

‘The endgame’ really only started to become a thing with te launch of live service games. Or more specifically at that time, MMO games.
There was a time when it was perfectly okay to have a game you thoroughly enjoyed for say 10-, 20-, or 30 hours, and then ‘ended the game’.
With game backlogs also having become a thing, I’m fine with playing a game like this, enjoying it while I am working through it, and then moving on to the next thing.
Replayability because the core gameplay loop is fun, I whole heartedly support. I still (re)play (Open)TTD for this very reason and that’s been here for decades with no end in sight.
Endgame however, not always required.