12 hours ago, szecs said:
it seems that the market is not dictated by demand but by the free-time and boredness of the developers.
Yes and no. There are several things at play.
There used to be some serious gatekeepers, some groups that needed to be satisfied before products could enter the market. One gatekeeper that has largely vanished is the role of publishers. Developers don't need to get approval from publishers, they can bring their game directly to the storefronts. Another gatekeeper is the storefronts themselves. There are no physical shelves to fight over, no purchasing managers to convince about stocking one product or another. Combined they mean that nearly anyone can make nearly any software immediately available to customers.
Another element at play is the ease of distribution. With continuous deployment on web sites, features can be enabled by flipping a digital switch, instantly in use by all visitors. Flipping the switch again shuts it off. There are features that can be enabled for minutes or even for seconds. Web sites can test new ideas by exposing a few people randomly to the feature. This is radically different from the model where releases were infrequent, and changes were announced with a flashy banner like "New and Improved!" or "New look, same great product!"
Another element at play is the open communication by users/customers that is widely available without screening. Anyone can make a comment which is instantly visible to anyone who cares to search, or to anyone who looks at a product review. Product reviews don't go through an editing process, and the views of a bratty 12-year-old (who thinks anonymity is an excuse for the foulest language) can quickly float to the top when people think the review is funny rather than accurate.
There is also this problem.
Combine them all and you've got an overcrowded marketplace filled with garbage, and a few trusted review sites become the new gatekeepers as they recommend what they enjoyed. Anything not on those list of the best gets tossed to the side.