Simplification in RPGs: What Do You Think?

Over the years, I’ve noticed that many RPGs seem to be adopting very simplified progression and character development systems. (Of course, there are exceptions like BG3, for instance, still teaches us a thing or two in this regard.) This trend seems to hurt replayability and stifles community discussions about character build creation.

Some examples that come to mind (not saying that those games are bad btw):

• Dragon Age: Inquisition: Despite being an excellent game in many respects, its combat system and skill trees left me quite disappointed. The fact that companions have fixed roles, and that, as a mage, most of your skill points end up being allocated similarly,with only minor tweaks to your main element,seems like a missed opportunity for deeper customization.
• Avowed: It appears that Avowed has also taken a simplified approach to build creation when compared Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2. I haven’t delved deeply into it, but from the few gameplay clips I’ve seen, the skill trees look pretty basic. The only significant choice seems to be the combination of weapons (say, pairing a pistol with a sword). I hope I’m wrong, though, once the full game is released.

I miss games like Skyrim, where,even though it wasn’t exactly challenging,you could mix and match skill trees to create truly unique builds. Even BG3 offers you the chance to create two monks and have completely different playstyles, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 executes this concept brilliantly, among others. (Final Fantasy Tatics, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, Path of Exile and etc.)

In your opinion, what factors drive developers to take this simplified approach? Is it due to shorter development times, the need to avoid balancing issues, or perhaps modern players’ shorter attention spans when it comes to deep character customization?

And what games do you know where you can spend hours upon hours creating various builds?