It doesn’t take much to see that AAA publishers are struggling. Recent recent flops like Suicide Squad: Kill Justice League And ConcordCombined with mass layoffs in the industry, have all triggered a crash that a video game accident could be on the horizon. However, there is a silver lining.

While large versions of console continue to publish disappointing sales, the independent scene is booming and anticipation is high for titles like Silk song And Hades II. In addition to that, AA games like Clear are at the top of the sales graphics and gain renowned tons. The AAA could vacillate, but independent games and AA show no signs of slowdown, and it could be for better.

AAA games have struggled in the past

There are many parallels between the game industry during the 1983 and today accident

When you discuss the 1983 game accident, occasional observers often indicate the infamous of Atari And: the extraterrestrialOne of the badly famous bad games of all time, like the culprit. Although it is an excessive simplification, the game was indeed a major inflection point for industry.

After Liberation, Atari has radically overestimated the request for ANDproducing more copies of the game than consoles on the market. The hypothesis was that the success of the film would encourage people to buy new domestic systems just to play AND

This was also true for other game companies. According to David Crane, one of the co-founders of Activision, “in response to the success of Activision, there were dozens of copycates.”

Many companies have overestimated the market for their games, producing millions of copies that were not sold. Most of these start-ups were submitted after the accident, and the overabundance of cheap and low quality titles has diverted the attention of best quality games, still damaging industry.

Since most games are digital today, the developers no longer have to worry about filling off the discharges with an unsold stock. Online game windows are flooded with low -quality active ingredients that harm the discovery for independent titles, often designed to imitate more popular games in a cheaper and misleading way.

In addition to that, play budgets are increasing. One of the best examples of this is ConcordSony failed hero shooter from 2024. There was a Development budget of $ 200 million And counted on players forming attachments to the new IP and its characters on a market already crowded with hero shooters like Overwatch. When Concord did not meet expectations, the studio was closed and the game was buried.

Sony is not the only company with unrealistic expectations. As with AND Decades ago, some predictions on GTA VI Act as if it is reasonable to expect people to buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X series just to play the game. This has led to a scenario where games must increase prices and earn money on the DLC and microtransactions just to bring their budgets back.

All of this is alienating for many players. Some are simply deactivated by an increase in prices, while others can really not afford as much of $ 70 per year. This is particularly true if their first impression of play is the price rather than anything else.

In the end, no one really wins. Analysts say that companies hope GTA VI Will break the price barrier and will allow the price of higher games, but $ 80 seems to be a break in many people. Switch 2 and Mario Kart World succeedbut External worlds 2 Lower prices from $ 80 to $ 70 Due to the development of fans. This $ 70 is even more expensive than games five years ago and difficult to justify for many people.

AAA games do not always fail because of the quality of the game

Studios behind successful games such as Oblivion Remastered are always faced with layoffs

You would think that the success of a game can be measured by the studio’s ability to continue to employ all those who have contributed to it, but this is not the case. Even Studios behind massively successful games such as Remastered oblivion can be struck by layoffs. If popular games fail to earn enough money to keep their staff, what does it mean for more niche experiences that do not have a large guaranteed potential audience?

An explanation for this is that games are expensive to produce. Even successful games may not be able to achieve their sales objectives and justify their budget, which led to layoffs like those observed in Insomniac studios last year.

With the games, even the equipment to play them becomes more expensive. Games are available in massive files and require powerful PCs to perform properly, while consoles become more expensive. Nintendo faced a massive sticker shock when the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 was announced for the first timeAnd now they are increasing the prices of their latest generation consoles.

Even the Switch Lite, a cheaper and portable version of the Switch which is one of the best consoles at the moment for young children or families, is now more expensive. At the same time, the OLED Switch is now only $ 50 cheaper than Switch 2.. This is likely to take into account prices in the United States, but that does not change the fact that the game becoming a more expensive hobby is bad.

Many people have entered games like children. How will it happen if families cannot buy a $ 450 console for their children? This means that as an adult, there is no interest in buying a console or a PC of $ 500. It is bad for the long -term industry if there is no profitable way to integrate people into space, but profitability is not the final objective of AAA games.

AA and independent games are better than ever

Small developers like Sandfall Interactive see tons of renowned

Fortunately, the vacuum left by AAA development is closed by independent games and smaller AA games. Games like Clear obscure Expedition 33 Prove that the games made with a modest budget can always find a huge audienceWhile independent games often cost less while offering as much.

Because their budgets are lower, these teams are able to have tight experiences which are both visually unique and use a smaller audience. Donkey Kong Bananza go very well at the moment, but there are also games like Kitsunes size which are designed to respond to this specific community and style of play.

Down everything! is another game that does not necessarily have a wide appeal on the market, but which has cultivated a smaller and more dedicated fans base. Fans waiting for the release of Persona 6 Have a lot of options by playing through all the back -to -play developed by the Japanese studio Furyu.

A big budget means that a game must appeal to a large audience, which can discourage developers from taking risks or exploring new ideas. And although there is one aspect of the pursuit of trends, as Metroidvanias exploding after the release of Hollow knight And the popularity forever of the Roguelikes, they all aim at a distinct game and aesthetics. He doesn’t have the impression that they all play, follow the leader.

There are so many incredible independent games, and the main publishers could simply spend a year without any new outing, and the players would not miss it for things to play. At this point, it is probably better than the AAA industry leaves for a while. Nothing really dies with regard to entertainment, but in the meantime, more attention can be given to the massive number of independent and AA games that have become neglected so far. Then, hopefully, the major actors of the AAA scene will be able to maintain themselves.

Clear obscure: Expedition 33

Systems

Released

April 24, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // blood and blood, strong language, suggestive themes, violence

Developer (s)

Sandfall Interactive

Publisher (s)

Interactive Kepler

Engine

Unreal engine 5