It's no secret that Western games development is in the doldrums: the industry has laid off over 45,000 jobs since the COVID bubble burst in 2022, and publishers and studios are scrambling for ways to adapt to rising costs and shifting player priorities. Meanwhile, viral hits from smaller teams—ranging from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 through to Peak—make those billion-dollar companies look old hat, almost like dinosaurs (though it's also true that neither were made by a company whose CEO makes more than $29,000,000 in a year).
But will the major Western publishers—the likes of EA, Activision and Ubisoft—shift towards making games on a smaller scale, with lower costs and more modest production? According to Meghan Morgan Juinio, former Santa Monica Studios director of product development, the answer is obvious.
