2023 was a wild year for the gaming industry. Despite game sales going up, the year was dominated by waves of layoffs (in spite of massive executive payouts) and companies shutting down. However, Nacon’s Head of Publishing, Benoit Clerc, thinks he knows what is really going on.
According to Clerc, back when the COVID pandemic had us all holed up at home, the gaming industry was on fire, and companies were throwing money around like confetti, planning all these games – a phenomenon that took just about every other industry with a hand in home entertainment for a run.
Apparently, what we’re seeing now is the result, which is a ton of games hitting the market. On a platform like Steam, you might see 60 games drop in a single day, which makes it nearly impossible for most developers to stand out in such a crowd and make those crucial sales.
This explains why Nacon is trying out new strategies to navigate the overcrowded game industry. The French developer isn’t simply throwing games out there anymore – now, it’s making sure each release comes with its own distinct mark and makes a suitably large splash.
Take Robocop: Rogue City, the first-person shooter it published last November. It might not have made said splash upon hitting stores, but the idea behind mixing a big-name franchise with some top-notch production helped the studio hit the mark with its target audience, which in and of itself is a huge win for any developer.
That said, this strategy means spending more money, and Nacon isn’t swimming in cash like the big AAA companies. We’d be remiss not to mention The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, the massive disaster of a game that received nominations (and even awards) for Worst Game of the Year. Suffice it to say, it was a rude awakening that forced Nacon to put the brakes on their in-house game development.
Nacon’s saving grace is that it diversified its interests to include gaming accessories, an area that Nacon USA president Jack Reynolds is keen on growing. Each new gaming system that comes out is a chance for Nacon to come up with some cool new gear that the console makers themselves aren’t even thinking of. Adaptability is the name of the game, and Nacon is proving to be an expert at it.
No one knows what the gaming landscape will look like in 2024, but we know the spoils of war will go to those who are willing to stay versatile and cushion themselves from the impact of change or disappointment. If developers and publishers can learn to adapt to the tides of the gaming industry, much like Nacon has, they can manage to stay profitable and keep their developers happy and employed.
