Matt Radford, a former Naughty Dog.exe visual effects artist who worked on The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, stated that many new technologies could significantly change how large-scale games are made and the number of people involved in their production. He compared the development of contemporary blockbuster games to the construction of ancient cathedrals.
In Radford's view, certain games embody the craftsmanship, time, and dedication of a large number of creators from a specific era. Future generations looking back at these works might be surprised by how much of the work was done by real people.
Citing titles such as Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and The Last of Us Part II, he highlighted production aspects including live-action performance, scriptwriting, modeling, sculpting, and painting.
Radford also expressed concern that it may become difficult in the future to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into a major game that combines action sequences with storytelling.