Due to many factors, gamers may be getting cross-gen games for a while, but some studios have shown that cross-gen games can still be impressive.
It has been over a year since the release of the ninth-generation consoles, and both Microsoft and Sony have had a successful time. According to Sony, the PS5 had the biggest console launch in the company’s history, selling 2.1 million units in the first week alone. Although Microsoft is a tad more secretive with its sales figures, the CEO of Gaming, Phil Spencer, claims that the Xbox Series X and S are the company's fastest-selling consoles ever.
Despite getting off to an impressively strong start, there have been a variety of factors limiting how many ninth-generation consoles can get into the living rooms of gamers. For this reason, while PS5 owners may be pining for current-gen exclusive titles, it may be wise for gaming studios, at least for now, to continue developing cross-generational games and supporting last-gen consoles.
The gaming industry is plagued by the same problem infecting the rest of the tech world – the global semiconductor chip shortage which began in 2020 and is still ongoing. It is caused by numerous geopolitical factors including the USA-China Trade War, and it has been further exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects are far-reaching, and the gaming industry has taken a particularly hard hit.
When the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S were released in November 2020, the demand was astronomically high, but not everyone who wanted a console could get one due to stock shortages. Nintendo has also been affected by the chip shortage, forcing it to produce 20% fewer Switch units than it had intended to from March 2021 to March 2022. For gamers desperate to get their hands on a new console, it is possible to purchase them through scalpers, but that involves paying a hefty premium.
It was originally projected that the chip shortage may end in 2022, but these predictions have been brought into question following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is a country that produces half the world's neon and 90% of the USA's semiconductor-grade neon. Sony has responded to the ongoing crisis by continuing production of the PS4. Consequently, while the PS5 player base continues to grow, so too does the PS4 player base, and those gamers desire new games, too. While Microsoft has stopped production of the Xbox One, the supply constraints faced by the Xbox Series X/S have kept many players on last-gen consoles.
Cross-generation games are the best way to please both groups, ensuring that current-gen and last-gen players get a steady stream of new content. Gamers lucky enough to have current-gen consoles may be peeved by this due to the belief that cross-gen games have their potential held back by last-gen consoles, but this may not be as true as it initially seemed.
The idea of cross-gen games is off-putting to those who believe that they are inferior to games developed from the ground up for the latest gaming systems. There is some truth to this, as developers can design their games around the capabilities of the latest consoles without worrying about the technical limitations of older consoles. However, recent releases have demonstrated that when the right studio is on the job, it is possible to produce a title that is mind-blowing on both last-gen and current-gen consoles.
This is seen with Guerrilla Games' Horizon Forbidden West. When its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, was released in 2017, it already looked like it was pushing the limits of the PS4. Despite this, Guerrilla Games has managed to deliver yet another game that significantly expands the map and gameplay options while also improving visuals and audio. As if that was not enough, the game scales up beautifully on the PS5, making it one of the most engrossing, graphically impressive open-world games released on the console at present. For those who believe that cross-gen games cannot be spectacular, Horizon Forbidden West offers a counterpoint that is hard to deny.
A few more big-budget, highly anticipated games are due to release in 2022, and a portion of them will be cross-gen titles. This includes God of War Ragnarok, Hogwarts Legacy, Stray, and the Saints Row reboot. While some gamers will be disappointed that these games are not current-gen exclusives, it is worth keeping in mind that cross-gen releases, at least for the next year, may be the best way to please the majority of gamers. Furthermore, it does not necessarily mean that current-gen gamers are getting limited games, as top studios have demonstrated their capability to release cross-gen games that satisfy all player bases.
Smangaliso Simelane spends most of his time writing. When he isn’t working on his imaginary worlds, he is writing about video games.
