The Entire History of RPGs

Hi! I was the lead designer on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. For the record, the game DID turn a profit. Not a smash hit but respectable for a first outing. It just didn’t generate enough profits to fund an MMO at 38 Studios in addition to keeping Big Huge Games afloat—the amount it would have had to make in a very short time to clear that bar was untenable. (The whole story is very complicated, but I feel compelled to at least address that one point, as it’s a common misunderstanding)

"Then-esteemed PC publisher Electronic Arts" 🤣

As an RPG lover since 90's...this is another enjoyable long video to fall asleep to

Man watching almost 2 hours of older RPG’s to end up at Oblivion really puts into perspective how fuckin gorgeous and groundbreaking that game was when it came out

I can't believe we're far enough into the 2020's that we can have such a deep dive into the 2010's and the effect they've had on RPGs. It felt like only yesterday.

Really glad that "entire history" seems to be becoming a long running series.

Opened this video, noticed the run time and said to myself. No way I'm watching a nearly 3 hr video. But decided just to watch the beginning for a nostalgia trip see if you'd included the SSI games I played in the 80s. You did include them and so many other great games. I've played at least 80% of them all. Amazing video, so spot on it should be used to teach young devs and gamers in general. Hopefully it's not just old farts like me who will love this video.

This video was well-made and genuinely a joy to watch. Thanks for the great work, NeverKnowsBest!

2010/11 having Mass Effect 2, Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Dark Souls, and Witcher 2 all in that 2yr span was INSANE to experience

Nice to see a shout out to Dragon Quest. RIP Mr. Akira Toriyama.

ive had this video on hold for like 2 weeks it was in my tabs because of its length always putting it aside saved for the moment i can actualy watch it complete .. and now since ive seen it what a beaufitul and respectful way to walk through history ... i can only imagine all the work needed to create this one. and man it was worth it waiting for the moment i can actual sit back and relax and enjoy the video all the way through. thanks for this one .. this .. just great .. thank you

These documentaries are some of the best Ive seen. Amazing work as usual.

I'm 42 and been playing jrpgs, crpgs, and ttrpgs my entire life and I have seen it all. I am HERE for this video!!!

Perfect timing for a rainy Saturday evening!!

Fantastic production! Huge thank you for making these videos :)

Excellent video! Love the musical cues leading into different sections of the video. Especially when the instrumental version of Lohse’s theme started playing near the video’s climax.

Purely anecdotal, but I was a teenager HUGE into crpg's in the mid/late 90's when Ultima IX came out, and another huge reason it flopped was that the requirements to even run it were MASSIVE. Like, if a game today required an RTX 4080 for minimum graphics, massive. Naturally neither me nor my other rpg friends could even afford it, only that one kid with rich parents that just got a new PC could run it. The one in our school that got it said it was fun, but I think he just wanted to sound cool because some of us went to try it and the bugs were basically unplayable. Basically a combination of hella bugs and the huge requirements would have made the game a launch flop even if there was a good game under it. That's how bad its circumstances were, it was doomed from quite a few angles. Figured I'd bring up my story since you didn't mention either angle when mentioning how bad it failed.

You clearly have an insider's understanding of the history of RPGs. You focus on exactly the right games, pause long enough to give the really innovative ones (e.g., Planescape Torment; Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines) the props they deserve; etc. I've subscribed to your Patreon.

Your work and channel is SUCH a gem. Thank you once again!

This intro of mine to your channel had to take place in two sittings, but whew, was it well worth it. Congratulations on masterful writing, framing and analysis. Looking forward to watching the rest of your content!