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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now The Fantastic Four: First Steps Donkey Kong Bananza Switch 2 Starter Pack Recommended reading Ex PlayStation boss says $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the "perfect balance" of AAA ambition, AA budget, and "independent vision" – "This is the path the industry should be pursuing" As ex-Blizzard boss says Oblivion Remastered "will never hold up" despite acclaim, Baldur's Gate 3 dev reckons "AAA is feeling more and more disconnected from the audience zeitgeist" "We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games Open World Games Assassin's Creed and Far Cry veteran didn't want the "feeling Kojima's going for in Death Stranding" in his new open-world game: "We want dense, joy-filled nuggets" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" Former PlayStation boss blames AAA "production costs" for $80 games, says titles with "tighter teams" like Clair Obscur could be the way forward Former Square Enix exec says the developer "has spent two decades slowly moving away from being a content business" after accidentally predicting the rise of AI: "But the sun set on their opportunity to transition" Adventure Games Shadow of the Colossus Legendary Shadow of the Colossus and Katamari Damacy creators think Roblox's popularity is proof we're past the point where graphics really matter to players Kaan Serin 18 July 2025 Keita Takahashi and Fumito Ueda have a point When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Fumito Ueda (the hugely influential developer behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) and Keita Takahashi (the similarly iconic creator of Katamari Damacy) recently sat down to chat about the state of games as they are right now, and both icons agree: graphics don't matter half as much as they used to. In an interview with Denfaminicogamer, reposted in English on Reddit and translated using Google and DeepL, the legendary duo noted that most players no longer seem to care as much about glossy graphics. Takahashi specifically pointed to Roblox's popularity with kids who don't seem to mind its blocky, lo-fi aesthetics, while Ueda thinks that, in general, we're past the era where individually rendered blades of grass were a selling point to gamers. Ueda also went into detail about how developers of their generation came up in an era where game tech was always evolving - bigger sprites to 3D to HD - but things have kind of plateaued since then. Developers now need to focus on wowing players in other ways, Ueda went on, and put resources into the actual heart of the game. You may like Ex PlayStation boss says $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the "perfect balance" of AAA ambition, AA budget, and "independent vision" – "This is the path the industry should be pursuing" As ex-Blizzard boss says Oblivion Remastered "will never hold up" despite acclaim, Baldur's Gate 3 dev reckons "AAA is feeling more and more disconnected from the audience zeitgeist" "We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games The AAA industry's hyper-fixation on 'photorealistic' graphics has created a significant challenge, with games like The Last of Us Part 2 costing $220 million to produce and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 costing an unsustainable $300 million. So, yes, spend more resources making something interesting rather than rendering every individual pore on a character's face, please. Fumito Ueda is now working on a still untitled game that debuted at last year's TGAs, which looks to have giant mechs and an epic scale that's not too dissimilar to his previous work. Meanwhile, Keita Takahashi just released the adorably quirky To a T about a teenager permanently stuck in a T-pose, hence the name. (It's one of the most overlooked games of the year and it's on Game Pass, so you have no excuse!) 15 years after it was announced, the Shadow of the Colossus film adaptation might still be made according to director – and they have a script Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more Xbox Series X News Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch PlayStation Freelance contributor Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Ex PlayStation boss says $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the "perfect balance" of AAA ambition, AA budget, and "independent vision" – "This is the path the industry should be pursuing" As ex-Blizzard boss says Oblivion Remastered "will never hold up" despite acclaim, Baldur's Gate 3 dev reckons "AAA is feeling more and more disconnected from the audience zeitgeist" "We cough up a chunk of our soul": 32 game devs, from Doom's John Romero to Helldivers 2 and Palworld leads, explain what people get wrong about games Assassin's Creed and Far Cry veteran didn't want the "feeling Kojima's going for in Death Stranding" in his new open-world game: "We want dense, joy-filled nuggets" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me" Former PlayStation boss blames AAA "production costs" for $80 games, says titles with "tighter teams" like Clair Obscur could be the way forward Latest in Adventure Games Square Enix announces a complete $60 Life is Strange Collection for PS5, but the monkey's paw curls: only 2 of the 5 games are actually on the disc Another Xbox studio reacts to the layoffs exploding around it: with Rare's Everwild dead, Sea of Thieves dev says "it's impossible for something like this not to ripple through the studio" Minecraft adds the viral Lava Chicken song from the movie into the game, but to get it you'll need to defeat a foe so rare I've not even seen one in my 16 years of playing Pokemon Black and White fans are back with the remake hopium as Pokemon posts a teaser ahead of its upcoming Presents stream: "The room is completely black and white" Pokemon voice actor behind OG rival Gary, Professor Oak, Meowth, and James dies at 71 Death Stranding 2's final fight is Hideo Kojima's way of saying goodbye to Metal Gear Solid Latest in News Ghost of Yotei is an open-world game, "but there's still a linear story structure" as Sucker Punch wanted to make sure protagonist Atsu's journey "tears at the heartstrings" I'm glad to announce Donkey Kong Bananza has the Super Mario Odyssey sauce: it's taken less than a day for players to skip a boss fight entirely with speedrunning tech James Gunn says upcoming movie Clayface is "a complete horror film," adding that writer Mike Flanagan and Speak No Evil director will "bring their own sense to it" In some seriously meta casting, Daisy Ridley's real life husband will play the male lead in a movie adaptation of a book that started out as a Reylo fan fiction Ghost of Yotei leads praise "exquisite" open-world games like Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as "bar-setting" examples of the genre Author responsible for JRPG icons like Shin Megami Tensei and Persona says Atlus game royalties aren't as big as you'd expect: "That's why people call me a novelist" GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans" College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf” Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy" Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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