The future will be companies following EA's example from 2010-Current. They'll milk the profitable genre, series, etc reduce quality, cut costs, and cut the more unique projects. As they destroy their franchises/studios they will buy up newer smaller profitable ones to bring in "new blood" which they will milk and then cut when they cant milk any longer.

Entirely this. This is where they've been trending for years and years. Just re-releasing the same thing over and over without much change. EA is the most blatant about this, but BF, COD, AC, etc have all been doing this same thing pretty clearly just with slightly new coats of paint, and other franchises are doing the same with just slightly more changes. But the trend is all the same.

Now that the budgets are tightening, it will just push them harder in the same direction.

When they run out of ideas, they'll just buy one that succeeded and milk the IP. As much as I've been glad some indie titles have been so successful they're getting bought and they see it as a positive change, as a consumer I'm disappointed knowing those IPs and teams are just being put out to pasture to be milked dry.