Next-Gen Predicts Artsy Decline

One of the biggest challenges for a creative team in the gaming field is to deliver compelling visuals that stand apart from the crowd, and at the same time are not so unique as to offend mass market tastes. There are certainly exceptions to the rule (Okami, Shadow of the Colossus) where games largely forgo a more traditional art approach and dare to put forth an unusual, bold graphical treatment - similar to an arthouse film in the movie world. The huge install base of a dominant console platform is one of the key factors that allow for more "artsy" games to make viable business sense. A recent Next-Gen article entitled The End for 'Artistic' Games? warns of a decline in creative, artistic titles due to current lack of console dominance. An interesting read, especially for teams in the early visual planning stages of a Next-Gen product.