Sure, AAA games have definitely gone downhill, but that decline has opened up opportunities for indie and AA companies to enter the market, spurred on by digital distribution and an ever-growing consumer base. I don't think the last decade has been a net loss. So, while some genres decline, others rise to prominence. PDX's increasingly extensive modding support also ensures the longevity of each release, and may help inspire a new generation of potential Grand Strategy devs with ideas of their own. The three main series that dominate the genre (Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron) are constantly improving with each release, becoming both more user-friendly and sophisticated (though some older fans will disagree). While all attempts to rival the Paradox's monopoly so far have failed, there is enough interest in the genre (hundreds of thousands of regulars) to drive indie development until a competitor emerges. Though the market for this genre is cornered almost entirely by one company (Paradox Interactive), there is a surprising degree of innovation with each new release. However, there is one genre of strategy game that has grown enormously in the last decade: Grand Strategy. Needless to say, the genre is not going anywhere new in the foreseeable future. The only RTS games that get any real attention now are remasters of existing classics with dedicated playerbases. The genre has kind of stagnated, with little in the way of innovation from AA or indie devs in over a decade. RTS is practically dead though, with almost no notable releases in the past few years. 4X has always been niche, and there are a fair few such games being released nowadays, though most are either direct sequels or spiritual successors to existing franchises. I used to almost exclusively play those sorts of games, specifically the ones released between 1997-2008, which was the golden age of those two genres imo. To me, one of the great tragedies of gaming in the last decade has been the decline of the RTS/4X genres.
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