Industry vet who worked on Ultima Online says the next big thing needs to have 'sh*tty graphics' to escape the doom of rising development costs

Raph Koster, an experienced developer who worked on Ultima Online and led Star Wars Galaxies, has long warned that escalating development costs pose a significant threat to the gaming industry. In a recent interview with Edge Magazine, Koster emphasized that the industry's fixation on high-resolution graphics may prove to be its undoing.

According to Koster, software, like gases, expands to fill the available computer resources. This phenomenon has led to an increase in content costs, with games now featuring multiple 4K textures and shaders. Although modern tools have improved the texture creation process, they have also introduced additional downstream costs that can't be ignored.

Furthermore, game prices haven't kept pace with the escalating development expenses, thanks to frequent deals. With game prices remaining relatively stable, it's unclear why consumers would continue to purchase them.

Koster believes that the industry needs a new platform that offers unique gameplay experiences, making it difficult for established players to dominate. This platform should be subpar in terms of graphics because other platforms eventually catch up to this drawback. Examples like Flash games, social games on Facebook, the Wii, and mobile platforms illustrate that such setbacks are inevitable.

Although these alternative platforms may face similar issues, the absence of a groundbreaking new platform in recent years has allowed development costs to continue their relentless rise. Koster predicts that developers should brace for a similar trajectory in the upcoming 2026 games.