Lately, I've been noticing a trend that’s becoming hard to ignore: many game companies seem to be completely out of touch with the quality of their games. It's frustrating as a fan of the industry, and I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this.

We’ve seen this with recent titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Skull and Bones from Ubisoft. These games had so much potential, but somehow they missed the mark, leaving many of us feeling underwhelmed. I’m not here to single out Ubisoft specifically—this is an issue across the board. But it really makes me wonder, what’s going wrong?

For me, it comes down to leadership.

I firmly believe passionate leadership plays a huge role in the success of a game. And this goes for not just in game development, but in many careers and jobs that require managing a team. When leaders genuinely care about the projects they’re working on and their team, it can make a vast impact. The difference is palpable when the vision comes from someone who is deeply invested in the quality of the game and the experience it will provide for players.

We’ve all seen what happens when leadership is focused on the wrong things—whether it's cutting corners, chasing trends, or trying to rush a game to market before it's ready. The outcome is games that may look good on the surface but feel empty and lack the depth we crave. Players notice, and that’s why so many recent games have fallen flat, despite the massive budgets behind them.

I believe there’s hope, though. Indie studios and smaller, passionate teams have shown us what’s possible when the right leadership is in place. It's no surprise why many gamers, are leaning towards these kind projects. It's the kind of leadership that puts players first, while fostering a healthy, creative environment for developers.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: Do you think leadership is the root cause behind the decline in quality we’re seeing in major game releases? What studios or games do you think are getting it right?