A former God of War producer is raising the alarm on AAA development, saying that big-name publishers like Activision and Sony need to diversify their offerings more as there are great opportunities in smaller games.
Speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom Asia, former Sony Santa Monica Studio co-head and director of product development Meghan Morgan Juinio (who served as a producer on 2018’s God of War) expressed concern over the games industry’s untenable decision-making post-pandemic. In light of the myriad mass layoffs and studio closures plaguing the games industry in the last five or so years, Morgan Juinio believes that while the “payoff is potentially really large” for big publishers to continue pursuing franchises such as Call of Duty, there are also opportunities for AA and indie titles inside and outside of these series because gamers are seeking experiences that buck big-game conventions like bloated budgets, massive playtimes, and overwrought developments.
“I do also think there is an opportunity for those big players to also look to diversify into double-A and single-A, and then perhaps indie as well right?” she said. “And what size, shape, or form does that take? I don’t know […] but I think we need to look beyond the knee-jerk reaction of the pandemic and post-pandemic couple of years and really think about who do we want to be? What kind of product do we want to put out? We need to plot out intentionally how we’re going to get there.”
Morgan Juinio pointed specifically to games such as Astro Bot and Split Fiction–two games that fit comfortably within the AA framework due to their smaller scope, shorter development, and scaled budget. Specifically, she mentioned that these games succeeded not just because of their non-AAA connection but also because they provided captivating and innovative gameplay that was more fascinating than what some (or even most) AAA games are currently offering. Also, these two games–Astro Bot and Split Fiction–are a bit cheaper than, say, Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which was another enticing element toward their commercial success. Consider that some analysts recently claimed that no one wants to spend $100 on a game, let alone one as hyped as Grand Theft Auto 6.
“What I believe is that we have to make great video games,” she continued. “It doesn’t matter what shape. I think gamers right now are a little bit desensitized to beautiful graphics and size and scale and scope. It’s almost a given, right? If a game isn’t fun, it doesn’t matter how pretty it is. If a game isn’t engaging or delivering some hook, then it’s not going to connect with players.”
There’s a lot of doom and gloom around the games industry as of late. Games are becoming more expensive. Developers are losing jobs. And, oh no, shareholders are unhappy with the sales of their expensive games. It’s easy to feel defeated as someone who works in the games industry. Still, Morgan Juinio is “an eternal glass-half-full type thinker” and believes that, as long as creativity and innovation continue to persist, there will be structural changes that will benefit everyone writ large–particularly if publishers invest in smaller projects more.
“I think the very nature of who we are, as developers and creators, won’t allow it to stay doom and gloom. They won’t accept that state of the world,” she explained. “Does that mean, though, that we’re going to go back to the types of games that came out five years ago or during the pre-pandemic times? No. I think it’s going to be something new. We don’t know yet what it is, but I inherently believe in the power of creativity and innovation in our industry. And I believe that even if the powers that be structurally change or completely get upended, there is still a demand out there for great games.”
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