Hmmm, well I think this is only correct because RPGs have gone from a mainstay to a niche genere due to the mainstream having come into the genere.
There was actually a time when we saw a lot of RPGs being produced, and big series like "Might and Magic", "Wizardry", and "Ultima" being compared to each other heavily and leading to massive fanboy wars. To say there was no competition sort of overlooks events when say "Wizardry: Crusaders Of the Dark Savant" and "Ultima VII: The Black Gate" came out right on top of each other. The virtual blood that flowed between warring fanboys accross Fidonet (for those who have ever heard of it) was the stuff of legend.
As far as staggering out release schedules, companies do that anyway. I don't think there is much competition in the industry at all. Back when say "Modern Warfare 2" came out most of the similar games in the same genere, like say "Bioshock 2", were simply pushed up to a later release. Right now the industry is producing a smaller number of high budget titles which makes it fairly easy to space them out.
One of the reasons we will never see any kind of direct competition is because the way things are done is fairly pre-meditated. The game industry operates as a cartel, much like gas companies are accused of doing. They agree on a standardized price which all games cost irregardless of respective budgets when they come out. Nobody directly competes with each other, and as a result the prices can stay high because nobody is lowering their prices in order to compete with the other guy.... and that kind of competition with companies trying to release the highest quality product, for the lowest price, is what is supposed to keep the American ideal of capitolism working, and prvent a lot of the excessive greed you see nowadays. Cartels and Monopolies are not supposed to be able to operate in the US, and if one becomes a nessicary reality (ie only one company can practically sell a product) then the goverment is involved in setting the prices, not the companies themselves.
There was actually a time when we saw a lot of RPGs being produced, and big series like "Might and Magic", "Wizardry", and "Ultima" being compared to each other heavily and leading to massive fanboy wars. To say there was no competition sort of overlooks events when say "Wizardry: Crusaders Of the Dark Savant" and "Ultima VII: The Black Gate" came out right on top of each other. The virtual blood that flowed between warring fanboys accross Fidonet (for those who have ever heard of it) was the stuff of legend.
As far as staggering out release schedules, companies do that anyway. I don't think there is much competition in the industry at all. Back when say "Modern Warfare 2" came out most of the similar games in the same genere, like say "Bioshock 2", were simply pushed up to a later release. Right now the industry is producing a smaller number of high budget titles which makes it fairly easy to space them out.
One of the reasons we will never see any kind of direct competition is because the way things are done is fairly pre-meditated. The game industry operates as a cartel, much like gas companies are accused of doing. They agree on a standardized price which all games cost irregardless of respective budgets when they come out. Nobody directly competes with each other, and as a result the prices can stay high because nobody is lowering their prices in order to compete with the other guy.... and that kind of competition with companies trying to release the highest quality product, for the lowest price, is what is supposed to keep the American ideal of capitolism working, and prvent a lot of the excessive greed you see nowadays. Cartels and Monopolies are not supposed to be able to operate in the US, and if one becomes a nessicary reality (ie only one company can practically sell a product) then the goverment is involved in setting the prices, not the companies themselves.