CodeBullet

YouTube channel CodeBullet commissioned developers at different price points to each create a game using the same brief, which was to make a third-person combat game similar to The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The developer with a $10 budget delivered a complete combat demo featuring third-person combat, blocking, lock-on, an inventory system, an equipment slot, and particle effects

The typical weakness of mid-tier ($100) games is that the accumulation of art assets and systems fails to keep pace with level design and player guidance

Stacking engines and assets can improve visuals, but level guidance design that tells players where to go and what to do is a separate and more costly design skill

CodeBullet concluded that almost all the games far exceeded the standard they should have achieved, affirming the enormous leveling effect that modern game development tools have had on the barrier to entry

The significance of budget has shifted from "whether something can be made" to "how refined it is, how thoughtful the design is, and how high the degree of originality is"