Every single one of those games are called AAA by games media (maybe except Yakuza). I have never seen people calling them anything else until this thread.
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Are single-player AAA games on the way out?
- Thread starter Bronx-Man
- Start date
Every single one of those games are called AAA by games media (maybe except Yakuza). I have never seen people calling them anything else until this thread.
If you wanna pick roses and pinecones, Senua looks better than both and is indie lol2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
texhnolyze
Banned
Lol yeah. I'm just already get used to the term. Probably not from Microsoft.
Not even NieR enters that definition
There need to be some changes - that's inevitable. The market for Big Budget SP-games will shrink until we have a core of teams who are ready to continue with the development of this dying segment, because there are only enough customers to sustain a limited number of teams/games.
First of all: Games shouldn't be in the bargain bin after a couple weeks/months.
Especially the introduction of Steam sales were a big mistake as they let us believe that it's absolutely normal to buy games with huge productions for five dollars or less.
Gamers have simply too many options (backlog-talk is big on gaf).
They don't need to buy games at full price and that's especially bad for these types of games.
First of all: Games shouldn't be in the bargain bin after a couple weeks/months.
Especially the introduction of Steam sales were a big mistake as they let us believe that it's absolutely normal to buy games with huge productions for five dollars or less.
Gamers have simply too many options (backlog-talk is big on gaf).
They don't need to buy games at full price and that's especially bad for these types of games.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
SleepingDragon
Member
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
Yakuza 0 isn't even a 2017 game since it came out in 2015 in Japan. lol
That term just refers to how its indie but looks good. Its budget is full indie
family_guy
Member
Nope. Next year alone has a bunch from Sony. Spiderman is going to be huge.
More_Badass
Member
How do you define single player game? Do you mean completely single player, without any online features at all? Is a game still single player if it has online features like Bloodborne or with leaderboards and daily challenge? What about if a game has co-op as well as single player or a single player campaign but also has a multiplayer side?
Games that are 100% single player without any online or multiplayer features have been relatively rare for over a decade now. I expect that to continue. Single player campaigns arent going anywhere.
Linear, lean, heavily story-driven single player only games though? I can see those shifting more towards the $40 AA/Hellblade side of things.
Games that are 100% single player without any online or multiplayer features have been relatively rare for over a decade now. I expect that to continue. Single player campaigns arent going anywhere.
Linear, lean, heavily story-driven single player only games though? I can see those shifting more towards the $40 AA/Hellblade side of things.
Duxxy3
Member
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
Yeah... western teams seriously need to manage their costs much better. Japanese game development took a little while to catch up in the HD space, but they have with this generation. And Japanese developers aren't closing up shop at the same pace as western developers.
Single player will continue. But it will continue because of better cost management.
Singleplayer only stuff is definitely on its way out.
I expect the future of these games to turn into what MGSV and Shadow of War are. Large scaled singleplayer games with several GaaS style multiplayer components. Games will be designed to never end. It seems to be the best way for those devs/pubs to monetize the games long term and still provide a great singleplayer experience while being ambitious/innovative.
I expect the future of these games to turn into what MGSV and Shadow of War are. Large scaled singleplayer games with several GaaS style multiplayer components. Games will be designed to never end. It seems to be the best way for those devs/pubs to monetize the games long term and still provide a great singleplayer experience while being ambitious/innovative.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
FTFY, lmfao at the notion that Yakuza looks better than Mass Effect Andromeda especially using a compressed to hell and back photo. I needed that laugh today.2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
[
Read this post as that post was straight up cherrypicked BS. Even despite it's troubled development ME:A looks a country mile better than Yakuza.
Do you all think that longer "tails" is sales could have a positive effect?
Im thinking that backward compatibility is probably certain from now on, a smaler title like pray could sell to a specific type of player during a longer time?
And also, where are the dark souls fans? Aren't DS considered AAA SP (with online content) and there probably selling well 4 along time.
Im thinking that backward compatibility is probably certain from now on, a smaler title like pray could sell to a specific type of player during a longer time?
And also, where are the dark souls fans? Aren't DS considered AAA SP (with online content) and there probably selling well 4 along time.
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
That's because most of MEA's budget went to 3 years of boondoggle research into procedural generation that didn't go anywhere. The majority of the game was cobbled together in 18 months. Still counts as a big budget title.
Astral Dog
Member
This year we had.(AAA-AA-one A games)
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
Persona 5
The Evil Within 2
Nier Automata
Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade 2
Assasins Creed
Mass Efect Andromeda
RESIDENT EVIL VII
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
Persona 5
The Evil Within 2
Nier Automata
Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade 2
Assasins Creed
Mass Efect Andromeda
RESIDENT EVIL VII
Zeouterlimits
Member
I think the bombing of so many good, but not great (your milage likely varies) Western AAA singleplayer games this year is a bummer, being honest.
But a lot of them were flawed in the wrong ways (narratively in particular) for me to want to pick them up.
But a lot of them were flawed in the wrong ways (narratively in particular) for me to want to pick them up.
nextgeneration
Member
They had better not die, as they are my favorite types of games. I do think, though, that it will be a shrinking market as time goes by, sadly.
Theblackrain
Member
Some entities in the gaming industry are determined to get push the narrative that single player games don't have a place anymore and games as a service is the new model. Only way to counter that is to keep buying the single player games.
rochellepaws
Member
I'm amazed there are people here claiming games created by studios of 100+ size aren't AAA. To me if your development budget is in the millions it's absolutely AAA, claiming Square, Sega, Atlus, Nintendo etc aren't AAA developers is ridiculous.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
The Yakuza vs Mass Effect comparison is hilarious.
One bombed so hard you can buy it for $12 on Amazon right now, barely 6 months after launch. The other is still holding full price despite releasing months earlier.
One bombed so hard you can buy it for $12 on Amazon right now, barely 6 months after launch. The other is still holding full price despite releasing months earlier.
The Bookerman
Member
It's funny that people say that: people pointed to Titanfall 1 and SW: BattleFront 1's shortcomings to a lack of single player. and now both have SP content.
Yakuza 0 is a cross gen game. A better comparison would be Yakuza 6 or Kiwami 2.
I think there's still a market for them. DOOM sold on the back of its single player. Sony's got God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, and Spider-Man on the way. Mario's right around the corner.
Heh
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
Heh
Sometimes it depends on the games. Large studios do sometimes make smaller game (e.g. something like Ubisoft and Grow Home) that wouldn't qualify, in my mind, as AAA.
Honestly, I'd say it a combination of large budget and large promotional push that makes something AAA. But the whole thing has a measure of sniff test to it.
Papacheeks
Banned
Well maybe other studios and big publishers should look at the games Hektor listed as to why making games under budget can still sell really well.
Thats what Hellblade proved with their limited budget and developers. You can make a game look like it has a AAA budget but still be underbudget. Japanese market especially recently are making games with much smaller workforces and budget and are doing as well as Eastern developer Big budget AAA games.
I think success in those games like Nier, Persona, Yakuza among others prove you don't need $100+ million to be a hit.
MS, EA, Ubisoft(mario rabbids was samll) to some extent have yet to release a game with small budget.
Jeronimo Jones
Member
If your definition of AAA single player is mostly based on big budget, huge hype games, it seems like a maybe.
The trend seems to be publishers chasing the next blockbuster loot-based multiplayer game with microtransactions, loot boxes, and Twitch (etc.) potential.
I'll survive if we still get some well-made, appropriately budgeted, smaller scale/focused single player games by enough publishers. It takes more than AAA bloat and bombast to make a game good.
The trend seems to be publishers chasing the next blockbuster loot-based multiplayer game with microtransactions, loot boxes, and Twitch (etc.) potential.
I'll survive if we still get some well-made, appropriately budgeted, smaller scale/focused single player games by enough publishers. It takes more than AAA bloat and bombast to make a game good.
J_ToSaveTheDay
Member
I think AAA in general is on its way out, assuming we're talking about overbloated budgets and huge multi-studio teams and what-have-you. Return on investment seems to be on the decline for both the corporations and the consumers in a lot of those cases now.
I think we'll see mostly just single-studio based projects with teams hovering around 100, not teams of 300+. We'll likely "regress" to accepting this as AAA production, but right now when I think AAA, I think stuff like Mass Effect Andromeda, Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed that got input and development from multiple studios with huge staff and inherent coordination and communication problems of just throwing more people at the project to meet a baseline featureset for a standardized, repeatedly-generated product.
I do NOT think Nier Automata, Yakuza, and the like, as some people have suggested. I am under no impression that they had any sort of the same creative challenges or staffing levels as games I think of as "AAA." I don't even see Nintendo first party titles like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey as "AAA" personally... I think they have sufficient staff, sufficient design goals, and creative motivation that sets them apart. When I think "AAA," I really do think huge teams cramming toward a standardized creative end goal -- ie a feature-defined sequel or follow up to an established and well-received gameplay formula.
I think we'll see mostly just single-studio based projects with teams hovering around 100, not teams of 300+. We'll likely "regress" to accepting this as AAA production, but right now when I think AAA, I think stuff like Mass Effect Andromeda, Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed that got input and development from multiple studios with huge staff and inherent coordination and communication problems of just throwing more people at the project to meet a baseline featureset for a standardized, repeatedly-generated product.
I do NOT think Nier Automata, Yakuza, and the like, as some people have suggested. I am under no impression that they had any sort of the same creative challenges or staffing levels as games I think of as "AAA." I don't even see Nintendo first party titles like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey as "AAA" personally... I think they have sufficient staff, sufficient design goals, and creative motivation that sets them apart. When I think "AAA," I really do think huge teams cramming toward a standardized creative end goal -- ie a feature-defined sequel or follow up to an established and well-received gameplay formula.
ThatStupidLion
Member
theres 200k members on gaf. even if every member bought SP AAA games, it's barely a drop in the pail and really up to the general public/marketing to buy these games. sure these numbers matter for lesser known devs and games, but massively budgeted games it's not enough.
and no i dont think they are. quanitity-wise theyve been scaled back a ton already, but as long as the big studios have a constant source of income from other gaas microtransactions, etc. theyll toss out a bone every so often. kinda like how hollywood can make enough money from 1 blockbuster to justify releasing all those shitty generic films that make barely anything and fail.
and no i dont think they are. quanitity-wise theyve been scaled back a ton already, but as long as the big studios have a constant source of income from other gaas microtransactions, etc. theyll toss out a bone every so often. kinda like how hollywood can make enough money from 1 blockbuster to justify releasing all those shitty generic films that make barely anything and fail.
If you wanna take it that way, there's no such thing as a "AAA" budget. These are all super unofficial nebulous terms that picking at them to prove an argument is pedantic.
Opportunity cost. The larger studios are moving to GaaS for the larger return.
Yes, they could scale down budgets, but the potential profit from the games does not equal what a GaaS hit would bring in.
Renna Hazel
Member
I remember back in the day when AAA meant a high quality. That's still the definition I use. We don't even know what the budgets for most games are, and budgets can vary based on region, mismanagement etc. We will still get plenty of high quality single player games.
PhantomKnight
Member
There still be a market for single-player AAA games, but we're just going to see less of them. I don't see Sony or Nintendo abandoning them anytime soon, though major third-party publishers are moving away from them, EA now, soon probably Bethesda.
What I think we'll see more of are smaller scale $40 single player like Crash, Ratchet & Clank, Knack, Hellblade.
Another thing what we might see more is what Square is doing with FFXV and treating it as a GaaS with timed events, free updates, DLC and supporting the game long after launch.
What I think we'll see more of are smaller scale $40 single player like Crash, Ratchet & Clank, Knack, Hellblade.
Another thing what we might see more is what Square is doing with FFXV and treating it as a GaaS with timed events, free updates, DLC and supporting the game long after launch.
According to druckmann, games like uncharted dont necessarily have to be loss leaders just to push consoles. They can be profitable.
https://mobile.twitter.com/neil_druckmann/status/892810064611782656?lang=en
https://mobile.twitter.com/neil_druckmann/status/892810064611782656?lang=en
I disagree. These are the Nintendo published games on the Switch since March: BoTW, 1-2 Switch, Snipperclips, MK8D, ARMS, Splatoon2, Flip Wars, Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Xenoblade 2. With the exception of Splatoon, there are still games that are exclusively single player or still have offline single player modes.
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
What a lame comparison.
I can pick a random Crysis 2 image to shit on all Mid/Tier Japanese games if we are gonna do shitty compraisons like this.
Little Monser
Banned
When the GOTY will be a single player AAA game I have no doubts they aren't going anywhere
Mr. Phellps
Member
2017 has been an amazing year so far and we are simply spoilt for choice. I don't think there's ever been more diversity in games in that regard. Story-based-TURRIPAL-AEY-Games won't go anywhere.
Regarding the 'definition of AAA'...
Mid/low-tier 2017 Japanese game:
Full Western dev budget 2017 game:
Low quality shit post. Cherry picking does not favor your argument. What's the point of comparing the best to the worst, to begin with? And even choosing the most unrepresentative picture of Mass Effect Andromeda? Come on, now.
Papacheeks
Banned
GAAS only works if the community is there and stay interested. The issue is GAAS works only for a handful of games so far.
Even though people think games that just get support are GAAS, they are not. They are just being supported. When a game is constantly getting weekly updates/new content/ with big roll outs each year of the game getting more content then that is a GAAS game. Especailly if the content rollout is shown in the beginning.
Which is why there are so many failed GAAS games.