Right now, it’s just the usual ebb and flow of innovation. The gaming industry has been stuck in a rut like this at least four times, Nintendo saved us from the E.T kerfuffle, slogged through the rough transition from 2D to 3D, then hit the inevitable stagnation of open-world design, followed by sequel fatigue and the live-service plague.
And now? We’re in what I’d like to call the 'LET’S PLAY IT SAFE BECAUSE GAMERS HAVE TURNED INTO A BUNCH OF BITCH ASSES' era."