
Shift Up Will Continue Making Single-Player Games Despite Industry Trends
Says It's Healthier for the Market for Diverse Games to Coexist
During a recent interview, Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung Tae addressed queries about Shift Up's future endeavors in the console gaming space. Amid the gaming scene being increasingly dominated by live service titles, Kim remained steadfast in his commitment to creating narrative-driven single-player games.
"Console titles, single-player games with endings, are very important in their own right," Kim stated in the interview with Ruliweb. "It's healthier for the market to continue to make these games and for them to coexist with other genres and platforms." This serves as an impetus for Shift Up to continue developing such games, according to the director.
Additionally, Kim shared that they've received advice on numerous occasions saying they should make games with higher operating margins so as to boost profitability. "I think what our industry needs more than anything is diversity," Kim said in response to such sentiments.
A 2023 study revealed that games which generally feature extensive online play and microtransactions boast profit margins as high as 90%. The list of games with the highest profit margins includes popular titles like Fortnite, PUBG, Candy Crush Saga, Pokémon Go, GTA 5/GTA Online, and Call of Duty.
Thomas Pyschny, an executive at service and consultation firm EY, noted the dominance of in-game purchases and mobile gaming revenue in the industry. Additionally, David Holtmann, a partner strategist, underscored the industry's shift towards subscription models and in-app purchases, driving less dependency on individual game sales. "These games are also very lucrative for studios because the in-game advertising opportunities for companies are diverse and reach a wide range of users," said Pyschny.
Source:
Kim Hyung Tae interview with Ruliweb
Stellar Blade Developer Advocates For More Single-Player Games With Defined Endings In The Industry
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