The Sim gaming world - changes and developments

I'm not a big gamer, though my wife might beg to differ. Of late, I've found that I quite enjoy some simulator titles that are available and it seems to be that 'sims' as a genre has had a resurgence.

I've long had an interest in airplanes and flying. Simulators was the way I could engage this interest in a way that worked for me.

MS Flight Simulator was the main focus and still is. With Microsoft deciding to close down it's ACES studio all those years ago now, MS somewhat turned it's back on the venerable MS Flight Simulator franchise and the flight sim fraternity had a bit of shock.

Fact is, shock was an expected reaction but as it has turned out, unwarranted. MS FS is such a juggernaut with such momentum and such a large install base that frankly, the only difference between pre and post the ACES studio closure is no one now expects MS to build a successor to MS FSX. In fact, others have taken up the gauntlet with X-Plane and Lockheed Martin, no less, flying the Flight Sim flag.

Without going into rant mode here, I do feel strongly that Microsoft, as a company, stumbled, tripped and fell on their face with their ill conceived 'Flight' product. The less said about that, perhaps the better. It's a pity really that MS showed themselves up as never really being behind their own product.

I'll still say thank you to MS for developing MS Flight Simulator to the extent that have. They lead the way and who knows, with some new management decisions, they may even return to the genre!

In the meantime, the FS community has plenty to do, the business model is not the mass market AAA title console equivalent but still represents and very active and profitable model for those with the ambition to build and deliver products into it.

Other simulator areas have found a resurgence also in recent year. Examples include Space and Truck / Lorry driving to pick two.

Cloud Imperium Games, a new Chris Roberts American based enterprise, that's Mr. Roberts of Freelance fame, has somewhat shocked the gaming world for all the right reasons. His game, Star Citizen, looks set to be completely funded without any investment and interference from the traditional publishers. He is also championing the return of the PC as 'the' gaming platform of choice, the PC having yielding the crown to the console markets for a decade now. Using the interweb, good marketing and heavy leverage of his personal reputation, CIG appear to have done the impossible and as of this blog, have raised in excess of $20M and are within striking distance of their minimum goal of $23M. All projections support the expectation, that they will raise far in excess of their minimum goal.

Starting off as a pretty small outfit, but with the guidence of Mr. Roberts and his EC, CIG has more than somewhat re-written the rules on both game development, community engagement and fiscal management. Success has yet to be earned but the mojo around the title Star Citizen is only going up and to the right!

There is an argument that there is quite a level of hysteria among a few within the Space Sim community concerning Star Citizen. Perhaps there are some pockets occasionally but it's more likely that what may be seen as hysteria is merely confirmation, albeit, clear, loud and obvious, that the genre of Space sims has been somewhat left behind in recent decades and moreover, the realm of the PC gaming rig is far from anywhere near 'end of days'. Fact is, there is room for consoles [wash my mouth with salty water] and the PC platform.

That CIG will fund this game development entirely without any traditional publisher money is the unprecedented news here. A Kick-Starter campaign was a powerful success and the Crowd-Funding strategy employed after the Kick Starter campaign ended, has literally blown all prior experience out of the water. A new model as evolved and we will see more of it for sure.

All eyes on are CIG but already, the model is being adopted across the industry. It is a very clear message from the customer base telling the potential development team what they want. It makes sense for the developer too as it mitigates their risk, funds the development team and gives the developer more authority in the actual development cycle.

2013, has clearly suggested that the role that publishers play in the development and distribution of PC games in particular is changing irreversibly. We all look on with interest.

SCS Software is the second example I mention. SCS has been around for decade or so in various guises, most recently as an independent developer for Truck and Bus Simulator titles. The release of Euro Truck Simulator 2 projected them into AAA title territory and the success of the title has had profound effects of this small company.

Small, and emerging from the traditional developer stable, SCS Software, a Cz.Rep based developer has made steady steps to capitalise on it's ETS2 title's success.
A recent interview with Mr. Pavel Sebor, CEO of SCS Software and posted on YouTube by DaSquirrelsNuts provided an insight to the developer, few in the community had seen before. Candid, transparent and enthusastic, Mr. Sebor was quick to communicate his ambitions and swift to communicate the realities and issues faced in delivering them.

The community engagement aspect of SCS's management style has developed a loyal and responsive community fan base and indeed a modding community that feel welcome and encouraged. SCS, built the ETS2 title with a staff of perhaps 10% of the EA's of this world. They have earned respect, credit and support, patience and positive engagement.

SCS is experimenting with deployment models for the future title American Truck Simulator which differ from the traditional, built, packaged, sold, forgotten model of yesteryear...


What is striking about this two examples, when compared to the "Call of Duty" AAA style gaming genres [which
I hasten to add are all excellent, fun and have their place] is the sense of direct community driven decision making and the evolving, reinvesting development strategies of these companies.

Gone, well, perhaps going, are the days of Publisher execs calling the shots based on projected sales targets and bean counter development decisions and already established are new models driven by early adopters and engaged fans who are prepared to wait the wait, plays with the bugs and feedback their inputs so that, collectively, the game that the community wants is built, rather than the game the community gets! It's perhaps subtle in some regards but it is profound when you look at the possibilities and the results.

Perhaps, best of all, there is room in the world for this new model along side the older tried, tested and proven model of publisher driven titles.

The new model has a comfortable place largely because of the characteristic differences between the sim and the arcade genres.

It is with keen interest, I await the future for the above titles.

JW