Building a functional, modern, 3D rendering engine that meets current gamer requirements for "good enough" is also extremely challenging, time consuming, expensive, error prone, and often frustrating.
It then cascades into further difficulties about textures, modeling, rendering speed, machine requirements, compute language requirements, and "required" features.
A lot of this arrives at the expense of story, game design, and art.
If it must be c++, it must be AAA graphics (texture size, model polys, lighting complexity, shadows, physics based rendering), it must run 30 FPS on current mid-range, it must be trendy de-jour feature (open world, social tie-in, achievements, crafting, ect...), it must be always on networked, it must be cross platform, and it must be monetized - that's a lot of developers focusing on something other than - "is it fun?"
That's a lot of talent acquisition and churn, that's a lot of collab / communication / meetings, that's a lot of development hardware, that's a lot of funding focusing on something other than - "is it fun?"
It also ends up being a relatively severe barrier on "is it viable?" If it needs a million players just to break even, then you're quickly getting into the movie blockbuster pattern. Do whatever it is that sells blockbuster tickets. It it needs 50-100,000 players, then you can make a game with 5-10 people in a couple of years, sell it for $15, or something reasonable, and still break even on $75k salaries.
Building a functional, modern, 3D rendering engine that meets current gamer requirements for "good enough" is also extremely challenging, time consuming, expensive, error prone, and often frustrating.
It then cascades into further difficulties about textures, modeling, rendering speed, machine requirements, compute language requirements, and "required" features.
A lot of this arrives at the expense of story, game design, and art.
If it must be c++, it must be AAA graphics (texture size, model polys, lighting complexity, shadows, physics based rendering), it must run 30 FPS on current mid-range, it must be trendy de-jour feature (open world, social tie-in, achievements, crafting, ect...), it must be always on networked, it must be cross platform, and it must be monetized - that's a lot of developers focusing on something other than - "is it fun?"
That's a lot of talent acquisition and churn, that's a lot of collab / communication / meetings, that's a lot of development hardware, that's a lot of funding focusing on something other than - "is it fun?"
It also ends up being a relatively severe barrier on "is it viable?" If it needs a million players just to break even, then you're quickly getting into the movie blockbuster pattern. Do whatever it is that sells blockbuster tickets. It it needs 50-100,000 players, then you can make a game with 5-10 people in a couple of years, sell it for $15, or something reasonable, and still break even on $75k salaries.