Ya, lots of CRPGs fan don’t prioritize the bells and whistles of high end production, which is fine. I actually don’t think that sort of stuff is necessary myself, but I do enjoy very good art direction and creative design, which for me is lacking in most indie games.
I think Larian’s art direction is a pretty mixed bag. A CRPG with FromSoft level art direction would be a dream
Come true.
That said, good art direction doesn't necessarily need the latest tech. Not a CRPG studio, but WolfEye are built around that, visually -- as a studio of former AAA developers who've "had enough" spending the bulk of their time and budget on that every frame of animation looks perfect. A healthy genre has variety though. I don't think AAA-scaled CRPGs "proper" are a bad thing. It appeals to a wider range of people and may get them interested. However, there's a reaon why so many AAA publishers and studios have been looking for additional ways to fund (microtransactions, etc.). Contemporary AAA development is just so damn expensive and the costs still keep rising alongside to the challenge it is to manage teams of hundreds and up (see also Cyberpunk).
If things stay that way, more studios will likely scale back as they're forced to, and there will be more of a middle ground. Larian too have already announced that their next project is likely to be smaller in scale. It's unlikely that they blew near as much on marketing alone as the actually big dogs (no Keanu Reeves and Hollywood celebrities promoting the game, no much exposure on mass TV / media), they're still going for a smaller thing now. It may be several smaller projects, given their size. Fallen Heroes getting resurrected as a second project, anyone?
Speaking about From (and thinking about Bloodborne in particular), it's amazing to me that outside of tiny indies, there hasn't been a gothic/horror themed CRPG since like Bloodlines. The 1980s/1990s even had dungeon crawls themed that way (The Legacy published by Microsoft), D&D games too (both Ravenloft games publushed by SSI). Sure, there's often horror elements and a quest here and there. But a game built around that and diving deep, nope. Dwarves&Elves, space ships, Pip-Boys&Nukes and since rather recent, Cyberpunk, that's all there is. And unlike Pirates, say, horror doesn't even seem to be that unpopular.
Doesn't surprise me that PC gamers in particular have been craving for a Bloodborne port since it came out. That game looks stellar and in terms of design, even by FromSoft standards, the monsters are hella twisted. Sure, playing it safe and all. But anybody who'd do a Ravenloft game nowadays would be instantly sticking out just by doing that.
