AppQuantum creates a new fund that will hopefully give us something genuinely new

It is quite a worrying time in game development lately, with all the layoffs and studio closures. Obviously, that affects the people losing their jobs more than us consumers, and it is terrible. But, we can’t ignore the fact that it has left the whole gaming sphere feeling a little stagnant. Happily, AppQuantum is here to help.

They have stuffed $10 million in a pot labelled the AppQuantum VC fund, and will be using it to fund teams that are creating original games in new genres. Studios will get between $250k and $1.5 million, as well as access to AppQuantum's resources and expertise. And my god, does that not sound like exactly what we need? 

I can completely understand why studios are going back to what is proven to work in this world, where one failure equals closure, but it is leaving us with so much unoriginality. I can’t remember the last time I picked up a game that actually felt new. There are improvements, sure, but it just feels like we are in a cycle of endless reskins.

I am someone who has restarted FFXIV, the MMORPG, countless times for some little lore reason or another. I have played through all those same fetch quests and long speeches multiple times quite happily, and even I am bored with all of these “new," barely indistinguishable clones.

Maybe it is just a question of volume; the world is out of original ideas. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying, surely. And I don’t just mean ”we are making Genshin with Impact with a new special move”. I am tired of gacha action RPGs or turn-based RPGs that all basically play the same.

We just need something properly unique, and it sounds like AppQuantum’s idea is going to seriously help with that. It would be delightful if this endeavour did create a whole new genre of actual original games. At the very least, I love that there is a producer supporting the little studios.