Just. Remaster. The. Classics.

A video game is more than a consumer digital product. It is an experience, that is shared by many for years to come, and can create a deep consumer following.

Goal: Having?Reason.

A product such as a video game speaks to its stakeholders.

There are countless hours of work done to make this product possible. It is quite literally a digital production that can be interacted with, experienced for hours, and re-experienced in different ways. It can be a beautiful simulation and continued window into the evolving world of art; And they’re damn fun too.

Current State: Where’s the?Soul?

The obsession with micro-transactions such as in-game purchased skins, constant yearly-releases, unoptimized performance, over-marketed yet under-delivered features, and grossly exaggerated cinematic trailers, all attempt like fast-fashion, to exhaust the product before its replacement; And like a scam stock investment, pump-and-dump your investment of time and money. But we’re okay with this because Fortnite, yay!

Product Truth: Video?Games.

When a video game is created with the understanding that it is an experience, that it speaks to its stakeholders, and that it should be enjoyed for years to come, it becomes something like a hit single or a classic song. Timeless. No skins. Just a perfect formula like Coca-Cola!

.. like a hit single or a classic?song.

OK Example: Call of?Duty.

Call of Duty originally released in 2003, it is instrumental to the first-person shooter gaming genre. Due to their success, it received many sequels and improved upon its original formula over time so well that the infamous, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was released in 2009; And then remade in 2022. Not remastered.

Despite the remade’s monetary success, the original is a fundamentally different first-person shooter that had perfected the formula and created a hit, classic-song-like Call of Duty.

Unfortunately, this was ditched in favor of a new and more “updated” first-person shooting experience; And with the visuals unironically looking arguably better in 2009 than 2022, significant changes to the core game-play mechanics and control scheme were made. Turning your beautiful original Coca-Cola into a shell of its former self. But hey, at least you can buy skins now!

What's Needed?

Video Game Product Needs: Remaster The Classics. Please. ??

1. If certain titles continue to be popular, consider re-evaluating their successes of the past and retaining them. The idea here is to create and improve the formula towards its own perfect form.
2. Keep the core game-play mechanics. Keep the control scheme intact.
3. Update the graphics. Update the sounds. Update the servers.
4. Modernize the game on its technical performance and not on its content or experience.
5. The quality is there. That is why it was timeless in the first place.

Could be wrong, I don’t know.?????

Thank you for reading,

Xavier Berolo

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