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- Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and Hades 2 have been the biggest hits of this year, with the highest user scores on Metacritic, too.
- In comparison, they’ve crushed the majority of AAA releases this year, which is a positive turn for the gaming industry.
- For the future, AA and indie games will undoubtedly shape the industry and set the blueprint, forcing studios and publishers to innovate rather than create bland games.
The crumbling state of the gaming industry worries me for the future, especially when we see games with hundreds of millions of dollars being poured into them fail catastrophically.
That said, 2025 has taken a slight shift, and with gamers signalling that they’re not ready to follow in pursuit of the live-service bandwagon that corporations are attaching AAAA tags to, many smaller and mid-sized releases have had the chance to shine.
This year has mainly been about indie and AA releases, and among them, the most standout releases are Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and the more recent Hades 2. Despite smaller budgets, these releases still possessed outstanding qualities, and I believe they will serve as the blueprint for the future of gaming.
Why it matters: As a game scales up, development becomes more complex, and publishers are forced to adopt a higher price tag to recoup their costs. Therefore, multi-hundred-million-dollar games are no longer feasible, at least for most publishers.
Nobody Is Willing To Buy $80 Releases Anymore
The current gaming generation has seen a price hike in standard gaming releases twice. While gamers were still adjusting to $70, corporations like Nintendo had already moved towards $80 releases, with Microsoft almost following suit.
However, things didn’t work out well for Team Green as they were forced to backtrack on their decision amidst heavy backlash from gamers. The $80 price tag is still not the golden standard in the industry, but it will eventually become the new norm.
Still, gamers have had enough, and considering how limited buying power is these days due to inflation and economic turmoil, purchasing new releases is becoming increasingly challenging. One poll even suggested that gamers aren’t willing to pay more than $70 for GTA 6, even if it’s the perfect release.
As such, these higher-priced games allow smaller releases such as Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and Hades 2 to stand out. The French-published JRPG was only priced at a reasonable $50, which was endorsed by gamers who were more than glad to pay for it.
On the other hand, the roguelike Hades 2 costs a mere $30 in this economy. Both Clair Obscur and Hades 2 have become the highest-rated games on Metacritic of 2025, which says a lot.
AA And Indie Games Are Keeping The Passion For Gaming Alive
Now, to say that the success of Clair Obscur and Hades 2 was possible due to their lower price tag would be half the truth. In reality, these were passion projects made by gamers for the gamers.
The development budget for Hades 2 is currently unknown, but it’s expected to be similar to that of its predecessor, which was approximately $15 million. In its early access phase, the sequel sold 2 million copies.
Clair Obscur had a development budget similar to that of Mirror’s Edge, which was released 17 years ago. The game is now closing in on the 5 million sale mark, which is expected to be reached soon.
Take Hades, for instance. It is, in my opinion, perhaps the best roguelike game, nailing every aspect: whether it’s the accurate representation of the Greek gods, the voice acting, or the flashy yet mesmerizing visuals, there’s just something about this game that immediately clicked with me.
On the other hand, Clair Obscur made me rethink the conception that turn-based RPGs can be boring. Even Charlie Cox, one of the actors from the game, is now willing to buy a console to play the game.
Forcing Other Developers To Try Better
Most video games are homogeneous these days, and for AAA games, that’s mostly the case. We’ve seen the Ubisoft formula being overused to the point that it has become fatiguing for gamers.
Other than that, the live-service focus still prevails, despite constant pushback from gamers; publishers aren’t ready to adapt. Frankly, there’s a significant disparity between corporations and consumers at the moment.
This is where indie and AA games come in. Perhaps the most ambitious and passionate individuals are keeping the essence of video games alive by innovating and introducing new changes.
Clair Obscur blends modern and classic RPG elements, adding a fresh touch to turn-based combat by incorporating real-time mechanics, such as dodging and parrying.
Hades 2, on the other hand, features endless combat variety, deeper progression, captivating art, and some really memorable characters, which have altogether made me fall in love with games for the second time.
If anything, the success of AA games and Indie games will force studios and publishers to actually try for once, now that the competition is healthy.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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