Witcher 3 getting 150+ GOTY awards doesn't mean more open world games because the industry was headed there anyway. The take-away of Witcher 3 winning over Fallout 4 or MGS5 should be that people want well-designed, feature-complete games with a strong story and a rich game world.
The real tragedy is Bloodborne losing to MGS5 and Fallout 4, two games that are either broken or unfinished, with huge empty worlds that favor mileage over good design. Witcher 3 winning still implies a mainstream desire for good design, or at least that good design is held in esteem.
As for Bayonetta 2, comparing it to TWD doesn't make much sense. After all, Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age: Inquisition won GOTY that year, which the latter did solely on the novelty of the Nemesis system, despite being a rather tepid game overall. Its visual design and it being on the Wii U didn't help Bayonetta 2 garner favor among the press either.
Strong combat will never be the focus of AAA sphere, regardless of what the best-selling or most critically acclaimed games do. Just look at CoD vs. its imitators. CoDs gunplay is stronger than most of its competitors, but that didn't stop the industry from copying CoD at a surface-level as a way of chasing sales.
The industry is driven by public opinion. Sales numbers and open world games being the general GOTY candidates for two years now indicate that people generally desire quantity more than quality. At least Witcher 3 winning is an overall win for good game design and good writing, over Mordor and Inquisition winning last year.
The real tragedy is Bloodborne losing to MGS5 and Fallout 4, two games that are either broken or unfinished, with huge empty worlds that favor mileage over good design. Witcher 3 winning still implies a mainstream desire for good design, or at least that good design is held in esteem.
As for Bayonetta 2, comparing it to TWD doesn't make much sense. After all, Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age: Inquisition won GOTY that year, which the latter did solely on the novelty of the Nemesis system, despite being a rather tepid game overall. Its visual design and it being on the Wii U didn't help Bayonetta 2 garner favor among the press either.
Strong combat will never be the focus of AAA sphere, regardless of what the best-selling or most critically acclaimed games do. Just look at CoD vs. its imitators. CoDs gunplay is stronger than most of its competitors, but that didn't stop the industry from copying CoD at a surface-level as a way of chasing sales.
The industry is driven by public opinion. Sales numbers and open world games being the general GOTY candidates for two years now indicate that people generally desire quantity more than quality. At least Witcher 3 winning is an overall win for good game design and good writing, over Mordor and Inquisition winning last year.