I wouldn't label the Witcher remaster that way personally. CDPR is doing that remaster for free and it's essentially promotion for the sequel.

I stopped caring about AAA games/studios when they stopped caring about making good games instead of profit. as others have said, indie devs are where to look.

This is the low-risk strategy that decides everything now. It's why Disney has been putting out nothing but remakes for 10+ years. They can simply put out a poll, ask people if they'd watch a sequel/buy a remaster of a game, and set the budget accordingly. Guaranteed profit. No one is cheering this on.

Don't ever pre-order, that's for suckers

Don't ever buy a new release, that's for dupes paying to beta test

Game of the Year platinum edition with all seasons and expansions reduced to $20? Okay

People keep buying them, so they keep making them.

For most of human history and prehistory we have been telling the same stories over and over again. The idea that every piece of media we make nrrds to be wholly new and original is a modern conception that stems from intellectual property law bring stretched to serve the interests of large and immortal corporations.

I think remasters are great. One of the biggest tragedies of thr industry was Sony closing Bluepoint.

Chasing trends.

Indie developers are where the magic is happening. They're not as afraid of taking risks.

It's not an idea shortage, they just don't want to take risks anymore and consumers seem to be enabling it.

Don't buy it. Tell your friends not to buy it. Don't engage with it. But better stuff.

That's about all you can do unless you're secretly very wealthy and/or connected.

There's so many original ideas and sequels out coming out...you even acknowledge the indies in your post lol

You're absolutely right, yet I would say CDPR are different. They deliver. And also: it's free, so who cares if it'd be crap, just stay legacy then.

But yes, I'm also tired of all those remasters. Rarely good, always too expensive, mostly Same bugs (and new) but 31 textures ai-upscaled or shit like that. Movies are the same.

Original ideas? Dead. Try something fresh? Dead. Dare the unconventional? Dead.

To be fair it's not new I for example remember ocarina of time Master quest.

Movies too. I think it's because executives think they are a safer bet than new projects which could flop.

This has been a thing for decades. Any sports game, any Call of Duty game. It's the same game with new shit slapped over top

They're not even the same games as they're almost always worse, if shinier, experiences. Straight up goy slop 🤷‍♂️, but movies have been at it for at least a couple of decades, I guess other industries had to catch up eventually. "Don't ask questions, just consume product!"