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- The former PlayStation boss, Shuhei Yoshida, claims that selling 10 million units is now considered an ordinary feat for most AAA games.
- He says recouping budgets is nearly impossible this PS5 generation, and action is needed.
- These increasingly high expectations from AAA games have led publishers to greenlight fewer and fewer projects.
It is no surprise to claim that AAA games are now bigger than ever, with colossal worlds and increasingly high technical milestones. However, all this has not been possible without massive budgets, to the point that recouping them has become nearly impossible.
The former PlayStation boss, Shuhei Yoshida, even believes that selling 10 million units for most AAA entries is now just an ‘ordinary’ feat rather than a real cause for celebration among developers because budgets are barely recovered at that standard.
Why it matters: The PlayStation boss says the industry must rewind to curb rising expectations for AAA games and avoid unrealistic goals.
On the Kit & Krysta podcast, Shuhei says that game publishers are now greenlighting fewer and fewer games because of the $200 million AAA budgets. Even the ones that are greenlit often end up being sequels or remakes, as taking risks can lead to the demise of entire studios.
during PS1 days you know selling [A] million was a huge hit. but now […] selling 10 million is kind of you know ordinary. […] moving from PS4 to PS5, somehow technology is similar but the budget is still increasing.
The PS4 era saw many AAA blockbusters dominate the industry, as going big was considered a safer approach. The chances of success and budgets would be recovered, as everyone wanted larger games with more visual fidelity until it became too much.
However, that bubble has burst so hard that even a successful AAA game barely appears to break even when AA titles like Clair Obscur and Blue Prince are starting to dominate the industry instead.
Do you think these gaming publishers are placing unrealistic expectations on their AAA projects? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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