Is RTS slowly dying?

[Arkane609]

I've read an article about how the RTS genre is slowly losing audience and was quite disheartened that the general gaming community is losing interest in RTS. The RTS genre has been regarded has the most intellectual gaming experience, and knowing that its losing audience, I guess that pretty much explains what's sort of happening in the gaming community.

Though I understand that there has been a lack of complexity in the RTS genre for years, making them seem overly repetitive in gameplay.

I'm pretty sure that this has something to do with the console hype. But anyway, what do you think? Is the RTS genre dying? I hope not as my favorite games are RTS. 

 

[Ralpf]

With Ensemble Studios and Westwood shutting down the only major developer that I can think of that still makes the traditional RTS is Blizzard. I would tend to count games like the Total War series, but they are borderline in terms of being an RTS, they have real time and turn based mechanics.

I think someone needs to come along and make an RTS that excites people again, I can't think of the last one I wanted to play that wasn't titled Starcraft...

On the bright side I think Turn-Based Strategies might be on the upswing, which can only be good for the genre as a whole.

Though I don't see what consoles have to do with it, PC gaming is only getting more popular and while I don't think RTSs work on consoles...the first one I ever played was Warcraft II on Playstation...I got it later for PC.

 

[EternalShadow]

I think the issue with RTSes is that I've not really seen (m)any around. If there have been some - I apologise. I'm not attracted to WW2-themed games, which some of these RTSes may be hidden under the guise of. I liked Halo Wars and Age of Empires.


However, RTS developers need to find a way of preventing the 'rush' style of gameplay that has dominated games like these in the past.

 

[Galenmereth]

There's always Planetary Annihilation

 

[Napdevil]

My theory is that the current popularity of MOBA's has something to do with it.

MOBA's evolved from RTS games, and thus share many RTS-like qualities. As it stands, games like League of Legends and DotA 2 dwarf everything on the PC when it comes to player base and competition. Even Blizzard is investing heavily in the MOBA with their recently announced Heroes of the Storm.

I'm not saying MOBA's have "replaced" traditional RTS games per se, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't a correlation between the two. (Correlation does not imply causation, people.) Personally speaking, everyone I know who used to play RTS games has switched over to either LoL or DotA 2 for the more casual and team-oriented experience.

 

[Clord]

Yeah I kind of agree, there is like one notable RTS coming out that tries to use the classic formula (and if it actually stays notable means that it must be actually good once it comes out.)


http://youtu.be/bkm5InNH7LM?t=8m8s

 

[hyde9318]

Unlike some, I actually fear MOBAs are killing RTS. See, interest in RTS games isnt down, the number of them being made period is down, so there isnt much for us to rally behind. Not to mention the ones being made are mediocre at best, certainly not like the good old days of Command and Conquer, Stronghold (although the new one looks good), and Starcraft. MOBAs, on the other hand, are being made at alarming speeds, with new ones coming out seemingly every day, each with different themes like Cartoons, Lord of the Rings, and DC Comics. With so many new MOBA games coming out, none of which really push genre forward at all, they are becoming a way for a studio to grab a quick buck, so they have no reason to choose to put hard time and effort in to a new RTS when they can make the same old MOBA, slap some cool heroes on, and charge players money to buy the new cool heroes.


So in short, the genre IS dying, but not because of the players. It is dying because of the studios. This is just my personal opinion though.

 

[Galenmereth]

Unlike some, I actually fear MOBAs are killing RTS. See, interest in RTS games isnt down, the number of them being made period is down, so there isnt much for us to rally behind. Not to mention the ones being made are mediocre at best

Planetary Annihilation is more ambitious than any previous RTS, made by the people behind Total Annihilation, arguably the best RTS ever made.

 

[Arkane609]

I really REALLY hope this gets released soon.  If this Engine does what it promises, there's going to be loads if indie RTS games in the future. Though I'm afraid people are going to spam indie MOBAS. ;c

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=223060487

 

[Milkdud]

Eugen Systems just announced Act of Aggression, a spiritual successor to the Act of War games:




Can't wait to play both this and Grey Goo.