Are there too many Games Released?

@Equityarcade Matthew Loffhagen looks at the videogame industry and asks the question "Are there too many video games being released?"

To track the number of games released each year, analysts have turned to Wikipedia for a list of all game releases of note, with the justification that if a game is relevant enough, it'll have an entry. Using this method for a rough estimate as to how many games of note come out every year, it's interesting to learn that, according to Wikipedia, the number of notable games releases peaked in 2008.

While 2015 saw 437 games gain their own spot on Wikipedia, 2008 saw the release of more than double that number, 986 titles which warranted their own entry in the online encyclopedia. While this method of measurement is anything but scientific, these results suggest that if anything the number of noteworthy games has dropped in recent years.

At the same time, it's important to note that the games industry isn't exactly in a financial slump. Total revenue for games in the US rose by 5% in 2015, meaning that, rather than being stretched thin, the games market has more money than ever to split between a relatively small selection of high profile big releases.