Recent gaming releases have shown that the cost of developing AAA games has risen to new heights, with games like Cyberpunk 2077 costing over $310 million. Despite these big budgets, many games are still released incomplete.
Recently in a PC Gamer roundtable interview, Cyberpunk 2077 Quest Director Paweł Sasko from CD Projekt Red addressed this situation, mentioning that AAA games are at a wall.
He stated:
“At least when it comes to AAA, we are just running at a wall, I think, and we’re gonna crash on that wall soon.”
Paweł Sasko talked about how the fans have huge expectations from them and how the developers are using expensive technology while creating the game to meet their expectations.
Sasko believes that AAA games are running at a wall, referring to big-budget RPG games like Cyberpunk 2077. Even with all the effort and budget that goes into a modern AAA release, success is far from guaranteed.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a great example, as it did not impress audiences at launch. Pawl Sasko also mentioned that games like The Witcher 3 had many tricks that could help developers. These include options to spawn or despawn objects or change the weather of the time.
He compared CD Projekt Red’s previous game with Cyberpunk 2077, saying,
“You look at Cyberpunk. No cuts, no black screens, you’re ‘in’ V all the time.”
This approach to CD Projekt Red’s latest title made it more challenging for the developers. However, despite The Witcher 3 being easier to develop, the game was better received by the gaming industry.
The developer highlights an essential aspect of modern games. The gaming industry currently faces extended development times with rising budgets and many developers being forced to work long hours to meet deadlines.
Despite this, it is difficult for developers to stand out in the industry. Unlike The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 launched to criticism from the entire industry, and the game only found its footing over a year after launch.
Looking at the current state of the industry, the developer believes AAA games will eventually hit a wall, but only time will tell when this happens.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.