Is It Acceptable To Expect Gamers To Wait 7 Years For A Game?

I am of course talking about (if you hadn't guessed) 'Final Fantasy XV' and 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'. Apologies in advance to any sticklers for detail, but re-branding 'Versus XIII' to 'XV' does not change the fact it is essentially the same game that was being developed back in 2006.

So with that that out of the way, what say I? If i'm honest, It's downright disappointing. Bordering on unacceptable.

I often hear people say that a lot of that time was spent on developing next generation (now current) middle-ware solutions, but I still believe that amidst all that It is still a ridiculously long time to expect fans to wait. To briefly supplement my argument, my extended fears are that having spent so much time and money on developing these middle-ware engines , we'll be inundated with rushed copy & paste sequels and mediocre original I.P's after these titles launch. The sorts of titles created with the sole purpose of recouping the development costs of these engines, even if that comes at the cost of quality. We need only look at Assassins Creed: Unity. These fears however are assumptions based on precedent but in no way do I assume it applies to all developers, so I won't entertain them further.

Returning to point about the titles mentioned, one of these games is a far bigger offender than the the other. 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain' is not only multi-platform across current-gen consoles but last-gen consoles as well. It has to be remembered however that the game was originally announced, and being developed for the last generation of consoles specifically, which adds further insult to injury. While it hasn't taken as long as 'FFXV' in development, It certainly should not take this long for a title that is essentially a last-generation game (from a development standpoint) to come out. When I say 'should not', I mean that it is by and large unprecedented for games to take this long to make it to shelves.

Konami are even having to leverage the Fox Engine (on which 'The Phantom Pain' is being created) for the additional development of current-generation 'Pro Evolution Soccer' games and upcoming 'Silent Hill' games because they've no doubt committed so much time and money in creating it, that it would be a waste of time and resources to create separate, dedicated engines for these franchises.

Moving on to our next offender, 'Final Fantasy XV' on the other hand has undergone drastic revisions and updates since it was originally envisioned as Versus XIII and we have seen (in various footage) its incremental evolution. It is equally inexcusable to have to wait as long as we have for this game, especially given that Sony Playstation 3 owners were excited for the title being developed exclusively for that console only to discover that not only had it gone multi-platform but that they would have to buy another console to play it. There were children who weren't even conceived when 'Versus XIII' ('XV') was announced who will be looking forward to and inevitably playing the final incarnation of the game. Think on that for a second dear brothers and sisters...

I'm quietly hopeful these games will be nothing short of great, but it is a fact that titles stuck in limbo for this long are adversely effected because let's face it, long development times are inefficient. In that prolonged period of time staff can quit, management can change (In FFXV's case it was Tetusya Nomura Out and Hajime Tabata In). A game can go through the wringer and even go back to the drawing board to keep up with leaps in technology made in all that time. Expectations rise and when the game doesn't match the accumulation of the hype of all those many years, they suffer for it.

Game development times of this magnitude are unprecedented, as I stated earlier. Considering we've anticipated the games this long, there is a perception that they have to be extraordinary. That is not an unreasonable expectation to have. If they aren't exceptional then you wonder where all that time was spent.

Not every one is wealthy enough to buy every single game they're interested in, some people pick and choose from the cream of the crop that rises to the surface and prioritise those to get a better bang for their buck. To conclude, the whole point of the Fox engine and Luminous engine were so that developers could create game environments faster. The developers have stated this numerous times about both engines in tech-demo demonstrations. These engines were made to make multi-platform development more efficient but I do not see those efficiency gains anywhere because clearly development times haven't shortened.

Gamers always seem to want to find the silver lining in all this and assume these games could only be 'the best that they can be' after taking this long to finish. However as Duke Nukem demonstrated, that is not always the case. Does anyone want to be waiting over half a decade for an anticipated sequel, I believe they would be disingenuous if they said they did.

In summary, we perhaps overestimate our own mortality. I mean this in all seriousness but imagine all the gamers who have passed in the last half decade who were eagerly anticipating these games and perhaps in their own unique circumstances had nothing else to look forward to. I pay good money to give my beloved franchises a future, I'd hope to actually be alive to see that future...

[UPDATE] Some of you just aren't getting my point. In a nutshell, if I'm a kid waiting for a game suitable for my age and it takes 7 years to come out, i'll obviously be a hell of a lot older and my tastes would have no doubt changed. A game I was excited for 7 years ago may not be that appealing to me as an adult 7 years on. A lot of people are skeptical about the new tone and direction XV is taking. The game I can tell you I fell in love with was the dark, Gothic 'Versus XIII' originally envisioned. They've taken so long and had to catch up with technology so quickly that I would not be surprised that to cover the cost of R&D they would have had to make XV (formerly Versus XIII) a game that would appeal to the broader masses and in that sense some might say It would have suffered and not been faithful to its original vision.

Why do you care how long it takes? As a consumer all that should matter to you is the end project.

@toast_burner: read the last paragraph of my blog, rather than read solely the headline and jump to conclusions

I did read it. You didn't answer that question. Take you Duke Nukem example. Would it really make any difference if the game took 10 years or 10 weeks to make? The outcome would still be exactly the same, a crap game.

Now if a great game takes 10 years to make does that mean it's worse than any game that only took one year? If the devs didn't announce the game so early you would have no way of knowing how long it took to make.

@toast_burner: you don't get it. If you like waiting 7 years for a game to come out after an announcement, then have at it. Not everyone is like you. Jog on mate.

No one is actually 'waiting'. What you are doing is getting on with your life. Which is what you should be doing anyway. You have no control over when a game comes out, so just let it go. In any case, you are better off telling the developers to not release a game until/unless it is ready and that you won't buy it otherwise. You want better games, or do you want games quick? Fix your priorities.

You wait in line at the supermarket. You wait for your doctor to see you. NO ONE (SANE) IS WAITING FOR A GAME. If you are, pack up your sleeping bag, (I assume you are camped out at your local game store or something) and get back to work, or school, or playing games that actually have been released.

I doubt that you'll find that anyone "likes" to wait 7 years for a game to come out but it is what it is. Also it's not like this is the norm for the industry as most games come out within a 2 year window, 3 tops, after announcement. So what's one to do when on rare ocassion a game takes a long time to get released, not buy it?

Where has this sense of entitlement come from? There's no set amount of time for a game to be released. If they announced the phantom pain was cancelled tomorrow then so be it. Sure people have the right to be disappointed but that's about it. Its a form of entertainment, a bonus in life and not a necessity.

I'm not entitled to games, these developers owe me no favors or are under any obligation to meet any deadlines that I determine. I buy games when they release, if they don't, they don't, and that's as far as I think on it.

How is your life negatively impacted by the announcement of a game you cannot yet buy?

-Byshop

So do you just stay at home for 7 years staring at you're computer monitor waiting for it to release?

@toast_burner: Okay lets say I word it like this, is it acceptable to expect gamers to 'accept' 7 year developtment cycles for the creation of games? I'm sure these games will be awesome, but it is a fact that games stuck in developtment hell are adversely effected, it's inefficient. In that time staff can quit, management can change, a game can go through the wringer and expectations rise and rise and when the game doesnt meet the hype of all those years, they suffer for it. Game developtment time of this magnitude is unprecedented. Considering we've anticipated the game this long, it has to be EXTRAORDINARY and that is not an unreasonalbe expectation. If it isnt exceptional then you wonder where all that time was spent. Not every one is a spoilt brat that can buy every single game, some peopel pick and choose the cream of the cream to get bang for their buck. the whole point of the fox engine and luminous was so that people could create worlds, and levels faster, these engines were made to make developtment more efficient and i do not see those efficieny gains anywhere.

You're correct, not everyone can afford to buy every single game so if it releases and turns out to be crap, don't buy it. How long it took is irrelevant, all that matters is if it's good and if it isn't there are tons of other good games so it's no big loss.

OP, I think there are two different topics that could be had here. The first being, are development cycles too long these days? And the second one, are you disappointed when a game you're anticipating takes so long to release?

To the first I'd say yes. Making games is way too expensive these days. I think the whole philosophy of making games is nuts. I keep citing Drive Club for things like having hundreds (or thousands) of different trees, bushes, and flowers. I mean, who's going to see all that? That, to me, is a waste of time and resources.

I think people are mostly responding to #2 in that, yes, it's always disappointing when an anticipated game takes forever to release. But to call it "unacceptable" is a bit much. You sound like you want some sort of retribution or an apology from the developer.

Stuff like that that I think the internet isn't good at all .. when it was in magazines it was mostly showing games that will be release in a year max instead of saying "we do this game but it will only be ready in 7 years if it is a bisextile year and if friday 13th will be in october" it just stupid to make hype like that for games that are most of the time a shiny empty shell.

It's not acceptable if that's the only thing you have to look forward in life. Honestly, there's so much more to do in the meantime, and no, I'm not talking about buying and playing other games. Go live life.

I'm reminded of this.

Acceptable? Yes, a game takes as long as it takes to be complete. Would you rather they put out a broken mess of game that sucks, just so you don't have to wait. Yeah you can look forward to a game and the wait for it can be excruciating(as the Half Life 3 crowd) but it is what it is. Nothing is owed to you, because they thought they could get game X out in Y time and then it took Z time. You can either wait till it drops or disregard it and move on to the next. Whether is "acceptable" or not, depends on if your willing to wait 7 years for it and then buy it.

priorities shift all the time. squenix is taking a hit on this as well with its probably astronomic development budget it is eating up with FF15 dev time. if square enix stuck to a ps3 release, it would be chastised for its crappy last gen graphics and limited gameplay elements. so they had to make the best call they could make which is delay gratification on their side as well as for consumers so they can come out with a "better" product.

Games are being announced too soon. At least Nintendo waits until their games are about 1 year from release before announcing them. Mostly.

Then you have announcements like Mirror's Edge 2 or that Star Wars 1515 (or whatever it was called), where all they show you is concept stuff and developer interviews. Games that aren't even past the point where they may still be canceled by a gentle breeze. The Last Guardian? I think it's messed up to get gamers' hopes up and then shatter them.

Are some of you really that stupid that you think the OP is sitting around waiting 7 years for one game without doing nothing else? You don't have to take everything literally:) I personally am glad to hear now that these games mentioned have been into developent for so many years, these are solid companys behind them so i have no doubt in my mind that these games will be super polished and close to perfect at launch, the devs behind Metal Gear and FF really puts their hearts and souls into their games. Heard that "The Crew" has been under developent for 7 years as well and when i heard that i honestly got even more dissapointed about that game so the OP has some good points. I would not want to hear about a game now that will be released in 2022 though, and i doubt any company would make such a dumb decission to hype their games for 7 years.

@JustPlainLucas: That video gives me sad face. He's too far gone to save...

In answer to the OP, I think we should expect longer development cycles for games of this caliber. It's not a world of tiled textures anymore. Each scene in the modern Final Fantasy games is a handcrafted masterpiece that I sometimes wish I didn't have to quickly run through because of the random encounter generator.

Not only are these games visual masterpieces, the audio accompaniment could be a standalone symphony orchestra concert. So all of this would add to the time needed.

I personally think that the Lightning storyline went a little long, but I understand from a business perspective that they had all of the digital assets that could be re-used to generate quick income to fund future endeavors. So I think they had to keep teams working on the Lightning series which delayed 100% focus on FF-XV.

In the end, it's their FF reputation and millions of dollars at stake. Unless you have a horse in this race (a la Star Citizen KickStarter funding), you can't do anything except come here and express your opinion.

@ojmstr: Thank you. Do you guy honestly think I've been waiting in the lotus position for 7 years meditating waiting for the game? You people are reading what you want to read, READ the entire blog. I've cited many reasons why long development times are unacceptable from a host of different angles.

It might be better to add that just because a developer doesnt announce their games release date, that doesnt mean a game hasnt been delayed. There are internal target that need to be met. SquareEnix made the mistake of playing their hand everytime they suffered delays, so gamers built up a picture that development was troubled. Don't you remember all the news stories that came out about Versus XIII being cancelled? and how SquareEnix had to play damage control and completely change up the management. This kind of thing is unacceptable, i'm sorry if it offends you.

Kojima on the hand probably had phantom pain finished a year ago, he is notorious for deliberating over tiny details like sunny's lines from MGS4 for example (for which he got into arguments with his team who where working to meet the deadline, go watch the making of metal gear solid 4). Sunny wasn't even that great of a character and barely had anything to say in the game. I'm sorry but we dont have developtment archictectural mazes like the ps3 cell processor anymore, these consoles are akin to PC's more than anything, developtment isnt difficult. With these new engines developtment should mean gamer dont have to wait almost a decade for an 'announced' game to come out, these developer expressely states they wanted to cut developtment times with the engines in question.

My point is that if I'm a kid waiting for a game suitable for my age, and it takes 7 years to come out, i'll be a hell of a lot older and my tastes would have changed. A game I was excited for 7 years ago may not be that appealing to me as an adult.

Doom 3, Came out in 2004.

Still waiting for Doom 4 now In 2015.

How have I survived the wait these past 11 years?

I haven't been anxiously sitting here waiting for it.

Funny, I thought this thread would be about The Last Guardian.

@Planeforger: It could be absolutely, but we just don't know enough about that game. Or if it is certain to even be released.

Nobody literally thought you are doing that, but unless you were doing that how is having to wait for a game a problem?

Yes it can be bad for the developer but how is it bad for the consumer?

I dunno, I feel like you're busting his chops too much on this - at the simplest level of argument it would of course affect the consumer in the form of disappointment to have a game they were anticipating just be delayed and delayed followed by radio silence followed by more delays. They don't have to be sitting at the edge of their seat and having their whole world revolving around this game for it to be a major bummer. Can they find something else to do with their time? Of course - but it doesn't mean they aren't allowed to be disappointed that exciting title ___ was announced for their system and yet... "ok, so much for that I guess...". The Last Guardian is a perfect example of a game with a strong pedigree that people got really excited about and then just vanished. And that was disappointing. Life goes on, but you can't help but be disappointed

And as others have said, games that get delayed and have messy development cycles often turn out rough around the edges in the end (Duke Nukem, you used as an example, probably became WORSE after passing through so many peoples' hands and being tweaked to their visions). So, sure, IF the game eventually comes, one could take your stance that the end result is all that matters, but even then it may well have suffered for the long development cycle and the end result is not as good.

IMO, developers shouldn't announce a game until it is clearly within sight of being released (say, a year out max). Everyone wins - people actually get the new product they were advertised in a timely manner, the hype that moves units won't have utterly vanished when it's published, etc.

That's actually just a character. He's not like that in real life.

Well it's not like developers/publishers do this on purpose and they don't like it anymore then consumers since all this extra time is on their dime. Also it's not like this really happens often considering all the games that get released. Does it suck when it happens to game you're really looking forward? Sure but shit happens and really what are you going to do about it anyway. Either you buy it when it does come out or you don't.

<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> again, you're reading what you want to read. Read my entire response. Of particular note on your point about 'consumers' - My point is that if I'm a kid waiting for a game suitable for my age, and it takes 7 years to come out, i'll be a hell of a lot older and my tastes would have changed. A game I was excited for 7 years ago may not be that appealing to me as an adult.

I do get your point, but I don't agree with it. Any complaint about shifting expectations is not relevant because that's all about your own perception and really has nothing to do with the game. The only thing that matters is the final product and everything else prior to that doesn't matter.

The other point I disagree with is how you are characterizing a long development cycle as the cause of a game's problems and not the symptom of development problems.

-Byshop

It's true that they can be a SYMPTOM of development problems, but they definitely wouldn't be the cause - indeed, it's not like rushed to sale games are glowing gems either. The time it takes is just whatever it is.

Yeah, it's not like a long running deployment cycle doesn't create problems unto itself, but it's not like the developers just take an extra long time to develop a game because they want to. Cyberpunk 2077 is taking its sweet time because CPR has basically moved all their resources into getting Witcher 3 out the door succesfully. Alan Wake spent 7 years in development, and while the final product is a far cry from the original, open world horror game concept they had, they eventually had to cut scope or the game would have taken even -longer-. Each game that takes a long time can take a long time for a completely different reason from every other game that takes a long time, so complaining about the game taking a long time is kind of pointless except as an expression of one's own frustration at being made to wait.

-Byshop

I think if the game was officially announced, and the company had things to show and say about it, and half a decade goes by and there's still not any indication that it's ready.... Well, I don't think that's really acceptable.

Games like FFXV and The Last Guardian are examples of things that were really just bad for business. Here these companies went and got people really excited about games that looked far along in production, and then they just kept scrapping things and going back to the drawing board and left people hanging on for a really long time. I think whenever that happens, you either have to drop the idea, or else disassociate the game with the original one people were expecting.

Maybe Valve has the right idea by not confirming or denying the possibility of a new Half-Life game. Perhaps that is one company that realizes, you've gotta keep your plans hush and not rouse the masses with promises you aren't sure you can fulfill. Otherwise, those years of excitement will turn to resentment, and fans are likely to become more critical of that project you've spent several years of their lifetime working on.

Gamers have zero leverage to find a development cycle unacceptable since they've not invested anything in it. Now if you're a shareholder looking for a return, sure you might have grounds to be pissed. But a consumer who's basically not actually consumed anything yet? At best you have grounds to feel disappointed.

@Ovirew: Yes, this is what people don't seem to understand. If we arent vocal about it or express our disappointment, we are telling the developers that it is acceptable to have 7 year development cycles. There is no correlation between long development cycles and quality end products, so I'm tired of hearing the argument 'do you want a game to be rushed out and be awful'. A game can still be awful no matter how long it takes, games have to meet their fiscal responsibilities do not forget. Do we want that to become the norm?, do you want to wait 7 years between every halo game, or between every uncharted game?

@Articuno76 you invest in a console, you use your purchasing power to empower a franchise moving forward. Believe it or not some people only buy there console to play jrpg's or first person shooters, it's about perception as someone mentioned. A lot people only buy there consoles to play FIFA. You invest in a console and you expect game to come out for those consoles. I will not be boycotting a game just because it takes age but on the other hand I do not believe long development cycles should be the norm. These developers promise that development cycles would be reduced this gen, and they haven't lived up to that promise. You can blame that on the parent companies, rather than the developers but whoever is responsible needs to be held accountable to interrupting development.

Lets take a few examples,

Tetsuya nomura refuses to go into detail about why his management kicked him off the XV project and tabata admits he doesn't really know why they put him in charge. Now my assumption is nomura was dicking around and wasn't motivating his staff (he doesn't look like a motivated person anyway). tabata is visibly more energetic, communicative and motivated.

Kojima is a trailblazer, he has constantly said in articles that Japanese game development teams aren't motivated enough and are lazy, he was echoing keiji inafune controversial sentiments.

SquareEnix published a job listing 'lead planner' and 'general planner' for the team developing the game last week and required people with JUST a high school diploma minimum but where enthusiastic, energetic, and motivated to finish Final Fantasy XV.

The picture I paint is that kojima and inafune were right, japanese game developtment is stunted and they need to get their act together. Both games I mentioned are japanese developers so it is no surprise if i find these long development time downright unacceptable (as a consumer of the end product that was announced), the project leads themselves find it downright unacceptable. So it does matter to consumers when development times go on so long that they effect the perception or faith in a game.

I'm one of those sods that bought the full retail copy of ground zeroes, so yes i'm a little bit invested in phantom pain coming out after i paid for what is essentially a demo and cocktease. At least squareenix are giving gamers a 3 hour demo for 'FREE'...

@Grieverr: whether I want an apology or not, didnt stop the developers from apologising. Haven't you seen all these 'active time reports' tabata's been hosting?, every episode has one apology or another. I actually appreciate he is being sincere and humble. Kojima could learn a thing or two rather than troll the fans lol

@moinsyyed: No, I have not seen the 'active time reports'. I have to say that I am not following the development of any specific game at this time. So I am ignorant to any on-goings right now.

The problem, in general, with us gamers complaining about stuff is that as soon as the game comes out, we all go and buy it. That nullifies any power we may have over a developer. If we could send a message by not buying a game and vocalizing it's long development process, then we'd have a leg to stand on.

That said, I agree with you that development cycles are too long. Is it acceptable? It must be because we still buy the games. I have no doubts Phantom Pain will sell millions of copies. Do you think that Kojima will think "ok great, but we really need to get the next game out sooner"? No way!

7 Years is nothing I was reading last week about a pc game that took 27 years for the next one to come out, now thats waiting.

Are you talking about Wasteland 2 or the Bard's Tale sequel? Because that's not a 26-27 year DEVELOPMENT CYCLE, that's just nobody bothering to make a sequel in that long. Totally different issue, IMO

This was an open question that I wanted to share with people (otherwise it would have just been a personal blog). I have my own opinion, you have yours. It's a yes or no answer. Either you like waiting 7 years or you don't. I felt obligated to substantiate my answer, that is all. Feel free to substantiate why it's acceptable to wait 7 years by all means lol

@moinsyyed: As I said, it's a dumb question -- no one waits 7 years for a game. You might as well ask if people like it when Unicorns pee on their lawn. I'd give the same answer. What happens sometimes is that a game is announced early. You are not getting the game late, because it doesn't exist. What's actually happening is that you are getting the news early. If you don't want to find out about a game ahead of time, don't read announcements from game companies. Problem solved.

@GrahamZ: I'm having some trouble understanding you, the question asks 'is it acceptable to make people wait 7 years?' Again you're another user who likes the sound of their own voice answering a question nobody asked. No one is LITERALLY 'waiting' Sherlock LOL. The question tasks you to think as a developer. Is it acceptable? Is it acceptable industry practice (since it is largely unprecedented). Chime in, it's an open question. If you think it is 'acceptable; i'd like to hear why. Stop busting my chops, it's my opinion, all this is subjective. You'll never convince me that it is OKAY to be told that a game that was announced I would have to anticipate 7 years from now, so jog on.

7 years of a wait is too long? Plz, I waited almost 20 years for a true Shadowrun game so quit ya bitchin'

'nuff said

@richietickles: I am not worthy richie. For your entertainment I am going to try and channel some of the numbnut commenters here, here we go....

Richie,

Numbnut 1 - So did you just stay at home for 20 years staring at you're computer monitor waiting for it to release?

Numbnut 2 - It's not acceptable if that's the only thing you had to look forward in life. Honestly, there's so much more you could have done in the meantime, and no, I'm not talking about buying and playing other games. You could've lived life man...i'm tearing up here :(

Numbnut 3 - Nobody literally thought you were waiting 20 years, but unless you were doing that how is having to wait 20 years for a game a problem?

I'm sorry I had to use you @richietickles to make that point. You're a real trooper for putting up with a 20 year wait for a true shadowrun game lol. I think we can all stop pretending that we're not passionate gamer here and that as a hobby, it is fulfilling.

Actually, you are the one who's not getting it, that your question is not phrased properly. But ok, I'll answer your literal question.

'is it acceptable to make people wait 7 years?' If that's what the judge said then yes, you are going to have to wait 7 years in prison, because Judges can make you do that. But no,one else can.
IF that doesn't make you understand how absurd your question is, then nothing else will. I'm not going to be insulting about it because maybe English is not your first language.

Never get excited until the game is on the shelf. I remember one time I thought one game came out only to find out is was annonced and will come out like a year later ... I was like ... damn. So yeah. This is one of the thing that I hate about how we are so informed right now. In the magazine days, you didn't have that much info so early to get people excited.

That's the developer's and publisher's problem, not nmine. Assuming that the game turns out great, it's not like I'm gonna deliberately avoid it just because it took seven years in development to make. That being said, a long time in "development hell" is often a sign of something that went very wrong, and that make me less likely to buy on impulse. I'll be more wary of the game and do more research before shelling out my money. But assuming it still appears to be great, I'm not gonna deprive myself of a great game just because it spent a long time in development. What is there for me to "accept" here? I either buy the game or I don't, whoich is the same situation as if the game only spent 2 years in development. And although games or movies that got stuck in "development hell" might make me a little bit wary, that ain't my problem. That's the problem of the company releasing the game or movie. Sure, it's a bit of a risk to spend that long in "development hell" as it lowers consumer's confidence, but I think it's probably often a bigger risk to either scrap the project altogether or release it on time in a less than sartisfactory state. They're the ones wityh everything to gain and lose, so they can make a calculated descision and release the game when and if they feel it's ready. But again...not my problem that a game has been in development longer than usual. If it ain't ready for release, then it ain't ready for release, and the only one that's gonna potentially hurt is the developer/publisher.

@Coco_pierrot: yes and i believe that is also a separate debate to be had. Does being more informed about games with the age of the internet, take some of the fun out playing them with fresh eyes?

@MrGeezer Fair enough, I respect that opinion. it's worth mentioning that nowhere do I say or agree with boycotting a game. The tone of the blog may seem that way but it certainly is not something I practice. I may feel the long time its taken is unacceptable, It disappoints me but that doesn't change the fact that i am still excited for the games. I 'fear' for the games absolutely, when something takes too long, historically it has either been canned or turned out mediocre. XV may not have been canned but it is certainly not the Versus XIII I remember.