The problem with DF (aside that it is massively overcomplicated) is that it has zero graphics. This is also why such a game can exist. As such you can't compare it with a commercial game at all as if this game did have graphics (say full 3d graphics even a generation or 2 old) he would need 10+ people working on it to have any chance of getting it out in the next 3 years. Also not everyone likes sandbox games, (personally i like both) but like well crafted linear story lines (or both).
Also I don't consider DF to be at all immersive (addictive sure). You don't feel like your there, its kind of hard to be immersed by smiley faces moving around on a ASCII icon field.
The big point though is if you want any kind of modern day graphics, the development costs and man hours increase exponential from the simple games like DF (and DF is a simple game, just pure coding, no sound effects, modeling, skinning, etc.).
As for why the game industry is suffering well there are several different reasons. First off lots of the big publishing houses keep putting the same crap out year after year, rehashed endlessly with newer graphics. Due to the man power and time necessary to produce AAA titles, most publishing houses aren't willing to take many risks on a new idea due to the risk of it flopping. They also have the nasty habit of releasing pure bug ridden junk in an effort to recoup expenditures. This leads to their customers becoming increasingly bitter towards the company and can even lead to the customer becoming a software pirate in retaliation for having been ripped off so many times.
Piracy is also playing an effect. Peer to Peer file sharing programs have lead to an explosion in software piracy. Before this only people in the know could easily pirate software, now any idiot can. Publishers mistakenly believe though that the console market doesn't have that problem and are switching over in an effort to stem the tide. But software piracy is quite possible on the consoles too, but the console needs to be physically altered to do it (That alteration is very easily done though). Software piracy also isn't going away, there is no way of preventing it, no pirate proof copy protection system, physical or software based. The only way to combat it really is to make games so good, people feel they should pay for it (and those that pirate it anyways never would have bought it to begin with and so pretty much don't count).
Its not all bad though, there are smaller companies out there that do put out top grade titles that nearly have it all (good graphics/physics, game system, open ended/story line, etc). Egosoft is one such example, they have top notch graphics, fun open ended games where you can do anything you want in the game, their only weakness is that their storylines sound like they were written by a 5th grader (but thankfully the storyline aspect of the x games is short and doesn't interfere with everything else). The big companies do produce good games too once in a while.
In summary I think the industry will survive, those that can't compete will be weeded out, some of the giants may fall (and its about time for some of them), but things will carry on. They should ease back on the graphics side of things. Good graphics are nice, but you don't need to go overboard at the expense of the rest of the game.
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