AAA games are high-budget games usually produced and distributed by large, well-known publishers. This situation increases consumer expectations for content quality and the amount of content these games include.
Reviews from companies such as Imagine Games Network (IGN), Metacritic, PC Gamer, etc, show that many AAA games, such as the more recent entries of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, a loved series, are often reviewed poorly. These poor reviews are often attributed to a lack of content or effort put into the game and its performance.
On the other hand, smaller developers, often known as indie developers, create much smaller budgeted games, are almost always more popular, last longer and are a fraction of the price.
While most AAA games fail expectations, not all are unaccomplished.
Although the gameplay and the content of a game are considered underwhelming by its players, which leads to bad user reviews, companies who choose games for awards can still consider certain aspects of a game great. An AAA game, “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla”, won a GRAMMY Award for best Score Soundtrack For Video Games/Interactive Media, and was the first game to do so, despite having mediocre gameplay.
In comparison, in 2023, “Baldur’s Gate 3”, which is an indie game, won Game of the Year, as well as British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Performance of Lead and Supporting roles, Best Game, Everything Everywhere (EE) Game of the Year, Artistic Achievement, Music and Narrative. Indie games are often received better with players due to the increased amount of effort put into the games and their content. They also take more time to create and release when compared to AAA games, which adds to the quality of the experience.
This comparison dispels the illusion that only AAA games can be successful and puts indie games on consumers’ radars. This success allows smaller, or even solo, developers to receive the appreciation and pay they deserve for their hard work and passion, which is often missing from AAA games.
