As a casual gamer, I like to have a wander around in open world action rpgs from time to time. Almost all of them take place in the States, except for a few other games that take place in Europe and Asia. I know that most gaming studios are in the U.S. (well the ones that rake in the money anyway.) So, why America when it comes to open world game design? I know the continent has various biomes, like mountains, deserts, forests and valleys. Which I can understand why the gaming developers take clear inspiration from it but, there are other countries in the world with similar biomes as well too ya know. Eh it’s probably the publishers and the board of CEOs that say to open world gaming designers “Set in the U.S., it will sell really well! Apart from Square Enix. They’re based in Japan? I think.
I'm sure your points about the studio's locations and the diverse environments are both right, but there are also plenty of open world games set elsewhere. The recent open world Assassin's Creed games take place in ancient Egypt, Greece, and England. God of War is in mythological Norway. Ghost of Tsushima is set in Japan. Fantasy games are generally set in fictional worlds.
I imagine it's the vehicles... The US has a long history of cool looking cars and bikes to get around on. Go back 50 years in many other countries and the transportation is terrible (normally a legacy of UK, French and Spanish colonisation ripping out their assets and brainpower) Not true fort the US, and to a lesser extent Europe where cars were often cool, or at least big enough and fast enough to look good on screen. Pootling around in a 1930s saloon car in Delhi in the 90s just wouldn't be the same
There are others, Sega's Yakuza is open world and set in various Japanese cities - for example Yakuza 0 is set in 1980s Shinjuku and Namba and the most recent version "Like a Dragon" is set in Modern Day Yokohama. These games turned out to be more cult following then mega success and are subtitled rather than dubbed. (I suspect Streaming helped a bit - as there are some mad side quests and I was not prepared for Majima singing "24hr Cinderella!" at Karaoke) US is a cultural juggernaut thanks to Hollywood so it makes sense to set things there for general appeal. Plus things like US Police's Shoot First, Ask Questions later policies mean you have easy action)
It's the general pervasiveness of America as the "default" first-world/Western Hemisphere setting - vast majority of TV/movie/software companies are based there, and they make what they know. Think of how many kids in foreign countries grow up learning English from watching American sitcoms and action movies.
I think it´s only in your perception. There´re quite a few titles that take you around the world and history in astonishing virtual sceneries and landscapes: Assassin´s Creed, the Tomb Raiders and the Uncharted franchise to name some. The real question which has never been answered is rather why-o-why do aliens make first contact with us earthlings always on US-territory?
I think you've probably hit the nail on the head right there. For many games where you're roaming an open world, particularly the likes of Crew 2, the USA provides very distinct transitions between states that you don't get to quite the same level anywhere else. I roadtripped around the west and there's a real change driving out of LA into the Nevada desert, then the red rocks of Utah, greenery in Colorado etc. And they're very good at landmarks, so even when you don't have obvious natural features like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches etc, there will always be a Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State - something obvious and familiar that will mentally pin you in a location. I don't think anywhere else has quite the array of recognisable stuff.
Could just be the type of game or the specific developer you're playing. I've played many games set in America, but I've also played many games set around the world. When it comes to American open world games, Rockstar games is usually the first to come to mind with Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead series both being set in America. Bethesda games also comes to mind with their Fallout series being in a post apocalyptic America. However, Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series is set in a fantasy medieval Europe based world, for example Skyrim is based on Medieval Scandinavia and Oblivion is based on Medieval Rome. Both Rockstar and Bethesda are American studios. Moving around the world is CD Projekt Red, with their Witcher series set in a fantasy Medieval Europe world, but their latest addition Cyberpunk set in a futuristic America. The following games are more FPS in nature but have some open world elements, Stalker series and Metro series. Both are set in post apocalyptic Russia, and both are made by European studios. I've played only a few games by Square Enix, but the Tomb Raider series comes to mind for a more open world setting. The games take place in remote locations across the globe, in the recent reboot series none are in the United States, the first is in Asia, the second in Russia, and the third in South America. Some other non America open world games that come to mind are Ubisoft's Far Cry series (the 5th game in the series takes place in America, the rest across the globe) I haven't played Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed yet but I do know most the games take place around the world. Another open world RPG that takes place in Medieval Europe is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I also recently played a short open world game called The Forgotten City that takes place in Ancient Rome and is made by an Australian developer. And if you're looking for something out of this world there is Obsidian's Outer Worlds taking place in Space but this game is rather American themed. These are just to name a few, and hopefully this will give you a list of a few open world games with some more unique settings. I've noticed when it comes to games with a modern present day setting, most are in America, but when it comes to games set in the past, most are in other countries. Not sure the reasoning, maybe modern day America just sells better when it comes to a game setting.
Not all games are "located" in the USA. Apart from TSW2, I had before MSTS, and even today I play OR on different routes including Germany and France mainly! There I have long routes, and different locomotives and trains not available on TSW2. Even this game has improved and continuously doing it with new features. I also play Gran Turismo which it have tracks on several countries and continents, like South and North America, Europe, and Japan. This one I played also on PS4. I believe other games might be located not in the USA. But of course there are lot of games on that country.
I think the OP was specifically talking about open world games where the ever-changing landscapes of the US give a real feeling of moving between different locations. It's much easier to create that in unconnected levels like how Uncharted etc skip around all over the globe.
I like the open world of The Witcher 3 and it’s DLCs for showing the beauty of the European countryside and I also like the open world of Horizon Zero Dawn, for its fascinating post apocalyptic/prehistoric setting. Horizon Zero Dawn is set in America but in the far future. I was mainly talking about why game developers mostly opt for an American setting, given the country’s various biomes.
The GTA studio is in Edinburgh - it's the former DMA design - who created Lemmings! The inspiration was US action films.
Isn't it less that the majority of the open world games have a US based setting, but that two or three extremly popular series of open world games have the setting there? Besides Red Dead Redemption, GTA and Fallout, there isn't really anything else. But all three of them are amongst the best selling open world games. Red Dead Redemption has a setting which can solely be found in the US history. GTA with its high speed car chases is again something which can only really be set in the US, as thats where you would know all this helicopter camera footage from, even when you are from somewhere else in the world. Fallout may be the only of the three which could theoratically be set somewhere else, although it also realies alot on stiling elements which were found solely in the US during the 40s and 50s.
It couldn’t. Fallout is so heavily reliant on and based on the US culture of the 40s/50s that any other setting would immediately feel wrong. A short spin-off or DLC may work with a different setting, but you couldn’t set a normal Fallout game outside of the US and still have it feel like Fallout.
Doesn't India use the Morris Oxford? Fallout suffers from bad writing a lot of the time with gaping plot holes like being stuck in 50's culture makes little sense. You say setting it outside of the US would not feel the same, look at the forth coming mod Fallout: London it gives a taste. I think the Fallout series would be great if it was located elsewhere, China, Russia, Europe would be interesting to see what happened to the rest of the World, probably would need Obsidian back for the writing though.
I hear you. Bethesda writing can’t hold a candle to what Black Isle and later Obsidian did. I would actually be up for it, but then again, I’m really into Fallout lore. The expansion of the lore of these places alone would rope me in. However, such a project would require a talented, delicate hand. My point is that given the focus on US culture, it’ll be difficult to have a Fallout game outside the US feel like Fallout instead of just sharing the same universe. Not aware of that. Console player here, hence not really following the modding scene. But thanks for the tip, I’ll check it out. I don’t think plot hole is the right word for that. It’s simply the setting - a retro future as imagined in the 50s. A fantasy setting is the same thing: Obviously unrealistic. It’s something you need to buy into. I think far worse are the new plot holes Bethesda are building into everything - the T60, fusion cores for power armor, the origin of jet, …
Actually I am too, into the lore, but so much doesn't make sense, like the monitors, transistors were submitted in the early 40's. Culture and technology do not stand till just because there is a war on. I'm not so keen on the animals in Fallout 4 either, Radiation kills, it doesn't create new species. But then speaking about the lore it would be good if it was flushed out and having say a fallout game in China would a totally different perspective. I watch the odd Fallout lore video and it was suggested that it was the US/vault Tec that made the first strike it would be interesting what would happen if that was well known. Oh sorry didn't realise. I cannot imagine Fallout 4 without mods, just am testing out a mod pack. At least there are some mods available for PS and Xbox through Bethesda. I had the idea of a 'Outer Worlds' type Fallout game. Don't know if you have Outer Worlds but instead of having the different planets they could have different cities across the world where they have the different accents as well it would imo be refreshing.
I’d love that. A few years ago when Fallout 4 was still relatively new, I had hopes that Bethesda was dropping some hints in that direction based on the Chinese assault rifle found in the files and the fact that we had a working Chinese submarine + captain just outside of Boston. Alas, nothing seems to have come of it. As long as we can agree that Bethesda’s idea of Aliens being at fault was rather stupid But yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Enclave had a hand in it given how they had everything set up for surviving the Great War and even benefitted off it in some way. Is there any New Vegas fan who doesn’t? Not a bad idea, now that I think about it. Actually reminds me of Fallout 1/2 and their big open maps with smaller city hubs/dungeons. You could be onto something here, if done properly.
There is also Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which is set in a real Google Earth-modeled section of Bohemia (now Czech Republic), with RW towns and castles digitally restored to their appearance ca. 1400. Not many castles or knights in the USA!
Anything that’s centuries old gets torn down in the USA! I think the only thing that comes close is those old forts that were used back in the American Revolution.
There isn't anything in the US that's "centuries old!" Even if you count the 1600s as "centuries old," there wasn't a lot here and most of that was built of wood. There are a couple of old houses in New England and Virginia. It's been said that the difference between Americans and Britons is that Americans think a hundred years is a long time, and Britons think a hundred miles is a long way.
India built the Morris Oxford as the Hindustan Ambassador from the late 1950's until fairly recently. I think recent ones had Isuzu engines. They did import them here in the early 1990's but sold very few. I do remember seeing a fairly new one once at a classic car display.
Thanks to 1960's town planners we have a less of the 1600's left than we used to! I think the reason we often think 100 miles is a long way in the UK, apart from the relative size of the country, is that often 100 miles can take a few hours depending on the traffic.
Oh that is very true, some of our most historic cities were wrecked. Worcester not far from me and one of our most historic cities lost an entire street going back to medieval times opposite the cathedral, this street, Lych Street (which contained the old Deanery) and Cathedral Lychgate (the last surviving I believe) were demolished, at 5am in the morning! The Guardians headline at the time was "The R*ape of Worcester"! Apparently it got council approval by one vote.
