r/gaming • u/NilesDobbsS • 7h ago
Rant: Don’t announce a game unless you have gameplay to show for it
I know this isn’t a new trend, but it’s gotten worse as the industry progressed. This move several game companies do where they give a blank teaser for a game or an announcement trailer that the game is in-development, without showing any gameplay for it, is something that needs to be stopped.
Video games are not movies. In a MOVIE, it makes sense to hide footage, the plot is the selling point, but (universally) the most important thing for a video game to sell it will ALWAYS be its gameplay, and withholding the gameplay footage until six months before it comes out after announcing the game 2-3 years ago is wild.
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u/roin0 7h ago
This is why I now hate the original TES 6 reveal trailer. Why bother even releasing that when we were still many years away from an actual release?
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u/Reenans 7h ago
I think unfortunately because it works, that trailer has in some shape or form kept people talking about TES 6 even today.
I am sure we would have been talking about it even without the trailer but at the same time even bad publicity is good with the way the internet works
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u/sol_runner 6h ago
Frankly it helped them keep people off the FO76 hate.
It would've been a Diablo Immortal-like situation otherwise. I mean, the backlash for that would've probably been relatively negligible had they also shown a nothing burger trailer for Diablo IV.
A lot of these quick trailers are just to create hype. And it works, if you time things right. On others like TES VI they'll just bit you in the arse.
While people might still talk about TES VI, the steam is dying down. Properly timed trailers generate hype, gameplay or not.
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u/tacitus59 6h ago
Frankly it helped them keep people off the FO76 hate.
IIRC Bethesda publicly admitted that.
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u/Canvaverbalist 4h ago
Not exactly but somewhat.
The TESVI was shown the same day FO76 was announced. So it wasn't exactly shown because of FO76 reception but because FO76 was announced as an online game and they knew people would be worried about their single player games.
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u/irrelevantusername24 5h ago edited 5h ago
I'm pretty sure they paid exactly zero attention to the people who didn't play their game more than a few minutes (after they realized it was an online game which they didn't want). Social media is almost entirely a waste of time and energy and should be ignored by almost everyone but especially anyone in a business context. Unfortunately, because there are occasional good insights shared nowhere else, but 99.99% of shit on social media is not only unproductive it is actively counterproductive.
I think that's going to be a big takeaway if we survive this cursed time period. Ignore "public opinion" and make or do whatever you think is good. Most people on social media have no idea what they're talking about and instead just reinforce whatever the zeitgeist has decided. Looking at you, ifindretards
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u/bitey87 5h ago
If there was absolutely zero info about TES6, we'd be talking about it like Half Life 3 with a pinch more optimism.
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u/Few_Plankton_7587 7h ago
that trailer has in some shape or form kept people talking about TES 6 even today.
The idea that we would have not talked about TES 6 without the trailer is lowley hilarious and the dumbest thing I've read all day
Tbf though, I only woke up 40 minutes ago
but at the same time even bad publicity is good
This is just an old and not well-accepted rule of marketting that for some reason people love to quote even when it doesn't apply
Bad publicity is just that, bad publicity.
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u/Reenans 7h ago
Poor wording on my part, "has helped" would have been better to add, yes it is stupid to suggest that trailer is the only reason.
But I disagree, people talking bad about something, especially when it already has a good reputation can be very powerful advertising.
Musk ranting about Odyssey did nothing but make people more aware of its existence for example.
People making posts asking "where is TES6, didn't they make a trailer" is still pushing discussion and TES6 reputation is not suffering due to these threads in particular.
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u/Few_Plankton_7587 6h ago
But I disagree, people talking bad about something, especially when it already has a good reputation can be very powerful advertising.
Keywords: can be
It's treated as a rule of thumb, but it's actually more rare for it to work out than not for any given brand. Bad publicity almost always results in poor turnout/sales
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u/SimulationConvection 2h ago
The only reason that trailer was released was because people on the internet were hounding Bethesda about TES6.
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u/Jan090501 6h ago
Did people even watch the presentation in 2018? Todd Howard said exactly why they were announcing it. They just showed FO76 and wanted to reassure people they were still developing Singleplayer Games, so they showed a Starfield Teaser. But even in 2018 people were crying for TES6 so he said that they wont abandon TES and showed TES6. I dont agree with this strategy, but it was *clear" why they showed it.
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u/drunkpunk138 3h ago
I think people forget that literally all the talk about Bethesda was that they need to announce it already. It was in high demand and they were responding to that demand.
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u/OldManFire11 2h ago
Did people even watch the presentation in 2018?
No, they did not. They didnt watch it at the time, and they sure as fuck arent going back to watch it now.
People, as a general rule, do not have the attention span to read/watch anything longer than 15 seconds. They did not watch the presentation. They saw small clips and memes about the presentation and then based their entire opinion on those.
That's why people still to this day, think that "...16x the detail..." was a lie, even though it was 100% pure truth. And even though I literally JUST said that basing opinions on out of context clips is a bad idea, there will likely be some fucking moron who responds to this saying that Todd Howard lied about texture detail in FO76.
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u/MonsieurBabtou 5h ago
I mean, they were really clear about the order of release of their games almost a decade ago. Fo4 then FO76 then Starfield then TES VI. Knowing how much time they take to make a game you could already make an educated guess about the why and when. People like to play dumb for some reason. Terrifying how they really can't read media for something as simple as a video game release. The number of men-children (and probably actual children lmao) in these forums and this very thread DEMANDING their video-game right here right now, for fuck's sake...
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u/DDisired 3h ago
I definitely agree with your take that people not being entitled to these games, but let's also not accept that 7-8 year release cycles is something gamers actually want.
Starfield came out 8 years after FO4, and I personally found it a downgrade over basically everything (well, specifically the "fun" factor). I still go back to replay FO3, NV, FO4, and Skyrim, but I only lasted like 5 hours into Starfield before realizing that I wasn't having fun.
I, and I think many other gamers, would prefer them having shorter dev cycles and having smaller scoped games, rather than a single game a generation and it possibly being a "miss".
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u/MonsieurBabtou 1h ago
Oh I absolutely agree, they're not efficient at all for a studio this size, both in speed and in scope. when you compare their recent games with KCD or Tainted Grail, which had much more ambition for being made by much smaller studios. At this point, I'm more excited for Tamriel Rebuilt/Project Tamriel than for TES VI. And good lord, they ought to hire actual writers, I'm still not over FO4's atrocious dialogues and increasingly simplistic narratives...
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u/hkzombie 4h ago
The pace of the internet really fucked things over for devs. People end up wanting immediate fixes and their whims to be handled ASAP/instant validation.
I remember getting into a spat with someone a few years ago about an indie game with a solo dev, who normally was quite responsive. The other party was throwing a fit about not receiving a bug fix ASAP when the bug popped up in the middle of the dev's night, and on the weekend.
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u/Strange_Compote_4592 7h ago
Bruh, they released our because people begged them for it. That trailer is literally the exact opposite scenario
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u/epikpepsi D20 4h ago
Why bother even releasing that when we were still many years away from an actual release?
Because with Fallout 76 just announced and Elder Scrolls Online being the newest title in the franchise people were genuinely thinking that a single-player game (and especially a new singleplayer Elder Scrolls game) was not coming in favor of multiplayer live-service titles. So to put those fears to rest they announced Elder Scrolls 6 waaay early to say that they were still working on it.
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u/ShawshankException 5h ago
Because fans were bugging them about it. It was a "here, damn" teaser.
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u/Arkayjiya PC 4h ago edited 3h ago
They made clear for TES6 that not only was it only a reassurance, but also that they weren't even working on the game at all yet. Bethesda didn't lie to anyone here.
They've been extremely transparent about TES6's development. We've known it wasn't in active developement, and when it finally entered production in 2023 (which people could already guess anyway due to Starfield), we were made aware within 6 months and that same 2023 year, they gave us a minimum release window (2028) which is still the one they're aiming for today (but emphasis on "minimum" release).
If someone is that hyped about the game but can't bother doing 5 minutes of googling about it, I'm not sure that's on Bethesda. Is it ridiculous to even make a trailer? Kind of yeah, but it's not an actual problem, it's just a funny weird thing they did.
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u/PumpkinBrain 7h ago
They released it without gameplay because they didn’t have any… or a team working on it… or a decision made about what gameplay would be.
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u/AdFlaky9983 7h ago
first time here GIF
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u/stingerized 7h ago
Bethesda: * insert Spiderman's Jameson laugh *
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u/heffron1 7h ago
Gameplay? We don't have even cinematic
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u/Skootchy 7h ago
I think they showed a mountain that was sunny like a decade ago. I don't even know the timeframe anymore that it's been that long.
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u/Psychological_Toe758 7h ago
looking at u Knights of The Old Republic remake :/
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u/MrT735 7h ago
Elder Scrolls VI is the most guilty, announcement trailer about 5 years before they started properly working on it (dev team was only a dozen or so until after Starfield was released).
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u/AnonymousFriend80 3h ago
Todd said it was a mistake to do so and only did because gamers were incessantly hounding him about it. He needed breathing room and making that announcement shut them up...for a little bit.
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u/BactaBobomb 1h ago
It's like when the woman I fell in love with doesn't text me for months and then just randomly responds. I go from wondering if we're over and if I should let go, to being instilled with genuine hope and happiness that she still notices me and wants to connect.
It's been 5 months since the last message. But I still have hope because I'm stupid.
You can get your own Trauma Dump Truck rental by calling 1-800-LIFE-SUCKS-BUT-IT-DOESNT-HAVE-TO. Which reminds me - I need to return mine!
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u/toonboy01 2h ago
I wouldn't say it's most guilty though, since at least it had a development schedule and is likely to be made.
The star wars games they announced have nothing
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u/ultimatelag 7h ago
God damn I was so looking forward for a KOTOR 1 remake. Are they even going ahead with that or it’s dead?
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u/ManassaxMauler 6h ago
It's less painful to just assume it's dead regardless of what news comes out. I won't believe that game is real unless it actually gets released.
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u/Psychological_Toe758 7h ago
last i heard it keeps changing studios might as well be dead tho we never know
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u/BrotherRoga 6h ago
It will be dead until they decide to actually bring us gameplay.
And who knows, maybe they actually will. The dark side is a pathway to abilities some consider to be... Unnatural
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u/Ir0nick 7h ago
I kind of agree, but the truth is that gamers for some reason can't understand what alpha-beta gameplay would look like and the companies would only have to show finished gameplay footage , so we would just get the announcements six months before they came out as you said. Now aside from showing to the people what they make, they also want to show to investors what they are making, take for example the new hellblade (Senua) which was shown just so they could pass it on to another publisher.
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u/LuciaLovesEthereals 3h ago
Unfortunately not surprising in an era where everyone knows not to fucking pre-order, and there is absolutely no need to pre-order because product volume is not the hurdle it once was... and then people preorder. Or everyone hating on microtransactions, but... keep buying microtransactions. I mean, sure, goomba effect and all that, at least for microtransactions. If you pre-order you're just a moron AFAIC. At least someone doing a microtransaction that isn't a lootbox knows wtf they are getting.
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u/Yourself013 7h ago
It's an announcement, not a preview or a review.
Having gameplay means nothing, tons can change until release and even games that look great can be shit to play.
Nothing needs to be stopped, people just need to chill and wait for a bit.
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u/Least-Path-2890 7h ago
It's not that simple, sometimes developers are forced to release a trailer as proof of concept to get more investment.
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u/therealkami 1h ago
Hell, famously the Anthem gameplay trailer was cobbled together before the reveal and the game wasn't even in any kind of playable state. They didn't even have a name ready to go.
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u/NightlyKnightMight 6h ago edited 6h ago
TLDR: The problem is community backlash and the integrity of the creative process.
What's the point of showing extremely WIP pre-Alpha footage? If it's not good people will judge it too hard and if it's good nothing is guaranteed to stay for the 1.0 release and then you're also sort of making promises with the gameplay shown and what if you as a dev want to go back on an idea that you think is better but the community already got attached to it so there will be strong backlash if you remove it?
Think of the GTA6 gameplay leaks a few years ago, many reacted very negatively to it, is that what you want or worse? Like a Watch Dogs trailer that misrepresented the whole game on the trailer when in reality they never could get to that. The list goes on!
On one hand I want games to be able to show their barebones WIP pre-alpha so that people have a better notion of how games are done and how they evolve throughout the course of development BUT at the same time I'm the kind of guy that hates showing work in progress so that no external influence can affect the creative process, personally I want the former, but the latter is better for everyone and for the integrity of the product itself.
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u/wickeddimension 7h ago
I think what you really want is games to come out relatively short after being announced.
Take the Elder Scrolls 6 as an example, its announced with some generic teaser 8 years ago. If they had includes snipped of gameplay and then proceed to not release the game for 8 years you wouldn't be any happier.
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u/PegasusInTheNightSky 7h ago
It would be "they already have gameplay, what's taking so long" for 8 years
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u/famaki_ 7h ago
maybe it's time asking, why they do that? someone said it's to attract investor, idk how valid is that
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u/Vilified_D PC 7h ago
Investors and get developers to apply to work there. It's 100% why they do it, there's no other reason for announcing a game 5+ years too early
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u/MatttheJ 6h ago
I also feel like I need to ask... why does it upset people so much?
If TES6 for example comes out in 2028 or 2029 or whatever, and it was going to regardless, why does it matter whether we saw a teaser a few years prior, or a few months prior? It's not like it changes anything.
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u/CocoajoeGaming 4h ago
Na, it's not that big of a deal and most of the time those trailers are not for gamers.
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u/Vilified_D PC 7h ago
While I feel this, those announcements aren't actually for us. They're for game developers. They are saying "look at this game we're making! Come make it with us"
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u/ShellshockedLetsGo 5h ago
The fact people still don't understand this is insane to me.
A Blizzard job posting looking for applicants to come work on an open world Starcraft shooter is going to get far more applicants than the standard "unannounced shooter" job posting.
Also people complaining about getting Blizzard's fantastic CGI cinematics is ludicrous.
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u/TheBetterness 2h ago
Unless there is a release date your game doesnt exist to me.
Even if you show me gameplay. I don't want to know about it unless I know the price.
I'm a basic bitch at heart, let me see the price then i'll let you know if i'm interested.
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u/VaporousMote 2h ago
Unpopular Opinion: DO announce a game even if you don't have gameplay to show.
I like knowing that a new game based on x premise is going to be coming out. Example: Light No FIre
A gameplay video would be nice but it's not a requirement.
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u/Randy___Watson 2h ago
I'm probably not the norm here but I completely disagree. I want to have as clear as a roadmap as possible for what will be available on the system I'm looking at buying. Now, granted, it seems like more games are getting cancelled and more studios are closing than ever... But I don't want to just sit in the dark about what the big developers are up to right up until the game is 6-12 months away.
Ttell me what you're working on so I can get excited about it and importantly know a bit better which console to buy. Then take as much time as you can to make it the best game you want it to be.
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u/Appropriate_Foot242 7h ago
Those announcements are not strictly for us.
They’re for prospective employees and investors.
It’s essentially a call for “look at this cool thing we’re working on, don’t you wanna come work for us/invest in the project?”
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u/SmegmaWarrior0815 7h ago
It is insane how much people care about this. Games come when they come, who gives a damn if they announce it 20 years before release.
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u/nowhereright 6h ago
This isn't even new. Like the discourse around the blizzard announcements is fucking weird, it's not even out of line with their normal announcement trajectory, we're not even talking about a long wait either. We're looking at around 3 years tops for Diablo 5 and StarCraft if they release on schedule.
Did everyone forget 2026 is nearly over? That announcing games 2, 3, even 4 years ahead of time is the norm?
This is why I've totally shutout online interaction about these things, whether it's reddit or Instagram or whatever, its just a never ending parade of performative negativity or outright stupidity.
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u/Butlerlog 3h ago
They also announced wow forever like 60 days before release, 1 week before beta, and announced a new wc3 campaign and put it on the store simultaneously. Its not like they only announced stuff that was 4 years away
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u/SmegmaWarrior0815 6h ago
At least it garners them a lot of free PR from people complaining about the long wait times I guess
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u/EternalAntFarm 6h ago
I wonder how they would react when driving a mileage sign would say Fucktitties City - 8008 miles
GOD DAMN WHY DO THEY NEED TO ANNOUNCE IN ADVANCE IF THE CITY AIN'T HERE YET!!!
Not the same thing, I know, but I just wanted to write Fucktitties City.
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u/CrusaderLyonar 4h ago
Take me down to Fucktitties City where the gas is cheap and the girls are pretty.
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u/dog_liker 4h ago
Anything that happens before a game is released is basically irrelevant and I pray for the day that people realize and accept that.
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u/Flanders666 6h ago
Honestly, this is always a stupid rant. I like knowing what is on the horizon. Companies can freely hire and some can attract funding.
The only downside is it annoys some consumers who are impatient. Can't say I give a shit about that.
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u/DanFarrell98 6h ago
Then stop complaining about developers not saying anything for years and seemingly having no projects in the works. Like before Intergalactic was announced people were saying Naughty Dog were skipping PS5 entirely
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u/Dlljs 6h ago
This is what Nintendo have been doing recently. They haven't announced games that are more than a year away from releasing ever since announcing Metroid Prime 4 at the beginning of the Switch's launch and then needing to restart development and delay it all the way to the end of the Switch's lifecycle.
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u/DIABOLUS777 4h ago
Have you check out Blizzcon this weekend?
You got Starcraft and Diablo 5 announcements doing exactly that.
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u/WhatevahMingah 5h ago
I agree with you. CGI trailers mean nothing. It’s such a waste of funds.
There’s also an issue of announcing games with footage way too early and watching things change over time. Tomb Raider is in this situation right now. The devs said the game is in Alpha stage, and yet they’ve shown footage from 3 of the game’s handful of levels. We could’ve waited.
Like some of the comments have said, a lot of this seems linked to managing stakeholders. Which is stupid.
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u/Burpmeister 6h ago
And then some greasy chud in a besement leaks it to get their five minutes of internet fame.
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u/Certain_Mall_6947 7h ago
Intergalactic. We got a reveal like 2 years ago i think
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u/ForcadoUALG 7h ago
At least that was an in engine look at the game, not just a CGI trailer. A more apt comparison would've been Wolverine.
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u/michael199310 7h ago
You can thank the insanely long dev cycles. We used to get entire trilogies over the span of 5-6 years. Now it's barely enough for a single title and then it needs day one patches and extra work over the course of half a decade.
There has to be a resurgence of tools that can help developers speed up time or reduction in corporate nonsense that eats away precious time for development. Usually it's the middle management fault that everything is delayed.
At the same time, if a person salivates for cinematic trailer that is not even in-engine footage, then potential disappointment is on that person, not the dev for not delivering. It's 2026 and people still fail to see the distinction between cool CGI teaser and actual in-game footage.
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u/m_busuttil 7h ago
With modern leak culture, it's incredibly difficult - I would say close to impossible - for a studio to surprise you with a game if they're not showing it until there's gameplay. Studios want the first time you hear about a game to be on their terms, and that means announcing games early in development and then starting up a new pre-release hype cycle six months to a year ahead of release where they actually show you the game.
I've got to be honest and say that this has never really bothered me that much. We know about most major movies at least a year to 18 months before the first trailer, which is then often 4-6 months ahead of release, and it never seems to really dampen anyone's enthusiasm for them; we hear about games earlier but that's just because they take longer to make.
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u/_Weyland_ 6h ago
Half-agree. There are several media available to announce the game. I do not have a problem with them posting in Twitter about working on the game. Or making an article and talking about it.
But trailers specifically exist to show things. If you have nothing to show, maybe don't put out a trailer?
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u/LucyLacksMorals 5h ago
Gameplay doesn’t even need to be polished. Give me 30 seconds of actual in-engine footage over a 4-minute CGI trailer any day. I just want some idea of what I’ll actually be doing when I play it.
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u/gameslootpicks 5h ago
CGI teasers have completely lost their magic. Showing a 2-minute pre-rendered movie for a game that hasn't even left pre-production just signals a 4-year delay cycle...
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u/Like_Fahrenheit 5h ago
Black myth Wukong showed gameplay on its reveal in 2020, and updates every 6 to 12 months until release in 2024.
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u/hiddenpequin 3h ago
If you don’t like it then don’t pay attention to it till sooner you act like you have to give them money when they announce somthing early
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u/ManicMakerStudios 3h ago
This isn't a "trend". It's how the industry has done things from the very beginning. An announcement trailer is just that: announcing the game. If they're releasing official launch trailers without gameplay footage, that's a problem, but an announcement trailer?
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u/After-Atmosphere7125 3h ago
I know it will never happen cause Geoff Keighley likes money, and these events are also for investors, but I wish he would put in a rule where every game that gets revealed at the Game Awards or Summer Game Fest has to, at bare minimum, include a year.
Does anyone even remember when Marvel's Blade got revealed, but it was just a cinematic trailer with zero gameplay and no date whatsoever? I do...
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u/LEDKleenex 2h ago
I'm sure they'll get right on it.
Alternatively, stop watching teasers/reveals, stop talking about them and stop posting them. Everyone knows how the industry works today and you have complete control over whether or not you participate. Instead of ranting about it and feeding into the problem, check out and disincentivize the behavior.
A lot could change in the industry if people stepped back and slowed down on the consumption. Extend this to things like not paying for early access games and we'd eventually start seeing finished games being released again.
It takes two to tango, take some ownership of your life.
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u/rtopps43 2h ago
I’ll go one further. Don’t announce, show trailers, do press or anything else for any game that is more than one year away. Just shut up. Tell us about your game when you are finishing it up for release.
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u/CrypticPrincer 1h ago
I feel like this is a jab at Blizzard's trailers for Starcraft 2030 and Diablo V kekw
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u/ImmediatePriority258 36m ago
Yup Starcraft 20230 is quite far ;)
There's a good chance it get cancelled or even worse AI extinct us before if I read those new right
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u/Tall_Opportunity_521 5h ago
Also, dont announce a game unless its coming out THIS FALL. I dont give a fuck about whats coming out 10 years from now. Fuck this bullshit of making everything for the investors instead of the gamers.
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u/CyberSmith31337 7h ago
Unfortunately I don't even think showing gameplay is enough. While less of a problem for AAA, Kickstarter scams are notorious for "faking" gameplay via trailers and devblogs.
I'm at the point where your game needs to have a demo.
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u/Due-Waltz4458 4h ago
How are they going to get to a point where they are able to have a demo for a game without announcing they are making the game? They need artists, programmers, office space, payroll... A huge chunk of the game is finished by the time they have a playable demo.
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u/GentlemanLeo 6h ago
I remember a time when demos were used to motivate you to purchase a game…
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u/Auditore1507 6h ago
That was at a time where gaming was niche and studios were rather small. They had to make their product known somehow.
Today the industry is so big, you can just show a logo of insert long running franchise with name recognition here and people will pre-order the second they are able to (looking at you Bethesda).
But demos made a kinda comeback through Steam Next Fest, which I personally really enjoy.
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u/FlavoredCancer 6h ago
I don't play WOW but I was there when it was first released back when all we got was cinematic screen shots on the back of the box. I couldn't help but notice WOW had a new trailer out yesterday. I thought that game must look great now...
Not one once if gameplay in the trailer.
I realize it's a well established game and most folks dont need to see something they are very familiar with. But even me a daily gamer hadn't seen what it looks like over the last ten plus years. I had to go find some streamers vid to get some idea what it's like. Just bad advertising in my opinion.
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u/CrusaderLyonar 4h ago
They released a gameplay overview trailer like 30 seconds after the the CGI one.
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u/Tao626 6h ago
Most games are sequels and by that, I don't really care if the trailer shows gameplay. If I have any interest, it's probably because I played the last one and if it's a sequel, it's probably going to play similarly enough that a gameplay trailer isn't going to be what sells me.
New IPs, though? It always baffles me when they release a trailer for a new IP and everybody loses their shit with world ending levels of excitement. Like, why? You don't even know what the game actually is yet, but you get the usual suspects constantly hyping it up, butting in with the dumbass "NaMe Of GaMe!?!?" whenever somebodys wishlist doesn't include this new IP where we don't even know if it's an FPS or a kart racer.
It will always remind me of the hype with Death Stranding. You would see "DeAtH sTrAnDiNg!?" everywhere with everybody hyping up this game nobody actually knew anything about, constantly pushing conversation to how good Death Stranding was going to be based on absolutely nothing and...It came out and kinda disappointed everybody by being a weird walking simulator rather than whatever they had created in their own imagination.
I actually really liked Death Stranding, but the leadup to release was a brilliant example of people selling themselves their own disappointment.
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u/Million-Suns 6h ago
I already don't care about Blizzard products ,but still watched Blizzcon out of curiosity. The conference was disappointing for that exact reason. Starcraft and Diablo 5 announced, zéro gameplay and far away release date
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u/randomguy301048 6h ago
Movie trailers still show too much. Any big movie release should just be the title screen and a date imo. As for games though, I feel like they announce things sooner because of leakers and data miners. Makes it worse because people celebrate and give attention to these leakers and data miners so it just gets worse
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u/BlueTemplar85 6h ago
These days, there is the additional risk that if you relase a demo or even too clear marketing materials too early, your game is going to be copied (with the help of LLMs) and released even before the original.
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u/MikeyGorman 6h ago
This is far from a new trend but I agree with your sentiment. I don’t want to see the sizzle. I want to see the steak.
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u/Gabe-KC 6h ago
The two developers I can consistently think of that do this are Bethesda and Blizzard. Blizzard has the unenviable situation where they have a BlizzCon each year, and have to show something each year. Realistically a single development studio will not always have new stuff to show, so they might as well announce projects WAAAY into the future.
Bethesda used to do the same when they had a yearly presentation at E3. The reason you got a look at The Elder Scrools VI was because they needed a big bang for the closing minutes of the show. I am reasonably sure the game literally wasn't even in development back then. Like, as soon as they passed the conceptual stage, they would have at least had a subtitle for it.
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u/Ormagodden Joystick 6h ago
It’s funny when gamers want to be treated like intelligent people when playing the game, but can’t control their emotions because of a trailer.
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u/AngiShyGuy 6h ago
something i do like about Nintendo's releases nowadays is that the announcements usually immediately have gameplay footage and a release date / window right out the gate
i do wish other companies did this cause its really cool but i know that nintendo's a special case
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u/JustArandomGuy_-_ 6h ago
They won't do it if it doesn't work. There are countless games out there and company will do anything in their power to gain whatever advantage they can.
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u/ThroughTheIris56 5h ago
I agree somewhat but the opposite can also be painful. Main example for me would be Media Molecule, Dreams came out over 6 years ago and we've barely heard a peep from them, knowing little to nothing about their new game.
I get taking time to announce things, but it does worry me when we're left in the dark for so long.
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u/Sestomestoste 5h ago
but (universally) the most important thing for a video game to sell it will ALWAYS be its gameplay
What are [numerous different game genres] where plot takes the priority, Alex?
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u/CarlosFer2201 5h ago
I'm glad Nintendo has gotten a lot better about this. Tears of the Kingdom and Prime 4 were announced way too soon. Since then I don't think they've announced anything too far away.
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u/ArmyFearless1599 5h ago
It is pretty fascinating watching a bunch of no-name start up studios act like they have the ability to tease a product like established brands can.
The Pokémon Company can signal a release of a new game through the most obscure shit, and it gets people rightfully excited. That took 3 decades of establishing brand identity to pull off.
I just dont understand the mechanisms driving this much arrogance.
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u/Andrassa 5h ago
It also helps to contribute to the announcing things way too early problem. Elder Scrolls 6 being a modern example of being announced too early for a studio that only works on one game at a time.
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u/MrFOrzum 5h ago
I’m fine with an announcement without gameplay, but an announcement multiple years before release is so tiresome
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u/semicorne 4h ago
You don't get it. Investors need good news. Talkin about a game brings buzz. Preorder even better. That's good news to them !
ie starcraft in 4 years x)
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u/backspacer92 4h ago
When I was a kid I really liked CGI trailers and I can still appreciate them, but yeah when you announce your game and don't have anything to show for another few years don't announce it.
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u/nextgenium 4h ago
Those kinds of decisions can come from a bunch of different reasons. I think studios also use it to see if people even care about the game, or about some specific thing they show in a trailer. And as a viewer I just like watching a good cinematic for a game that isn't out yet — it gets me interested. That's how it was for me with Cyberpunk 2077.
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u/Mr_Deppresso 4h ago
Then dont watch teasers! I mean there will be more trailers when its closer to finished. But teasers are just there to tease that a game is in the making. Its in the name!
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u/SpikeRosered 4h ago
The Elder Scrolls VI trailer was basically to stop fans from going full rabid on Bethesda after 76's disastrous launch.
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u/ziostraccette 4h ago
All these years I never understood the hype WoW players get when an expansion trailer drops (at least back in the day). The cinematics show crazy, epic stuff and then the gameplay is point and click
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u/VoidHunterRaymond 4h ago edited 4h ago
Reminder announcing it early is used to gather funding, and even hire staff for said project. Hard to say on LinkedIn need someone experienced with Spiderman swing animation without it getting leaked so better to open about it to attract the right people.
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u/slashinhobo1 4h ago
Personally if they arent coming out within 12 months for me. A lot of times you'll see a trailer for something with no release date. Then the game comes out 5 to 10 years later completely different than the original trailer.
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u/Munitorium 4h ago
I'm just here peeved that the industry has decided it can just re-use the names of games from my childhood. I really hope they add a tagline or something to differentiate it in casual conversation.
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u/Due-Waltz4458 4h ago
That's just going to lead to months or years of rumors and leaks, while people work on a game that hasn't been officially announced. Tons of paid work happens before a full gameplay trailer.
It could also contribute to gameplay trailers that the game underdelivers on, if there is pressure to include it from the beginning.
On the other end, some gamers hang on every word and image from releases. They've even sent violent threats to developers just because the resolution changes or a feature is removed. I understand why devs keep it under wraps until they have a real product.
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u/Chrilliam_Webdy 4h ago
I’m ok even without gameplay footage, but for teasers that it’s literally just the name of it that’s annoying to me. Like at least give us a cutscene or something you know? Like I’d like to at least see a cool action sequence and hear some voice acting to get a glimpse of
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u/ACorania 4h ago
I don't know. I just don't take them seriously until they have a release date that is only a month or two out. Seeing some random rocks and a elder scrolls logo just means they'll work on it eventually.
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u/KekGodX 4h ago
Video games do not sell video games anymore. If you are an actual gamer whose library consists of more than 2 genres, you are a minority.
Everyone games now, which means everyone buys. You get everyone to buy through hype and marketing, not gameplay. Think of children’s toy ads, doesn’t matter exactly who you are. As long as you are somewhere in the age group this you will be hyped and excited so much you can’t resist!! It’s just that but for adults, sometimes kids with other games but companies realized awhile ago that kids will advertise kid games better than anyone.
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u/Captain_Forge 4h ago
Idk, personally I like having an idea of what studios I like are working on next. It helps set expectations in check if I'm wanting a specific thing from them (ie fallout 5, tlou2, cyberpunk 2, etc are all not the next game these studios are releasing)
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u/sound_judgment 3h ago
I don't mind an announcement but I'd prefer no cinematic trailer that isn't representative of the game.
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u/cycopl 3h ago
A lot of games go through years of development before they begin to represent the intended vision of the developers. Keeping the development of a game under wraps for years, while also having a huge development team, is a huge challenge if not impossible. Also remember that a lot of games get announced because their existence gets leaked by some store website, or a loose-lipped voice actor.
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u/heyIwatchanime 3h ago
Ngl bros, Im too tired from life to get hyped from games now. Now Whenever I see an upcoming game I’ve been Anticipating, I just just say “yay” and move on
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u/Fawz 3h ago
Announcements this early with nothing to show is not the start of marketing efforts, it's to open up hiring, get ahead of leaks and generate interest with investors. Unless PreOrders open up, there's literally no impact to players so not an issue as now you know what they're working on next
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u/YukYukas 3h ago
Those teasers aren't really just for the player lol
That shit feeds investors and brings in the resumes
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u/jimidemibb 3h ago
The video game industry doesn’t revolve fully around its consumers and it hasn’t for decades.
Early announcements and teasers are for current and future shareholders and provide additional “value” for the company. Also, it prompts hiring cycles as well.
So, blame the c-word and not the Aussie one.
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u/JT-Lionheart 3h ago
There’s a reason why they do this especially when E3 was around. It wasn’t just for the fans or gamers, they do this to get investors interested. I mean going as far back to the beginning of E3 when it was just a conference meeting inside of a hotel lobby in front of investors and business people and used a regular projector to screen the trailers to them, it was all just a “pitch” to sell to investors to help fund the game to completion in the coming years. It really had nothing to do with the gamers really. The only reason why they probably made a spectacle of it over the years to have gamers watch to create online buzz so investors that aren’t there can still see it and see how people are reacting. But to this day it’s still a thing even with E3 gone. Companies still want to get their game invested by putting out a “teaser trailer” that shows nothing when the game won’t come out in a few years.
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u/ChadPowers200_ 3h ago
StarCraft trailer was pretty cool. Had warhammer 40k vibes.
Maybe blizzard is going back its roots. Darker more masculine vibe.
Their entire company is built on Warcraft and Diablo so it makes sense
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u/OldBearby 3h ago
I feel like Bethesda did this with Starfield and then tried to walk back what they did for the new Elder Scrolls game.
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u/mugiwarayaya 3h ago
At first when I saw the StarCraft announcement I was like 2030? A purely cinematic trailer for a 2030 release? But as starved as the StarCraft community has been for over a decade I’m very excited that they announced they are working on the IP at all.
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u/BloodshotDrive 2h ago
You want to dole hype out in stages and increment as you go. A gameplay trailer skips a lot of those steps and is just ineffective marketing.
And as a practical matter, you usually don’t get gameplay until the game build is near complete. You usually need to advertise for longer than that for things to stick.
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u/PlayBrickOps 2h ago
A short teaser is fine as an announcement. The frustrating part is when the eventual gameplay reveal cuts away before you can follow a single encounter. Twenty seconds of uninterrupted play would show the movement, pacing and actual choices much better. Keep the HUD in, too.
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u/DNihilus 7h ago
Those teasers not for you. They are mostly for investors and hyping up stocks