The current industry has survived tons of buggy and terrible games, but what will be the high profile bomb that does an ET and destroys the reputation of the entire industry?
Starfield is insanely hyped, if that bombs, it could have big repercussions.
Other than that, we could have the industry stagnate down to just first-party publishers, considering how Activision has become yet another part of Microsoft.
Maybe it's not possible to have another video game crash, maybe the industry is too established for that to happen again. It's an interesting discussion.
The console/PC split will make sure a total crash is pretty hard to accomplish. Microsoft forcing the playing field to mix into PC with Gamepass has saved probably both them and Sony from total collapse.
The biggest concern is Epic, which has enough money to actually tank the industry by trying to drag it to their tune. Especially as the Unreal Engine is quite a big cornerstone for devs, so if they pull the leash a bit it could kill both AAA and indie companies left and right. Double so if they try and force more permanent exclusivity deals and court cases.
While a full crash is almost impossible, a fracturing of the market enough to kill a huge portion of it is very much possible. All based on Timmy's whims.
Eh, Epic knows that their almost-monopoly on the licensed game engine market is relatively delicate. If their terms become oppressive, alternatives will quickly rise up. As is, they make insane money because no one is motivated to compete. UE is just too good and cheap.
The problem isn't just what Tim wants, but what the CCP wants. The CCP own 40% of Epic. While that isn't a majority of the company, Tim is just one man. That means the CCP only needs to bully, coerce, bribe or otherwise exert influence over just one man to completely control the company.