When it comes to open world games, evolution is the key word. The genre has come a long way since its early days, and it’s constantly evolving to offer players more and better experiences. Let’s take a look at how open world games have evolved over the years.
The Early Days
Open world games first came onto the scene in the late 1980s with games like Mercenary and Elite. These early titles were limited by technology, however, and offered very basic worlds that players could explore. They were also often focused on combat rather than exploration, which limited their appeal.
The 1990s saw the release of several landmark open world games, including Grand Theft Auto, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and Fallout. These games helped to define the genre and pave the way for future development. They were also limited by technology, however, and offered relatively small worlds with little interaction.
The New Millenium
With the dawn of the new millennium came new advances in technology that allowed developers to create bigger and more interactive worlds. This led to a whole new wave of open world games, including Far Cry 2, Just Cause 2, Batman: Arkham City, and Skyrim. These games took advantage of the new technology to create expansive worlds that players could explore at will. They also featured more complex gameplay mechanics that allowed for a wider range of interactions.
The current generation of consoles has seen even more advances in technology, which has allowed developers to create even bigger and better open world games. This has led to titles like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Elden Ring, and Fallout 4, all of which offer stunningly realistic worlds that players can explore for hours on end.
The Future of Open World Games
As technology continues to evolve, so too will open world games. We can expect to see even bigger and better worlds in the future, with more realistic graphics and more complex gameplay mechanics. We may even see open world games start to move away from traditional console systems and onto new platforms like virtual reality. Whatever the future holds, one thing is for sure: open world games are here to stay.