{"id":64726,"date":"2026-04-07T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=64726"},"modified":"2026-04-06T18:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:35:08","slug":"spending-decades-working-on-one-thing-only-to-realize-you-cant-do-anything-else-guilty-gear-creator-discusses-dangers-of-modern-aaa-developments-overspeci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/spending-decades-working-on-one-thing-only-to-realize-you-cant-do-anything-else-guilty-gear-creator-discusses-dangers-of-modern-aaa-developments-overspeci\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cSpending decades working on one thing only to realize you can\u2019t do anything else.\u201d Guilty Gear creator discusses dangers of modern AAA development\u2019s \u201coverspecialization\u201d of staff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arc System Works recently released their brand-new top-down action RPG Damon and Baby, a title surprisingly \u201cdifferent\u201d to the studio\u2019s flagship fighting game franchises like Guilty Gear. Discussing the development process of the game in a recent 4Gamer<\/a> interview, Daisuke Ishiwatari, creator of Guilty Gear, raised concerns about the direction of modern game development, specifically addressing the problem of \u201coverspecialization\u201d of developers within AAA productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn current game development, localized staff involvement has become a common thing [\u2026] It\u2019s very dangerous to spend decades doing highly specialized work, only to realize later that you\u2019re no longer capable of doing anything else. You\u2019ll find yourself at a loss when the project you\u2019re working on hits a rough patch, and even if you quit your job, your chances of finding another one will be slim,\u201d Ishiwatari explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Damon and Baby gameplay.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also pointed to a long-running industry joke about developers spending entire projects \u201cjust placing grass on maps,\u201d highlighting that it may be closer to reality than humor in today\u2019s development environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, this erosion of versatility, in his opinion, reduces creative opportunities. \u201cPeople join game companies wanting to create their own signature work someday, but in today\u2019s market, those opportunities are extremely rare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishiwatari suggests addressing AAA development issues by moving away from high-risk, big-budget projects and instead focusing on smaller, more controllable productions. He stresses that proper development requires \u201caccumulated know-how and a proper development environment,\u201d rather than simply pushing teams to work faster, allowing teams to maintain schedules, build experience, and manage time more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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