Space Marine 2 Lead's Bold Prophecy: The Doom of AAA Games

Matthew Karch, head of Saber Interactive, recently shared his perspective on the future of the gaming industry, predicting the demise of the high-budget AAA game model. Karch, whose company developed Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2, stated: “I think the era of $200, $300, $400 million AAA games is coming to an end. I don't think it's necessary. And I don't think it's appropriate… I think if anything has contributed to job losses [mass layoffs in the game industry] more than anything else, it's a budget of a few hundred million dollars [for games].”

This sentiment echoes among other developers. The term "AAA," once signifying high-budget, high-quality, low-risk projects, is now considered outdated and irrelevant. It's increasingly associated with profit-driven competition that compromises quality and innovation.

Revolution Studios co-founder, Charles Cecil, called the term "silly and meaningless," arguing that the massive investment from major publishers has negatively impacted the industry. He points to Ubisoft's Skull and Bones, marketed as a "AAAA" title, as a prime example of this shift. The term, Cecil suggests, is a relic of a period of change that ultimately proved detrimental to the industry's health.