From my perspective, the age of AAA games is not dying, but it is stagnating. While profits may be up, innovation is basically nowhere to be found in the AAA industry. Most AAA developers simply re-release the same game with updated graphics to pad their pockets.
A Fresh Approach: Rainbow Six Siege
A good example of a game that has benefited tremendously from not using the annual release model is Rainbow Six Siege. The game is now three years old. Instead of releasing a new iteration, they continue to support the original game, polishing and tightening it up. Siege uses a Seasons model, where each year is broken into four seasons, and with each comes new content like a new map and new operators, and ranks get reset.
Game Classifications and Pricing
Even though this classification makes it seem like triple-A games are super premium games of the highest quality, in reality, most games you find in a video game store are triple-A games, being sold at $60. Other tiers of video games include indie games and double-A (AA) games. Indie games are made by a small team with a small budget and are sold at a price of $20 and lower. Double-A games are made with bigger budgets than indie games and sold at a higher price of $40.
The Diminishing Quality of Triple-A Games
Why are triple-A games so bad nowadays? Triple-A games have consistently made the worst LGBTQ+ characters, with indie games trouncing them in every single way. The microtransactions are the most irritating element of AAA games. You can’t play a single AAA game without some attempt at trying to take even more money beyond the sticker price.
Reevaluating the Worth of AAA Games
Given that indie games aren’t pushed out by massive studios and don’t have shareholders to consider or marketing campaigns, indie games are naturally cheaper than AAA titles. In many cases, they’re just as good, if not better. AAA is an informal classification for video games produced by a major publisher, with higher budgets and the expectation to sell millions of copies to recoup costs.
I’ve noticed a lot of criticism for triple-A games on forums like Reddit. Poor optimization, repetitive gameplay, lack of creativity, and staying power issues are real issues with some triple-A games now; however, not all AAA titles are to be dismissed. Notable exceptions include Witcher 3, Bloodborne, Wolfenstein, Metro Last Light, GTA V, which, despite their flaws, are not devoid of creativity or value.
What has diminished are mid-tier titles, with indie games filling the space that used to be occupied by these middle-budget games.
Big Budgets vs. Indie Ingenuity
So, is the boring new standard for Triple-A games? Unlike titles such as Fallout 4, which offer players only a handful of meaningful decisions, the gaming experience often feels homogenized. However, failures in AAA games are still perceived as liabilities rather than opportunities for learning and growth, as seen in smaller or independent titles.
Despite the triple-A classification suggesting a level of premium quality, these games are frequently found in stores at the standard price of $60. This standardization has perhaps contributed to the devaluation of what once signaled a game made with heart, soul, and meticulous workmanship.
As consumers, it is essential to understand the changing landscape of the gaming industry and consider whether the games produced by these big studios are truly worth the financial and time investment they demand.