In Masahiro Sakurai’s most recent YouTube videosLegendary creator delves into the need for online updates and patches in modern video games.
It seems pretty obvious, as a consumer, how patches can be beneficial, and Sakurai himself has stated that he is “very grateful” for them. However, the way he analyzes it can still provide an opportunity to further appreciate the effort developers put into their games.
Breaking his argument down into four parts, Sakurai first explains that games today are much more complex than they used to be, meaning it’s nearly impossible to predict and plan exactly what the final product will look like. He then points out that developers don’t have much time to play the game between finishing the final product and releasing it to the market, meaning bugs or other issues can go unnoticed.
Third, he explained that no matter how many bug testers are hired during development, no amount of testing can compare to the feedback provided by consumers playing the game after release, meaning that smaller issues that might have slipped through the cracks can be squashed. And finally, to be able to convince those who are against updates, he frames them as a free bonus for players, emphasizing the extra development time from developers who would otherwise be better suited to entirely new products.
Updates and patches are inevitable these days, but we definitely agree that they can be of major benefit to players. But what do you think? Leave a comment below and let us know.
