Within a span of two weeks we’ve seen a single player “puzzle game” (to be fair Blue Prince is so much more) and a turn-based RPG both become huge commercial and critically acclaimed successes.
Thinking that the defining factors of success for games are only to be found in data and analytics is a path towards commodification and less creativity and artistry. I am so glad for these two back to back examples of the opposite.
Intensely difficult to convince many people within the shipping pipeline that your turn-based RPG will sell. I know this from experience. And once it's launched, all the people inside who think they don't sell look at the Metacritic and go "ah, I always knew it would do well!"