- Many games in the industry are often announced several years before their release.
- Such games are not in development, but studios announce them because they sometimes fear cancellations.
- At other times, studios rely on such announcements to bounce back from a difficult period and generate excitement.
With a plethora of games finally receiving gameplay trailers and release dates several years after announcements, many have wondered why developers make such announcements several years in advance.
It’s no secret that many projects are announced well before they are ready, and fans are often upset at such moves from studios. According to a veteran developer, this is done to prevent potential cancellations of games in the worst-case scenario.
Why it matters: The Elder Scrolls 6 is one such game that immediately comes to mind. Having just begun early development, it was announced over half a decade ago.
Mark Darrah has extensive experience with the games industry, and he recently discussed various elements of gaming.
Speaking on early announcements, he expressed that developers often announce games, even when there is no significant ongoing work being done on them. Such projects can often have as few as 10 people planning them out, making them far from ready for an announcement.
Mark Darrah explained that both publishers and developers benefit from this approach. In situations where a certain publisher has performed poorly in recent years, it can gain a lot of good faith and trust from an exciting announcement.
It might be because the publisher’s slate is a little weak. It might be because the studio is worried the publisher might kill it(unannounced project) otherwise.
-Mark Darrah
Perhaps this is why The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early. At the time, Bethesda faced backlash for Fallout 76, and the team wanted to give fans a reason to get excited about its slate again.
Moreover, Mark Darrah described that certain developers fear game cancellations. While this does not apply to titles like The Elder Scrolls 6, early announcements can help deal with the problem.
Perhaps a game like Days Gone 2 would still be alive if it was announced by Bend Studio.
While the industry seems to be happy with late announcements today, other developers like Hideo Kojima advocate for early launches. The veteran developer has argued that this practice can lead to a more interesting build-up for projects, creating more anticipation.
However, there is a lot to take into account when considering gaming marketing cycles. Development is such a complex task that projects often go through various changes mid-development.
This makes early announcements more of a gamble, but it can also pay off for certain teams.
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