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Resuscitating the Video Game Industry

Resuscitating the Video Game Industry

You play video games. We play video games. But with developers struggling to stay afload in turbulent financial seas, will the industry as we know it survive another decade, or disappear beneath the waves the way arcade machines did after their heyday?

Having made the case for the doom of video games in part one of the Players Only season opener “Are Video Games Dead?,” Scott Steinberg revisits the subject for part two to find out about the potential salvation of the industry.

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Will mega studios go the way of the dodo as more nimble, innovative smaller studios take their place? Or will they continue to grow and thrive with the expansion of the medium, the same way movie studios did in the 20th century?

Digital Trends’ video series Players Only debuted last year, earning critical acclaim by offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the video games industry, through the eyes of the people running it. The new season runs August 17 through September 28, with new episodes debuting ever Monday. Part two of Video Games are Dead is available immediately.

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…
The worst video game sequels of all time
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While not always the case, it is generally expected that a game series gets better with each installment. In theory, the developers are able to become more efficient, try out new ideas, and polish their games to a greater extent to make better sequels. Many of the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, and best Switch games are all entries in long-running series, after all. But there are plenty of examples of when a sequel to a hit game comes out and completely disappoints its fans. Some are fortunate enough to just be forgotten and left in the past, while others are so catastrophic that they end up killing their franchise. Let's look back at some of the worst video game sequels of all time, not to replay them, but to hopefully learn from their mistakes.

There are a lot more upcoming video game sequels, but hopefully none end up on this list.

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This month, Xbox Game Pass goes post-apocalyptic
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March is a great month for Xbox Game Pass, with multiple day-one drops including 33 Immortals and Atomfall, as well as even more titles coming to Game Pass Standard. Unfortunately, the addition of new games also means some of your favorites will be leaving Game Pass. We'll have a full list of the titles you should binge while you still can at the end of this story.
March 18: 33 Immortals

For starters, 33 Immortals is available today on both Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This co-op roguelike teams you up with 32 other players to take on huge monsters and challenging bosses. Fight until you fall, and then permanently upgrade your character for the next run.
March 20: Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island

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If the past year has taught me anything, it’s that players are hungry for creative co-op games. Helldivers 2 emerged as one of 2024’s biggest hits thanks to its creative squad play, Monster Hunter Wilds is enormous right now, and Split Fiction is already being hailed as a game of the year frontrunner. There’s a definite hunger right now for games that let people play together in something other than a straight shooter.

So, 33 Immortals couldn’t be dropping into early access at a better moment. The latest game from Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus is a top-down action roguelike with a big twist: 33 players work together at once to vanquish monsters. That might sound like a recipe for complete chaos at a glance, but it’s not. Thunder Lotus has its ambitious concept under control thanks to a bevy of ingenious co-op ideas that make players feel like they’re part of an army rather than a lone wolf in a sea of them.

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