
The more I play games, the more I notice active trends in gaming (duh, so does everyone). And I feel that at one point in time, especially at the all-time high of the RTS genre’s popularity, there was a trend that every other game was set in medieval or ancient times. Such was the case with Age of Empires, the Caesar series, Stronghold, all the historical Total War games and many other titles…That trend has been going for quite some time, decades upon decades, and probably about two centuries if we consider media in general and not only video games. But I feel that lately, it's starting to shift a bit – if only ever so slightly – in favor of other genres and other periods, including the unknowable future.
I noticed that there are a lot more cyberpunk-futuristic-sci-fi games that are coming out, and I feel like they are – if not pushing out – then lightly moving medieval games off their throne. I noticed this had started to become a trend around 5 years ago with titles such as Detroit Become Human, Cyberpunk, and even revitalizing interest in the older Deus Ex games. And this trend is only continuing into the present moment, when it's actually quite common to see games with that theme across the genre spectrum. It's not just exclusive to the FPS or RPG genres, but appears as backdrop for some rather unexpected types of games. For example, Ctrl Alt Deal is a futuristic office prankster simulator where you play as an AI wreaking havoc inside offices with constant surveillance, trying to wiggle yourself out of the “system” with your newfound rogue AI intelligence. It's a combination of a card game and a point and click game – definitely not the usual fit for the cyberpunk genre. (Even though puzzle games like Talos Principle are essentially sci fi, though more on the philosophical side and not cyberpunk per se)
Also, one more indicator that sci-fi/cyberpunk is becoming the new standard is that older games that follow this specific aesthetic are getting remasters. Namely, System Shock 2, the cult game that scared me shitless as a kid, is getting its remastered version after 25+ years. There wouldn't be any sense for a gaming studio to make such a remake if they didn't recognize a common trend that’s slowly creeping up in popularity. Tbh I am not much of a fan of remasters since I believe it's just a tool to get people to buy the old game in a prettier box. It's more of an effective marketing tool than it is a new game. But I will say I do like REMAKES, those are a totally different story from remasters and if done right, and can truly take the OG game up several notches.
I would like to hear your opinion on this. Am I just seeing things, or is this new trend emerging slowly but steadily to the surface?
2 Comments
I mean… Yeah-ish. The genre is getting more relevant. It’s not so much replacing fantasy as it is… Acting like the zombie genre did ten-ish years ago. People want to tell cyberpunk stories because cyberpunk stories are becoming increasingly important. Then other people are going to jump on the bandwagon because the aesthetic is popular, and you’ll get more and more slop. Then, slowly, it’s going to sink away again. Circle of media.
Cyberpunk is still far from being one of the most popular settings, i would bet there is still more zombie games than cyberpunk games getting released, and medival is still more common too.