If it bleeds, it leads. To be the first to “break the news”—natural disaster, school shooting (almost always American), new game, hot movie, whatever—is always ‘better’ for your brand. People want to know ASAP. The quicker you can throw something out there—accurate or not—the more eyeballs you get. Eyeballs = money these days: clicks, sponsors, views, ad deals, whatever.
The problem is that, in theory and practice, the info being pushed out first is almost never accurate. Builders know: measure twice, cut once. Basically, make sure your shit’s correct before you commit. Media? Not so much. They leap to conclusions about intent, popularity, reach, and motive. That same lack of caution extends into the gaming sphere.
I see so many starter projects that hit the trifecta for “probably a trash asset flip” getting breathless headlines from big sites and YouTubers like “the most brutal survival game since Valheim!” 🤢 and “Game of the year Material!”
Anyway, this whole rant kicked off because I was cleaning out old RSS feeds and folders, tossing outdated articles, checking which pieces I still needed. I stumbled across a bunch of HYPE HYPE coverage for Project Frontier, a game from developer OCP. Went to check it out…and it looks abandoned. The game’s YouTube and website have all been pulled down, and the Discord link is dead. Some of their socials, like Twitter and Reddit, are locked down.
(I, briefly, fell down the rabbithole of trying to figure out precisely what OCP is/was doing outside of the game. There are articles about their push to “…support creators in making content and monetizing that content. The aim is to turn creators into stars.” Which sounds great on paper- speaking of paper, they not only have industry big wigs with fancy titles under their belt, but raised over 20 million in funding– but scratching around really revealed nothing on these grandoise plans beyond their site with articles dated from 2019-2022, and some old interviews and shit.)
Anyway, back on topic with “media outlets and content creators make much of things that don’t deserve much.” Look, it’s not just the outlets, and I get that. Developers are also guilty of showing off flashy UE5 engine footage or polished cinematic trailers that are more about mood than mechanics, and in reality, the game is years (and years) out from even touching alpha. (Derelicts comes to mind here, sorry.) A lot of these projects are one-person passion games, or someone trying to secure funding before they even have a clue of what they’re trying to make. I don’t blame people for wanting to show their vision early, but I do blame the cycle that turns that vision into clickbait before there’s anything real behind it.
🎮 Remember These?
- The Day Before – riddled with asset flip vibes from the start. hilarious trailers though.
- Dead Matter – campaign full of promise; actual progress, not so much. (though at least it exists)
- Wild Side – fucking fancy trailer, aspects of Green Hell, I WANTED IT, spinning since 2019
And I just keep thinking—if these big outlets didn’t get caught up in flashy trailers, if they weren’t so quick to fall in love with shiny UE5 bullshit that’s stunningly empty under the hood… maybe we wouldn’t see so many of these devs pulling the same move over and over. I don’t know the behind-the-scenes stuff: what happens after they take the money and disappear. Are they chased by debt? Angry backers? International legal problems? No clue. But there sure doesn’t seem to be much consequence. (Case in point: The developers of The Day Before attempting to come back and ask for funding for a new game.)
Maybe—just maybe—if these sites and creators treated trailers with a bit of skepticism, or did a little research… maybe we’d see less of this. Maybe regular gamers wouldn’t get so hyped for every pretty trailer, especially the ones that show zero gameplay, and learn to ask questions.
Where is the game in development?
What’s your idea and outline for the game?
Will you shovel the cash into a paper bag and run off?
Maybe, with a pinch of prevention – and probably a pound of common sense- players and outlets can work together to safeguard their cash and sanity.
At least until the next survival game shows up with a flashy trailer and zero gameplay, promising to change the genre forever.
I confess am one of those people, that the fancy trailers get me. Lol if i was busy i might have been duped by that game Day gone or whatever it was called.
NO MORE TRAILERS FOR YOU, MA’AM
Yes Sir, lol am learning to be wary this year. Believe it or not but you have saved me a ton already. But yeah players do need to educate themselves on games as well. I give it a month nowadays before i hop on or a week depending on if they are quick to fix bugs haha. My latest am watching before purchasing is that South of Midnight. So far it doesnt look like my kind of game so ciao
Good! (Also, I’m glad we’re helping you out!) But yeah, things like GamePass, checking for a demo, or a little footage from a player can do wonders about letting you know if it’s worth it. And, of course, the Hashtag curator page!