What are triple-ey projects? Why do developers announce at the game announcement stage that their project is AAA? How does this affect the costs of the game itself, and why do most of these games involve further spending from the players? Let’s figure it out in this article.
WHAT DOES TRIPLE HEY GAMES MEAN
If we take a solid definition from the Internet, then we get several conventions that can describe a “triple-a project”:
- Huge costs that come with risks.
- A huge amount is spent on development.
- A huge amount is spent on marketing.
- Several hundred people from different countries and studios can work on one project.
- After the release of the project, an additional financial model is thought out: DLCs are a thing of the past, paid content appears.
- An AAA game can reach the same level of popularity as a movie or book that has sold millions of copies.
- The budget is roughly equal to the production of a blockbuster.
GTA V, which can be called the most popular triple-a project, source
- AAA projects aim to either maintain or raise the bar in game development. Conventionally, if The Callisto Protocol is considered an AAAA game according to Krafton with a budget of $160 million (approximately), however, Dead Space Remake (no budget yet) looks much better and more serious, although it is a triple-A project.
- Triple-A projects are available on all modern platforms. For example, on February 10, Hogwarts Legacy will be released , which will be supported on all available platforms, while the released Forspoken is only supported on PS5 and PC.
Important! Many projects that came out in the early 00s may not have a budget of 100 million or more. For example, Half Life 2 cost only 40 million budget (compared to the current The Callisto Protocol – a 4-fold difference). However, the box office (12 million copies excluding Steam) is much higher than that of TCP, despite Krafton’s attempts to develop the project. Of course, time will tell, but something tells me that it will approve the conclusion.
WHY COMPANIES TAKE RISKS BY RELEASING SUCH PROJECTS
In total, there are not many studios left in the world of video game production that are engaged in AAA or AAAA (AAA +) projects. This:
- Square Enix.
- Riot Games.
- Activision Blizzard.
- To install CD Projekt RED.
- And a couple more.
Each studio, when it starts development, takes into account several nuances:
- Employee loyalty. Here it is worth getting acquainted with the concept of crunch.
- Possibility of additional financing.
- A change in the course of video game development. For example, STALKER 2 is unlikely to bring something innovative, but the game is waiting for the second decade. However, this will be an AAA project. Even if the course of game creation changes, STALKER 2 will come out as the shooter it was presented as.
- Marketing opportunities and competition.
- The relevance of the project.
- Real and theoretical terms of development.
Projects are painted in stages with a very large number of inputs. If the creation involves huge development and marketing costs, then during the official announcement it is reported that “an AAA project is being prepared”, as Electronics Art did the other day, announcing the start of development of an Iron Man game.
EA
The risks are associated primarily with the fact that the game may simply not please the audience. For example, the recently released Forspoken from Square Enix took pride of place next to The Callisto Protocol in the nomination: “the worst game of 2022-2023 according to a simple player.” Although both marketing and development costs were serious.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AAA AND AAAA PROJECTS
They were the first to create a new category of CD Project RED, which, after the announcement, designated the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 as an AAA + or AAAA project. There are many differences: the game received more funding and a kind of “pathos” before the release. But a project that breaks into the TOP in terms of the number of costs can be in the same category of triple-ey games, since, as a result, it will have a demand limited by the number of users. EA acted in the same way during the announcement of Dead Space 3, but not a single fact indicated a difference between the title and other AAA projects.
EXAMPLE OF TRIPLE A PROJECTS
You don’t have to go far here. Almost all popular modern projects can safely be classified as AAA projects. Except for the likes of Stray, of course. This is II according to various estimates.
- Dark Souls III.
- GTA V.
- Mafia III.
- Watch Dogs 2.
- Apex Legends.
- Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Elder Ring.
RDR2
TOP 10 AAA GAMES OF ALL TIME
This is a very controversial issue, because there are players who will never admit that RDR2 can be the best game in the AAA segment. And someone will not agree that it is not the best game for humanity. Therefore, the TOP is as subjective as possible and is based on OpenCritic:
- Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Elder Ring.
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.
- Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
- Cyberpunk 2077.
- GTA V.
- TES: Skyrim.
- Mafia II.
- Far Cry 3.
BEST AAA GAMES OF 2022
There are relatively few projects here, since there are, in principle, not so many AAA games released in 2022. For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was released in October 2022. But how many players can call it the best AAA project? Unknown. Definitely noteworthy:
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human.
- Elder Ring.
- Horizon: Forbidden West.
- A Plague Tale: Requiem.
WHAT TRIPLE A GAMES WILL BE RELEASED IN 2023
You can look at what has already been released and compare with what will be released. for example, Forspoken was recently released and the developers clearly emphasized that the game would “strengthen the charts”. However, there are few buyers and online. On the other hand, Remake Dead Space came out, which was treated very warmly and with great respect. Should also come out:
- The Day Before.
- Skull & Bones.
- Hogwarts Legacy.
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
- Resident Evil Remake.
- Dead Island 2.
- Diablo 4.
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
- And others.
THE FUTURE OF BIG BUDGET GAMES
This is a controversial and highly subjective topic. CD Projekt Red has already presented AAA+ or AAAA projects, at the same time, other studios announce the same AAA: some cancel, and some continue to support today. Much is impossible to predict.
