Why the AAA Game is Already Dead and We’d Never Know It

Amidst a brief farewell to THQ, Rob takes a gratifying look at the modern AAA game, and asks, all things considered, are they really what we think they are? Seemingly, they are in fact, imposters at best, and reanimated corpses at worst.

[TruthbeTold]

In this day and age, when any given console gamers bbiggest fans tend to instantly proclaim every new title as 'AAA' as soon as we hear about it, and buy them, even when they aren't all that great, there's much less accountability for developers. They have a hardcore segment of diehards who will buy just about anything. And that goes for all of the Big 3. On one hand, it helps our favorite companies and developers stay alive. On the other hand, quality in some areas, by some developers stagnates or declines.

How many excellent, deserving games have been missed out on because of people 'mindlessly' throwing their limited dollars at games that aren't as deserving?

[miyamoto]

huge budget, huge sales figures, hugely popular does not necessarily mean AAA

AAA is more of good quality games first not quantity
games that are fresh, imaginative, innovative, creative, technical marvel and advancement, universal acclaim, truly unique, ground breaking.

i go for these types of games
time money and effort well spent on
these AAA games drive the industry
they are not going away

[LightofDarkness]

Well, that's actually exactly what it means. It's a "marquee" title, one that necessitates massive press events, an inordinately large development budget (usually spent mostly on overly stylized cinematics or celebrity voice actors) and an astoundingly massive marketing blitz including TV ads, promotions and partnerships with fast food chains or breakfast cereals. The games usually have a number of hype building previews as well by sites like IGN, usually heaping praise on the product while giving the reader a wink and a nod, as if the were sharing they inside tip on a winning horse (which is often not really the case).

Many developers have commented on the meaning of "AAA" in this context.

We don't use it to describe great games, we just call those great games. Because we're gamers, not managers.

[catf]

I think the thing that's concerning is that AAA games are increasingly becoming the sole component of a developer, or moreover a publisher's arsenal. There's less equality, for want of a phrase that doesn't make me sound like I'm a suffragette (I'm not). And there's less equality because it's not needed. The figures indicate people want the same contrived garbage year in year out, and suddenly the industry obtains this tunnel vision and starts trying to cut out anything that's not making the big bucks, again from a AAA perspective. These games will ALWAYS be there, and they will ALWAYS have that huge install base, so as they increasingly become shadows of their former self, we have to hope that enough people are still willing to hunt hard enough for quality.