„Why are stories in games so often so bad?” Daniel Vávra asks about lack of games with stories on The Witcher 3, RDR, MGS, and KCD 2 level
The head of Warhorse Studios wanted KCD 2 to be a game with a believable narrative and such characters. Because, as he put it, the stories in games are often very bad.
Daniel Vavra of Warhorse studio also misses games with good narration and points out the reason why there are so few such titles.
The head of the Czech team remains active on social media, whether he's sharing materials dedicated to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, or boasting about the game's success (and incidentally scoring points against internet users who stubbornly continue to try to prove that KCD 2 is a "flop"). The developer also doesn't hesitate to point out very positive reviews, which are supposed to be the "engine" for human creativity.
Is the product instead of the artist the cause of poor narration in games?
In a similar yet somewhat different tone, Vavra highlighted what he thinks most captivates players in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: "authentic characters and story." He is a fan of titles offering such narration and cast, and he wanted to create a similar game with his team.
In this context, the developer asked the question: why is the plot in games so often very bad, rarely even approaching the level represented by Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid, or The Witcher 3?
According to Vavra, the reason is simple: games are treated more as a product, with more emphasis on "production" with "teams and managements" rather than "artists." Czech compares this to his view of the film industry, where the director and screenwriter with a "vision" take precedence, overseeing it throughout the project's development.
Of course, the players quickly picked up the topic, adding their two cents - mainly in the context of "greedy corporate suits" and the "damage" caused by modern trends (games-as-a-service, pursuit of huge open worlds). While many people agree with Vavra on the importance of rich narrative games, they don't necessarily agree that the film industry doesn't make the same "mistakes."
Nonetheless, internet users seem to share a similar opinion: too many games cater to the "mass audience" and "trends." Some people highlight - as we have mentioned many times - the massive budgets of modern titles, which effectively deter publishers from taking risks and experimenting (as well as crafting more sophisticated narratives that may not resonate with the average audience).
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