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[Cao Cao]

There used to be a lot of games with iconic non-human protagonists. Why aren't big studios making new characters anymore?

 

[Adapting]

Everyone trying to make shit realistic.

 

[Robb]

Lack of demand I guess. But even then the majority of franchises in that picture are still being made.

And we got an absolutely outstanding AstroBot entry very recently. Sackboy has also been a semi-big mascot in the past years. Tearaway came and went. Stray was pretty neat, as was Biomutant. Indies have been delivering outstanding stuff with Cuphead, Ori, Unravel, Cocooon etc. etc. etc.

 

[Peroroncino]

Having non-human protagonists exposes humanity to the risk of creating another sonic-like fan community. I think I'm good with humans only.

 

[Baemono]

There used to be a lot of games with iconic non-human protagonists. Why aren't big studios making them anymore?

You said "anymore" but you listed
- Sonic, which had an entry as late as last year
- Ratchet and Clank, which had an entry in 2022
- Donkey Kong which had an entry this year, and will have another one in July
- Crash which got an entry 2020
- Kirby which got an entry in 2023 and 2024 and another one is planned for this year

But I guess you meant "new" non-human protagonists

 

[CokeDiet]

Feel like OP is subtly letting us know he's a furry.

 

[seething left]

Because a cartoonish character can't be a black girlboss that needs no man, so it wouldn't be appealing to the modern audience.

 

[RoadHazard]

A new DK is coming this year. A new R&C came out a few years ago. Sonic games regularly get released. Crash 4 wasn't that long ago. Kirby is getting a new remaster.

 

[Toots]

Big studios still make these types of game.
OP grew up, did not notice his taste and interests changed, and now thinks no one cares anymore about the things he stopped caring about.
As long as children and furries exist toymakers will make anthropomorphized animals for them to play with.

 

[FingerBang]

You said "anymore" but you listed
- Sonic, which had an entry as late as last year
- Ratchet and Clank, which had an entry in 2022
- Donkey Kong which had an entry this year, and will have another one in July
- Crash which got an entry 2020
- Kirby which got an entry in 2023 and 2024 and another one is planned for this year

But I guess you meant "new" non-human protagonists

Right?

I imagine OP mean no new franchises with these characters, but I am thinking of 2 reasons:

1) Those characters were easy to introduce in the era of the mascottes and where making realistic looking humans was really hard

2) No anthropomorphic animals = furries and no one wants to touch that shit

Mostly 1 though

 

[L*][*N*K]

You said "anymore" but you listed
- Sonic, which had an entry as late as last year
- Ratchet and Clank, which had an entry in 2022
- Donkey Kong which had an entry this year, and will have another one in July
- Crash which got an entry 2020
- Kirby which got an entry in 2023 and 2024 and another one is planned for this year

But I guess you meant "new" non-human protagonists

I think OP meant why we don't make games with non-human protagonists anymore outside those established ones from the 90s

 

[Trunx81]

I miss Rayman. A Rayman-game with Ori mechanics would be amazing

 

[Baemono]

Kirby is getting a new remaster.

If you're referring to Air Riders, I believe it's a new game

 

[RoadHazard]

If you're referring to Air Riders, I believe it's a new game

I meant The Forgotten Land. But you're right, I forgot about Air Riders.

 

[Cao Cao]

I think OP meant why we don't make games with non-human protagonists anymore outside those established ones from the 90s

Exactly.

 

[Pejo]

We got that troll creature Kay Vess in the new Ubi Star Wars game just last year.

 

[Skifi28]

For the same reason bald space marines are also out. Every few years there's a new trend. It is what it is.

 

[Tomeru]

We grew up.

 

[Hector Hall]

Because a non human can't be a girlboss that speaks non stop and weighing 50 kg beats everybody without training one second?

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Jak is supposed to be human, believe it or not. I think Daxter is also a human that was transformed.

 

[The Cockatrice]

We grew up.

 

[Dice]

We stopped being fun

 

[Scrawnton]

You need actually talented artists and modelers that are willing to do more than copy and paste the same purchased unreal engine human assets over and over.

 

[lh032]

Simple.
Not cool enough for gen Z

 

[RoboFu]

We grew up.

And there was never anymore kids born?

 

[CuteFaceJay]

Dragon cat thing in that PS4 game forgot the name. Had a kid in it,

We also got Cat from Stray.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Amaterasu is coming back in the Okami sequel.

But yeah the videogame mascots fell off quite long ago. The PS360 gen already had way less of those compared to the PS2.

 

[PauloRoberto]

Are we really forgetting that a new Donkey Kong game will be released in 2 months or so? Are we really forgetting who won the last Game of the Year award ?

But yeah, non human protagonists need to be charismatic, and charisma is something lacking in these times...

 

[Dr.Morris79]

We stopped being fun

That.. actually depressed me somewhat.

How very true.

 

[Tomeru]

And there was never anymore kids born?

Sonic and Mario are still around, but the average age of gamers today is much higher than in the 80s.

 

[Holammer]

Most serious companies have game designers like Kojima fancying themselves as movie directors.
That's why we see fewer cartoony depictions of humans and the non-human protagonists OP mention. Naughty Dog is too deep inside its own ass to make a new Jak & Daxter type game.

We still get them from indies and it's Nintendo's bread and butter (probably why they are so successful btw).

 

[PatientGamer]

OP did you forget about Sackboy and Astrobot?

 

[GymWolf]

I was about to make a joke about the cast of dustborn being a bunch of colorful subhumans but maybe it's not what you were searching for.