The first reason is scale. Suburbs tend to have smaller, more repetitive elements compared to larger cities, which can make them less visually appealing. Also, large objects such as the surrounding skyscrapers provide opportunities for vertical movement and skills such as the superhero (think Spider-Man) that are more difficult to obtain in the suburbs.
Another reason is perceived anonymity. Carly Kokurek, professor of game design at the Illinois Institute of Technology, says suburbia is often perceived as boring and lacks the drama and intrigue that makes open-world games interesting. As a result, characters are given the role of starting or via points, not the main setting.
Don Daglow, one of the pioneers of the MMORPG genre, gave an example: “Godzilla never attacked a small suburb on a railway line north of Tokyo. Why waste time there when there is so much to do in the city center?”
But whether the suburbs will be used in open world games is up to the developers themselves.
Source: Ferra
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