BioWare: "Too many games today"

By Robert Purchese Published 26 November, 2010

Says we gamers can't "keep up".

You think you have trouble keeping up with all the games coming out? BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka spends up to three hours a night on games and still thinks that's not enough.

"There are too many games released today," he declared to Develop. "It's interesting, because it's very, very busy - it makes it very hard as a player to keep up. The releases clump up – even though that is changing a little bit.

"For us, we have to play our games, play competitor's games, play other relevant games and play the handful of games we just really want to play more of and finish.

"I try and play two-or three hours a night," he said, "but that's hard and it's not enough."

That's a lot of game time. What's his favourite?

"Mine was probably the original System Shock," said Muzyka. "It was awesome. I finished that game four times in 10 years.

"I loved the way it was the first true 3D adventure. The shooter mechanic in 3D meant it was very hard to control in a way, but the richness of the world was amazing.

"Our IT guys hate us for it, but we use a fan website with patches to make sure System Shock will work on our current gen laptops."

Muzyka's musings about there being too many games correlates with BioWare's upped production. If we go back to 2003 and Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare typically had two years between releases: Jade Empire arrived in 2005 and the first Mass Effect in 2007.

It wasn't until autumn 2009 and the release of Dragon Age: Origins that new owner EA (as of 2007) had time to influence BioWare's output. Just months later, in January 2010, Mass Effect 2 arrived. And in March 2011 we're expecting Dragon Age 2. Next year should also witness the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, although anything could happen there.

What's more, next month BioWare will unveil a new game - tipped to be Mass Effect 3 - at the Spike TV Video Game Awards. A 2012 release for this makes sense.

How many hours do you spend on games each night? Can you keep up?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • knightmt #1 2 years ago

    You have to focus on genres you prefer, otherwise he is right.

  • ChthonicEcho #2 2 years ago

    That is by no means a bad thing, and the argument supporting this notion can be summed up in one word - choice.

    This entire 'we are busy people' mentality is what crippled the game industry and led to the dominance of simple (casual, as some prefer to call it) and short games. Does this mean we need food sold already chewed, so all we'd need to do is to swallow it, just because there's too much food for us to sample and too little time?

    I dislike Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, but there are people who love the CoD franchise up to the latest instalment. All the more power to them. The point of the entertainment industry is not to experience everything it has to offer, but find that which suits your personal, individual need. It's such a simple thing to understand, and yet very few do in this industry.
    Edited by ChthonicEcho at 26/11/10 @ 14:52

  • AbracadaverAK #3 2 years ago

    It's not really a problem if you want to play on something good, though.

    I've been using Lovefilm to rent a few games that I didn't think were worth buying, and I was right. A few have been enjoyable for a little while - ideal for renting - but a good chunk have been hugely disappointing.

  • The_B #4 2 years ago

    I disagree, but only because I think the bigger problem is everything releasing at the same time. This year between May and September there were very few games - heck I remember buying the two later Scene It games, which were rubbish, because I was that bored.

    Then Halo Reach hit during September, October had pretty much every big name it could have had with new Fable, Rock Band, Hero etc and then November was CoD and Assassins Creed. Whereas at the end of August I was buying rubbish games to keep myself occupied, now I have six games on the door and another expected this weekend. I'd have the time if they'd released in a more staggered fashion and I had something to play over the summer.
    Edited by The_B at 26/11/10 @ 14:52

  • spekkeh #5 2 years ago

    Agreed. That's why I think it would be time to go for shorter and cheaper games. Just not episodic. Like a movie, I'd like the game to have a proper start and ending, and tell a complete story. But because games are less efficient storytelling media, I reckon four hours would be a better target, for, say, 20 euro. Then I wouldn't mind if they reuse engines and assets to tell completely different stories.

  • bobiroka #6 2 years ago

    Even doing that it's hard. I do most of my gaming at the weekend, provided I'm not too hungover and try and spend at least an hour per night during the week on average. It's getting to the point now where I resent games taking longer than 20 hours. MMOs are out, open-ended games like Minecraft are out too. I can't really afford to spend more than a couple of weeks on a game before the next one is out...

  • MrBelmont #7 2 years ago

    Depends whether you want to play each quality release, if you've got all the current consoles and a PC then forget it unless you can play for about 10 hours a day. I only have a Wii and an XBox360 and over half my collection is still not even 50% completed. I feel that I either leave a game unfinished and move onto the next one potentially missing out on great content or complete a game and potentially miss on a new release.

    Saying that though I'd rather have too many to choose from than not enough.
    Edited by MrBelmont at 26/11/10 @ 14:57

  • Whitster #8 2 years ago

    I think the problem really comes down to too many games in a short amount of time. Anyone who wants to pick up all the major releases out between Sep-Jan will struggle to finish them all straight away, however theres then then inevitable April - August period where nothing but a few choice handheld releases come out. Personally I find it ok to wait a bit and pick up some of the titles cheaper then.

    (I am aware that this trend was bucked slightly this year, so this pattern may start to change)

  • bobiroka #9 2 years ago

    I'm using my Lovefilm acct to keep track of the games I'm missing out on as well stuff I was skeptical about shelling out more than £20 for. I definitely think this is the way to go. First game I got was Dead Space, which I enjoyed so much I pre-ordered the sequel. other stuff hasn't been that mind-blowing, but it's better than judging a game purely on the strength of reviews, videos or even a demo...

  • Penguinzoot #10 2 years ago

    All I know is my games backlog seems to be growing. Still only halfway through Fallout 3, haven't started F:NV, started playing AC:B the other day as well. Argh! Not enough time dammit!

    Edit: Totally forgot about Starcraft II and Civ5. Barely touched Napolean Total War as well! :'(
    Edited by Penguinzoot at 26/11/10 @ 15:05

  • darkphoenix #11 2 years ago

    I can't keep up, that's for sure...

    "Starcraft 2", "Dragon Age", "Fallout: New Vegas", "Vanquish", "Fable 3", "Mass Effect 2" dlcs, "Halo Reach" multiplayer, etc....
    Some of the games I'd love playing, but ain't got the time.

    Backlog is increasingly scaring the sh*t out of me.
    Getting to a point where one doesn't have the time to play all the year's greatest games.
    Never before seen, and I am a gamer since 1984.

  • Gunzberg #12 2 years ago

    If you have a PC, PS3, Wii, DS and PSP such as myself, then there is a huge amount of games that I still want to play.

    If you only own one or two formats, I think getting a handle on games is easier.

    But life, work, etc all get in the way and that leads to a backlog...

  • linksdad #13 2 years ago

    I think his problem is that there are actually to many GOOD GAMES coming out. There have always been hundreds of games released per year but with 80-90 percent of them being tat they arent a problem for the more discerning gamer, they arent going to go near them with a virtual barge pole.
    For the last couple of years there are a hell of a lot of great games and his fear is that he could miss out on some awesome content if he doesnt play them all. I put in a similar amount of hours, but count myself lucky for the sheer amount of choice I have.

  • Lord_Gremlin #14 2 years ago

    There are few games that truly appeal to me.

  • Paulie_P #15 2 years ago

    I've too many games, I'm lucky if i can get a hour or two a night to play them as well.

    For a while I had a 'at least 50% achievement' policy but it got to the point where i had 20 odd games to play. I had to cut it down, which i have to 7/8 - Fallout 3, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Castlevania, Split Second, Red Dead Redemption, Pro Evo, Valkyria Chronices and any Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN games.

    I can never decide which one I want to play so I made a random generator to tell me what to play each day. I should be able to get rid of Split Second, Fallout and Red Dead soon but I have just ordered Deadly Permonition and my gf is buying me Donkey Kong and Professor Layton for Christmas and i might buy the undead nightmare pack when i'm finished red dead. God I need help!

  • cianchristopher #16 2 years ago

    Well, I'm setting myself a challenge of not buying a single game in the calendar year of 2011, while I go through the games I own and try to complete them or (in the case of the dozens of titles I bought in last year's Steam Xmas Sale) at least try them out for a while.

    Sure, it'll be tough, and it'll mean that I'll miss out on Portal 2, Deus Ex 3, Batman Arkham City, Brink, The Witcher II, Shogun 2, Test Drive Unlimited 2, Crysis 2, Dead Space 2, Bulletstorm, Gears of War 3, and many more.

    But y'know what? Fuck it! I can't justify buying even one of those games, not least 'til I play what I already have...

  • Ryboy #17 2 years ago

    Been saying this for years.

  • LowEnergyCycle #18 2 years ago

    I wish I could get my copy of System Shock to work on my current gen laptop :(

    It's also my all-time favourite game. Took me months to complete when I was about 14.

  • BuddyChrist #19 2 years ago

    Too many rushed games, too many shit games. Cult games used to be good, now only AAA games are worth the time, and they tend to be derivative

  • TheApologist #20 2 years ago

    @BuddyChrist

    Huh? There are a tonne of great smaller downloadable games, and the indie scene has never been better on PC. And the cheaper developed games on handhelds have been often really fun. To me, AAA has never been more irrelevant to my gaming.

    (That's not to say I'm not looking forward to the odd AAA game here and there, just that they are probably only half of what I play).

  • Colthor #21 2 years ago

    "There's too many games to play", I hear every gamer say. The persuit of entertainment is a chore.

  • coolbritannia #22 2 years ago

    I get maybe 4 games a year, Fallout 3, Reach, Bad Company 2, and MW2 were my obvious choices this year. Bayonetta was a surprise.

  • OnlyMe #23 2 years ago

    I completely agree if you're one of those who love all kinds of genres. I'm one of them. The good thing about it though, is the vast amount of cheap 2-3 month old games.

  • Dunge #24 2 years ago

    I play about 4-5hours per evening, sometimes a bit more the weekend. I only play PC games, but I manage to keep up with most releases. Problem is, there's a massive pack of games being released in the October-December period, many good games go un-noticed and then there's nearly nothing during the rest of the year. Couldn't publisher even out releases? I'm sure it will be great for sales too, more than the "Christmas gifts" sales boost.

  • menage #25 2 years ago

    Same problem, money is also an issue.

    Summer needs more releases though, preferably from the winter lineup. The wait from RedDead till Dead Rising 2 this year was terrible. Spread em.

  • GamesConnoisseur #26 2 years ago

    A better analogue is movies, do we watch ALL of them?!

    No we can only focus oh the types we like to watch, and hence we should get into the mind set that it's about choices, as others said above, we ideally maybe should pick only one or two a month, play those to the very end before moving on.

    Instead of getting 3 or 4 across platforms a week, and soon enough next week arrives, moved on and left the previous week games unfinished.

    This is simply ... not how games should be played.

  • drhickman1983 #27 2 years ago

    I find it hard to keep up. Just made a quick list (which I wont reproduce for the sake of brevity) and there are 15 games. And thats games I can remember off the top of my head, given a few more minutes and I'd probably remember some more (though I guess if I had forgotten about them I arguably no longer want them)

    I don't play games every night, I probably play games 3-4 nights a week, and probably half those nights I play less than a couple of hours. If I get a new game I'll probably spend nights per week playing, and more time per night, at least initially.

    For me the "can't keep up" is more re-enforced by the cost of games than the hours needed. I probably could afford them, but I don't like spending money.

    @knightmt

    I'm not sure I have a prefered genre, if I play only RPGs or only FPS games, I get bored very quickly. Same with music and films and food, I need to vary things to keep me entertained.
    Edited by drhickman1983 at 26/11/10 @ 15:57

  • Mkwone #28 2 years ago

    Realistically i'll spend about 2 hours a night gaming. If it's on the laptop though (i.e FM) i'll spend 4-5 hours because i'll play it whilst watching telly or something.

    I'll agree there's a lot of games out, more than i'll ever get to play. But i'm coming from a different direction than these guys as i'm sure they'll play through games to see how features and ideas work, unlike me whose playing for enjoyment.

  • Restart #29 2 years ago

    My huge pile of unplayed & unfinished games agrees with you, Ray.

  • tickleygonad #30 2 years ago

    Don't know why there's such a rush to get every game on release day. Im sure they'll be as enjoyable a few months down the line. We now have loads of games to tide us by in the inevitable summer drought!

  • DanForinton #31 2 years ago

    My"Pile of Shame" stretches back years. The more I look at it, the more I'm tempted to join the crowd swearing off buying new games until we've worked through some of our unfinished list. But it's my own fault for putting myself in the situation where I can play almost everything that comes out (just missing a PSP). But I know, looking at 2011, there's a few upcoming titles that I'm not going to be able to resist...

  • joelstinton #32 2 years ago

    Its mental, a) i don't have the cash to keep buying, and b) i would actually like time to invest in a game, and learn and enjoy its merits.

    also far to many games have an online mode which is pratically redundant after a couple of weeks because everyone has gone back too COD.

  • siro #33 2 years ago

    System Shock indeed is the best game ever.
    Finished Mass Effect 2 yesterday. That was pretty good, too!

  • fizzyfish #34 2 years ago

    I berate anyone who scoffs at 7/10, but the existence of such misguided people are symptomatic of the sad reality that many people, like me, only have enough time to sample the cream of the crop. I wish I could apply a more forgiving cut-off, but if a game doesn't receive unanimous glowing reviews, it simply doesn't get a look-in. Just don't scoff at 7/10, folks :)

  • Armoured_Gideon #35 2 years ago

    It's probably got a lot to do with the average age of gamers as well. Ten years or more ago as a student, I had acres of time to plough into games. I remember a 13 hour FF7 session, for example. But now, with jobs, bills and significant others, anything over three hours is a pipe dream.

  • CaptainQuint #36 2 years ago

    He's dead right. Never in thirty years of gaming have I known there to be so much choice. Not long ago we'd have to wait till Xmas for the good releases, but thesedays we get great games all year round and keeping up with them is difficult!

  • TheJuriel #37 2 years ago

    I'm having little trouble keeping up, because there's been nothing interesting released for a good while now (except Blood Bowl Legendary Edition).

    As to how much I play? 3 hours on workdays, 10+ hours otherwise?

  • Anciegher #38 2 years ago

    I'm in a different seat, I buy a lot of games but if they don't hold up to "amazing" I will usually give up after 2 hours or less and never touch it again. Most of my time is spent surfing the net and reading about games...I probably read more about games than I play them hehe :p So for me, I would prefer if there were even more games released (provided they were good) because then chances are that there would be more "amazing" games which I would actually finish! (Backlog is like 20-30 games)

  • anomagnus #39 2 years ago

    I think hes right and wrong. If you're only interested in one or two genres, it probably feels just about right. If you're like me, and you like RPGs, RTS, FPS, 3rd person adventure, mmos, racers, etc, its hard to keep up with so much out there.

    Though to be fair, the second half of 2010 has been quiet for me.

  • Nephirion #40 2 years ago

    Too many mediocre games ...

  • skuzzbag #41 2 years ago

    Is there a problem with too many games? You wouldn't try and read every book ever released, nor would you want to.

  • IamTheElderScrolls #42 2 years ago

    shut the fuck up and just make your games. No one cares what you have to say.

  • Scimarad #43 2 years ago

    Absolutely right. Gamers need to actually choose what they want to play rather trying to play practically everything.

  • gjgjg #44 2 years ago

    good problem to have, tough at the top

  • spongebob #45 2 years ago

    Seems to me most of you commenting here are in their thirties or so. Of course you have less time to play. But what about people who are 15-20? I remember that particular age was for me the one when I was most active as a gamer. Three hours a night was nothing.

  • FenderMaster #46 2 years ago

    he's kind of right, but money is a bigger issue than time for most of us... i can finish most big releases in a few days, as long as i steer clear of multiplayer, but i just can't afford more than 5 or 6 games a year :(

  • funkateer #47 2 years ago

    I think he's right and wrong at the same time. If you look at the AAA titles that are coming out, there seem to be more titles competing in less genres. It has probably to do with higher production costs this gen, so they seem to focus more on refining tried genres than to explore new areas.

  • craziii #48 2 years ago

    who plays every game that is released? come on, it is like this guy is lacking common sense. besides, once you play a mmo, you pretty much give up on all other games till you stop.

  • Stuz359 #49 2 years ago

    I truly believe that the industry can split itself, like the film and tv industry into big epics like movies, and smaller bite sized pieces that are released regularly like tv shows.

    I want to see games become more episodic, I think it will lead to greater variety and games will have to be judged on whether or not they appeal to people.

  • FutileResistor #50 2 years ago

    @FenderMaster

    As long as you're not bothered about being current, you can afford more than 6 games a year.

    Never get a game on release, most 360 PS3 games are down to £15 or less within 6 months of release. Also older 2nd hand titles can be very cheap, like £6 or less cheap.

    Swaps. There's a forum thread for that.

    Get a LoveFilm or Boomerang account.

    There are loads of awesome freeware games on PC. Spelunky, Dwarf Fortress, Kingdom of Loathing, Cave Story, Hero Core etc ... Check out TIGdb, indiegames.com, there are loads of great games that cost nothing, many of them better than full price titles in terms of fun.

    Steam sales!
    Yesterday, I bought the Indie Story Pack for £3.99 which includes And Yet It Moves, Gish, Jolly Rover, Puzzle Agent and Recettear. I had 2 of the games in the pack already and only got the pack for Recettear (9/10 eurogamer review) was rude not to at that price.
    Today the Indie Clever Pack looks tempting for £3.99 despite me again having 2 of the games in the pack already.

    Also Beyond Good and Evil for £2 on GetGamesGo is excellent if you haven't played it.

    If you're already doing all of the above, I apologise for being a patronising git.

    I've been firmly in the camp of not having time to play everything after last year's steam sales. 8-(
    Edited by FutileResistor at 26/11/10 @ 23:06

  • hiddenranbir #51 2 years ago

    Don't tell me what I can and can't do Bioware. Arrogant or what.

  • thubie #52 2 years ago

    Man this is so right it's not that i can't keep up it more mu wallet can't keep up with all those fine games coming out and some pearls from the past. Just bought a shitload of arcade games and PGR 4 with Ass creed 2(need to play before buying brotherhood)

  • mushroomyakuza #53 2 years ago

    I'm STILL playing Castlevania...

  • Transcendent #54 2 years ago

    That guy must be bullshitting to trick people or something. There is no way a CEO has no concept of competition.

  • djed #55 2 years ago

    I'm keeping up just fine, having discerning tastes and all. Of course Bioware wouldn't know that, seeing as I've never bought one of their data-mining applications disguised as games.

  • actionfitz #56 2 years ago

    i agree.
    and when you factor in some Warcraft time... you're really fucked hehe.
    like me :/

  • Kerome #57 2 years ago

    Even if you focus on the things you prefer there is too much.

    The problem that I have is that the discovery mechanisms are so cumbersome. I hear by word of mouth, or read in the gaming press, but treally that doesn't tell you that much all-in-all. I don't have time to read six different gaming mags each month, or visit five websites every other day.

    Net effect is that I end up playing the GotY stuff a good six months after release... so far this year: Dragon Age, Bioshock (late on this one), Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, Blade Kitten, Shadow Complex, Limbo, Crackdown 2, Alan Wake, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Minecraft and I still have Red Dead Redemption and Halo Reach to look forward to... and then I'm not counting all the small fry.

    Anyway, I'm sure everyone ends up with their own defense mechanisms on this one, after all it's only entertainment, no-one is forcing us to play all these games ;) Or are they?

    Edit: forgot to add Starcraft 2, shame on me...
    Edited by Kerome at 27/11/10 @ 11:56

  • Nils-Marius #58 2 years ago

    I just picked Grandia 1 out of my to-play pile. It stretches over 10 years back :) 10 hours in..

  • obscured021 #59 2 years ago

    He is correct, i love proper RPG's, car games, FPS, action games, and RTS games.

    I dont have time to play them all, so i do miss some of the good ones,

    But I am catching up on some of the oldies I missed, when on the move. Playing Knights of the old republic and tron 2.0 made a 9 hrs flight fly:) I did play the 2nd Knights but missed the first on release.

  • pac666 #60 2 years ago

    Your supposed to enjoy gaming not ensure it. Pick wisely and spend your time wisely and you will be a happy gamer again. There's a lot of beautiful women out there but you can't meet and seduce all of them even if you dediate 3 hours per day of your life. As a famous rock band once said 'You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you might get what you need.'

  • aufi #61 2 years ago

    too many games? not sure.

    too many good games? not close.
    Edited by aufi at 28/11/10 @ 18:51

  • The_Bloody_Kettle #62 2 years ago

    I just buy games that I really feel I'll get lots out of on release and if I'm interested in others I'll buy them at a (sometimes much) later date.
    At the moment being a uni means I basically play FIFA and loads of Wii games. Meaning I'm missing out on loads of the juicy releases, which isn't really an issue as I can't afford them anyway!

  • Caimbeul #63 2 years ago

    I completely agree. I have a list of about about 35 great games i want to complete. Just done have the time and more great games keep coming. That doesnt mean Bioware are allowed to slack off on making their epic games like Mass Effect & DAO.