DoctorBenjy, Zealand, Loki Doki, and Workthespace met to debate FM23 in a video shared on YouTube on Jan 23, 2023 (Check DoctorBenjy's channel).
They began apologetically and appreciative of SI developers, but didn't hold back in their criticism and frustration with the game for the next 90 minutes. They said they are recording less videos and playing less FM23 due to their disappointment with a flawed game that "feels like beta". They believe the graphics engine is possibly the biggest weakness in the game today, and said they'd stop buying FM every year if they didn't live off the game as content producers (except Loki Doki who was the happy dude in the bunch). They begrudgingly agreed that "they are enjoying FM23 more than FM22 but not as much as they expected". They joked that SI leadership ignores them and a "silent majority" guides their decisions on game development.
Given they are content producers who live off FM, I was taken aback with the level of frustration and criticism. Some thoughts I had...
Is the graphics engine worse than the game engine? Does FM23 feel like beta?
Do hardcore FM gamers (20%) differ from the silent majority (80%) of casual gamers who buy the game?
Does SI leadership ever care about what content producers and forum gamers have to say to improve the game vs the "silent majority"?