Not surprisingly there are only a small number of games that make it big every year. Next Gen says that as few as 80 games will turn a profit. Hopefully that means we will see more thought and time put into games as development costs continue to swell past the ten million dollars mark per game.
The report goes on to say games publishers will become more cautious as the cost of a failed title becomes more pronounced. Screen Digest estimates that the number of profitable titles per year could fall as low as 80 as developers and publishers are forced to focus on fewer titles.
Focusing on a few titles might actually be good for the business as it could lead to a better gaming experience. When I see a movie at the theatre, it can cost upwards of $50 million dollars to make that movie, and I pay around $15 a ticket to see it at certain theatres. If gaming could become as main stream, I don’t see why an investment of $10-$20 million could not turn an amazing profit as we drop $50 to buy the C.D.