It seems as though it has been years since we have seen a mainstream motorcycle game, and upon further inspection, it actually appears as if this is the case. Gone are the days when gamers would run home from school in order to play the latest motocross game on PS2 – now everyone is just interested in the next billion-dollar triple-A game.
This is so much the case that it actually begs the question of whether or not the gaming world has forgotten about motorcycles. It is very rare to see a high-budget motorcycle game in the twenty-first century, and by the end of this article, you will come to know why this is the case.
The Demand For Motorcycle Games Just Isn’t There
Something that just has to be said about the dwindling supply of motorcycle games is that the demand just isn’t there. The audience for a fully-fledged motorcycle game is extremely small, and in the majority of cases, developers are likely going to come out at a net loss if they attempt to cater to said audience.
If you need further evidence of this, just go and take a look at any of the most popular games. How many motorbike games do you see on there? Three? Two? One? Try zero. The sales figures speak for themselves – there just isn’t enough demand for motorcycle games to make them viable.
Of course, that’s not to say that all games have to be in the top five percent in order to be deemed successful. There are many successful games out there that do not manage to reach anywhere near the top echelon of best-selling games, and we are not saying that the only reason why developers are choosing to forego motorcycle games is that they make no appearance in the top ten percent.Â
However, this is undoubtedly a factor that needs to be factored into the equation, and no matter how far you go down the rankings, the chances of you finding a modern motorcycle game are going to practically zero.Â
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Most Games Already Feature Motorcycles To Some ExtentÂ
Every big triple-A game features motorcycles to some extent. If you are a fan of motorcycles, you will just be able to hop onto GTA 5 or Watch Dogs to scratch your itch, and this just goes to reduce the demand for motorcycle games even further.
This makes sense on the surface, but with just a little digging, this argument begins to fall apart. This would be akin to learning how to claim a high-roller casino bonus without ever actually being interested in casinos – it just doesn’t make sense. Â
However, this is only because of the fact that we are still missing one key piece of the puzzle, and this ties heavily into what we spoke about in the first portion of this article.
While most people have some level of fondness for motorbikes and want to see them featured in video games, few would want to play an entire game based around them, and this is yet another one of the major reasons why motorcycle games have been mostly forgotten.
People are just able to get their fill of motorbikes from other popular games in the industry, and this level of competition makes it almost possible for fully-fledged motorcycle games to compete.
Games Based Around Motorcycles Have Historically Performed Poorly
On top of everything we have said thus far, there is one factor that virtually puts the nail in the coffin for motorbike games; they have historically performed poorly.
Even when taking into consideration all of the best motorcycle games, these all perform rather poorly when compared to other popular games in the industry, and it seems as though no developers are willing to take on this kind of risk when any rewards are likely going to be minimal.
If something isn’t profitable, a business is just not going to waste its resources on trying to beat the odds, and this is exactly why it is going to be unlikely for us to see a motorcycle game in the near future.
To some, everything we have said in this article is going to be terrible news. This is especially the case if you happen to be a motorbike fanatic – it must be pretty hard only being able to play games that were made at least ten years ago. Although, this is just the way it goes.
The demand simply isn’t there for motorcycle games, and unless anything changes, we are not likely going to see any big-budget motorbike games coming out within the next few years.Â
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