During Masahiro Sakurai’s latest YouTube videothe legendary creator delves into the requirements for online updates and patches in modern video games.
It may seem pretty obvious, as consumers, how useful patches can be, and Sakurai himself says he’s “very grateful” for them. However, the way he breaks it down can still provide an opportunity to further appreciate the extra work developers put into their games.
Breaking down his reasoning into four segments, Sakurai first explains that games today are far more complex than ever before, which means 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 between finishing the final product and releasing it to market, meaning bugs or other problems can go unnoticed.
Third, he explains that no matter how many bug testers are hired during development, no amount of testing will compare to the feedback received from users playing the game after release, meaning that minor issues that may have slipped through the cracks can remove. And finally, to perhaps convince those opposed to updates, he frames them as a free bonus for players, highlighting the extra development time from developers who would otherwise be better suited to brand new products.
Updates and patches are simply unavoidable these days, but we agree that they can be mostly beneficial to gamers. But what do you think? Leave a comment below and let us know.
