Are triple-A games losing relevance? (CVG)

As indies steal thunder at the BAFTAs, CVG examines the future for the big blockbusters...

[mandf]

Depends on what platform you are playing on.

[smashcrashbash]

No.It just means we have more options. Not sure what is this obsession people have with killing off things.Like people saying Tomb Raider is going to kill off Uncharted.Why can't we just have both and be happy. Why do Triple A games have to disappear in favor of indie games? What fun would that be?

[s45gr32]

Please can we call say games blockbusters or mainstream games not AAA games. I mean AAA games are supposed to be the best games the industry has to offer. I am wrong with this or what. Yes I do agree with you there needs to be both mainstream and indie games not just one.

[Skips]

Tomb Raider killing off Uncharted???? LMFAO!

Tomb Raider is definitely an amazing game but seriously?

[hennessey86]

That some idiots are determined to see everyone playing angry birds on there iPhone, when devs stop making aaa games will be the day I stop gaming

[Godmars290]

Isn't the issue not relevancy but risk?

With too much money invested into a Triple-A title just because it is Triple-A publishers more than devs usually play it safe. This gen especially once something like Mirror's Edge failed to sell like gangbusters everyone fell back to what they knew and only what they knew. Took no chances. That's why something like Journey was relegated to being a download title.

It also say something that the dev went bankrupt despite the game's huge well regard and awards.

[s45gr32]

How did the journey development team went bankrupt without the sales data information. Remember video game financial analysts do not cover digital sales. Now is true many publishers play it safe this generation and sticked to the proven franchises or call of duty clones. I just can't stress this enough that crowd funding has proven that gamers want new ips and ideas like ftl, chivalry, and even the upcoming point and click survival horror asylum....

[00001]

eh, i personally only play big titles im interested in like JRPG's, Western RPG's, and new IP's. other than that, i do not have the time or patience to play all the other console games that release year round. but i do have time to play games like Trials Evolution, Journey, Black Swan, etc. graphics don't mean much to me, so as long as its fun and i can play it with my friends thats what i care about. im sure big budget AAA games aren't going anywhere but i have definitely lost interest in the games they tend to be.

[s45gr32]

I appreciate your honesty and I can relate I do like fun games or innovative games. Sadly mainstream games don't appeal me as much as it used to be.

[TRGMatt]

I compare it to the movie industry...rarely does an "Oscar winning" title score hundreds of millions in the box office. If they do, they tend to have big budgets. In gaming, same deal. Sure, Journey was peanuts to make and sold for peanuts...this game has a NEW relevance in gaming and perhaps steals SOME of the thunder of a triple A title.

But the triple As are stilling selling (and hopefully always will sell) MORE copies at a higher price, thus justifying their production costs. This will always be the case. Journey's "experience" was amazing but alot of that was because it was an anomaly (granted it was beautiful and pulled heartstrings that most other games don't touch as well) but gamers, myself included, will always crave the experiences that a low budget game CANNOT provide.

[TuxedoMoon]

I don't think they are losing relevance at all. People still buy a lot of physical games as opposed to the XBL/PSN games. Don't those physical games outsell the PSn/xbl games? There will always be retail games and smaller games. Not all small games can provide an amazing experience and as better funded one.

[s45gr32]

While most indie games lack the visual prowess of blockbuster titles it mades up in terms of new ips or innovation. I do want to point out that mainstream games are not going anywhere due to most indies are more for a niche audience; whereas, blockbuster titles are for everyone.

[mayberry]

AAA games fuel my adult electronic entertainment hobby cravings like no other.

[SDF Repellent]

AAA games are the equivalent to Movie Blockbusters. It is the cost of production and hype surrounding it. Some fails but a lot of then had lived up to the hype. Halo, GeOW, GOW, Uncharted are AAA games that lived up to the hype. Too Human, and Resistance 3 are supposed AAA games that bombed just like Battleship and John Carter did at the box office.

[Skips]

But unlike Too Human, Resistance 3 sold decently (1.27 million) and it was actually good. :/

http://www.metacritic.com/g...
http://www.metacritic.com/g...

In comparison to it's predecessors though, yes sales were disappointing.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

Did you just compare a FPS to a 3rd person shooter?

SDF was just making a point of games that didn't succeed sales wise and then you go and compare the 2 games by pulling out Meta scores and sales?

What's wrong with you?

[gpturbo81]

a game is a game. cant we just leave it at that. they don't have egos.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

Don't Listen to Lvl_up_gamer. You can see the option below his post that you cannot reply to him because he knows he will have so many disagrees. He's a typical Xbot fanboy. I Just said some facts that made sony relevant and now he said im a sony fanboy and saying microsoft holds the cards this coming gen. what a load of Bullcrap. much like LVL down gamer to me. I wasn't talking to him and he replied with things like Bluray is not needed, PSN+ is like a Xboxlive ripoff and Exclusives will not matter. Well that's the typical defense of a Smarty ass Xbot.