Former BioWare producer urges film-style business models to save AAA games

The big-budget videogame industry is in a baffling state — despite being larger than movies and music combined, studios keep shutting down, people are being laid off and projects are cancelled. Mark Darrah, a former BioWare producer whose work includes the Dragon Age games, says videogames could learn from Hollywood and the rise of streaming services.

He argues that movies have "a very strong degree of gatekeeping," and that there is a curation in film distribution that games do not consistently enjoy. Darrah describes how films often begin as expensive theatrical experiences and then reach ever-larger audiences as they move to streaming and physical sales, with the amount earned per viewer falling over time but the overall audience growing.

That lifecycle, he suggests, gives movies multiple avenues to get fans to spend on the same title across its lifespan. By contrast, Darrah warns the games industry has leaned on live-service models that extract large sums from a small number of players and discourage alternative approaches.

mark darrah, bioware, dragon age, aaa games, videogame industry, streaming services, hollywood, live service, theatrical release, curation