The lead designer of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has discussed the difference in design philosophy between Bethesda games and Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3.
If they spent money developing it, they want the maximum ROI/eyeballs!
Though I think a lot of it is games are also measured in terms of playtime, so the more content you can throw on the treadmill that everyone has to view the higher the playtime.
Whereas games like RPGs, real RPGs with real agency, real divergent stories, encouraged lots of replay. So you get more time in the game. Even though end-to-end it may be shorter than a Bethesda slog
If they spent money developing it, they want the maximum ROI/eyeballs!
Though I think a lot of it is games are also measured in terms of playtime, so the more content you can throw on the treadmill that everyone has to view the higher the playtime.
Whereas games like RPGs, real RPGs with real agency, real divergent stories, encouraged lots of replay. So you get more time in the game. Even though end-to-end it may be shorter than a Bethesda slog