The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles launched in late 2020, nearly two years ago. At the time, they were the next generation of video games, a dramatic leap forward for the entire medium that would allow for incredibly advanced new titles. Two years later, we're still calling this decidedly current generation "next-gen," and those incredibly advanced new titles aren't materializing.
The ninth console generation has been going strong for two years, but game developers are unaware of it. Most new titles over the last couple of years have been released for both their eighth and ninth generations. Games that were expected as next-gen exclusives, like Halo: Infinite and God of War: Ragnarok, landed a comfortably cross-generational release. What few ninth-generation exclusives we really have include games like Demon's Souls and The Last of Us Part I, both remakes of video games released two generations ago.
The last console generation started in 2013. By 2015, we had generation-defining games like Bloodborne and Halo 5: Guardians. Every generation has its growing pains, but the eighth generation was already out in full force by its third year. The ninth generation hasn't come nearly as far in the same window.
Much of this can be chalked up to the well-documented supply issues ninth-generation consoles have faced. Both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 lines launched right alongside a global semiconductor shortage that prevented supply from meeting demand. Even now, two years later, it's still difficult to find any ninth-generation console at retail. Developing for the ninth generation means developing for a much smaller audience, while developing across generations means marketing to a much larger crowd of players who still haven't had the chance to upgrade.
There have been a handful of truly excellent ninth-generation games, of course. Arkane's Deathloop and Housemarque's Returnal are genuine showcase pieces for modern consoles that prove exactly what these machines are capable of. More ninth-gen exclusives are on their way in the future, including Bethesda's headliner RPG Starfield. The ninth generation is arriving… it's just arriving slowly.
It's an odd time for console games. We're approaching the midpoint of a new generation, but developers are still trapped financially by the need to develop decade-old hardware. As supply chain issues work themselves out and consoles land in players' homes, we may finally see things start to change, but for now, we're trapped in a bit of a limbo, less of a ninth generation and more of an eighth and a half.
Sorrel Kerr-Jung is a sophomore studying virtual reality game development at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Sorrel by tweeting her at @sorrelkj.
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