Are AA Games Catching Up AAA Games?

Double AA developers don't tend to be owned by huge conglomerates telling them what to do. They're still making the games they actually want to make because they don't have to answer to shareholders who see games as a mealticket rather than art.

GAMERAANNXX!!! I'll take a AA game made with love over an over priced game done to doop us

Games just have to be good

more like corps can't stop f'ing up AAA games in the name of $$$ while AA games are made to be fun

I feel like AA games are basically what AAA games use to be, and AAA games are the bloated, overpriced AAAA games Ubisoft tried to make with Skull and Bones.

I LOVE that you folks champion small games and point out great games I'd have missed otherwise

Personally I think the AA and under developers have something that AAA ones dont. They have something to prove. The AAA developers are already established so they think they can put out whatever slop they want and people will instantly buy it but people are starting to realize they're doing it for the money and nothing else. AAA developers need to get a reality check

I used to be so excited to play whatever the new big triple A game was. Nowadays with the higher prices and the significant drop in quality in the triple A space I’ve been buying way more games in the 20-50 dollar range than ever before. They’re just more creative and unique usually.

Used to be a new IP started as a AA game, build its fan base, show people its fun, then make the 2nd or 3rd game as AAA. I misd those days

Here before title fix

If Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is considered AA, then I absolutely want more.

The thing about most AA games is they are made by gamers and not by suits who only see dollar signs. Games made by gamers are always better

I agree especially with the "Perfect 7"

AAA means an undercooked game with a huge day one patch. I’d rather AA game stay that way tbh

"They understand their audience" **plays a clip of Schedule I**

Played and enjoyed Stardew so much I brought it for multiple consoles and PC plus sent digital copies to a few friends.

Man, you just reminded me I still gotta try that Clair Obscure game. Was a big fan of Persona 5, so I feel I’d really enjoy Expedition 33.

I certainly hope so, there should be some kind of middle ground for gaming.

The thing I'm worried about with this trend is that we're going to start seeing AAA developers pretending to be AA or appealing to that audience in superficial ways. Maybe intentionally gimping their staff for optics rather than developmental strategy. Or we're going to see more AA developers who get complacent because they feel they already have the public's favor and start making more AAA decisions. As we've seen throughout history, whenever something starts to trend, it will be replicated into oversaturation and irrelevance. That's why we have so many garbage survival crafting games trying to capitalize on Minecraft's success.

They sure are. AAA lost its meaning the moment "big" devs/publishers got lazy. People learned to better spend their money, and give it to people who actually care to release a good product.