Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes Current AAA Development Growth Is Unsustainable

[The Mad Titan]

Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes Current AAA Development Growth Is Unsustainable - IGN

The problem with that model is it's just not sustainable," said Layden. He explained that current generation development costs reach between $80 million and $150 million (excluding marketing costs) for AAA games, with the work taking up to five years to complete. Furthermore, AAA budgets have historically doubled each generation, meaning that PS5 development budgets could hit $300 million.

"I don't think that, in the next generation, you can take those numbers and multiply them by two and think that you can grow," he added. "I think the industry as a whole needs to sit back and go, 'Alright, what are we building? What's the audience expectation? What is the best way to get our story across, and say what we need to say?'

He pointed out how these budgets are unsustainable if retail prices cannot be elastic. “It's been $59.99 since I started in this business, but the cost of games have gone up ten times. If you don't have elasticity on the price-point, but you have huge volatility on the cost line, the model becomes more difficult. I think this generation is going to see those two imperatives collide."

AAA is not going to get any less expensive with the advent of 4K art and the expectation of large game worlds. Layden points out that this could also shut different types of creators out of the AAA business

i've actually been saying this awhile now and I agree.

 

[Koba St]

Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes Current AAA Development Growth Is Unsustainable - IGN






i've actually been saying this awhile now and I agree.

Well of course you do. Nothing will make you happier than the industry pumping out AA Gamepass fillers like the Xbox

We need more games like TLOU2 if we want to push the medium forward. Of course there will always be a place for AA indie games but that shouldnt be allowed to dominate.

 

[The Mad Titan]

Well of course you do. Nothing will make you happier than the industry pumping out AA Gamepass fillers like the Xbox

We need more games like TLOU2 if we want to push the medium forward. Of course there will always be a place for AA indie games but that shouldnt be allowed to dominate.

Geezus man

For someone that doesn't own or play Xbox you talk about it more than people that actually own and play the games

 

[Fatboi1]

Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes Current AAA Development Growth Is Unsustainable - IGN






i've actually been saying this awhile now and I agree.

You cherry picked the article to make it seem like it was only talking about games merely being AAA and not a more nuanced every AAA game being a 50~60hr game

“It's hard for every adventure game to shoot for the 50 to 60 hour gameplay milestone, because that's gonna be so much more expensive to achieve,” he said. “And in the end you may close some interesting creators and their stories out of the market if that's the kind of threshold they have to meet... We have to reevaluate that."

Layden believes that developers need to consider spending three years on a 15 hour experience, rather than five years on an 80 hour game, which could not only help keep costs in control and maintain the standard retail price point, but also help craft “tighter, more compelling content”.

@J.V Koba was right, u only said that because Xbox wasn't pumping out many AAA games. I'm sure you'll forget about all this when those AAA titles from the acquired studios are shown

 

[King Sun]

 

[Koba St]

You cherry picked the article to make it seem like it was only talking about games merely being AAA and not a more nuanced every AAA game being a 50~60hr game

I’m shocked

 

[The Mad Titan]

You cherry picked the article to make it seem like it was only talking about games merely being AAA and not a more nuanced every AAA game being a 50~60hr game


@J.V Koba was right, u only said that because Xbox wasn't pumping out many AAA games. I'm sure you'll forget about all this when those AAA titles from the acquired studios are shown

I literally just quoted the second paragraph

 

[The Mad Titan]

Y'all dudes are wild.




I'll agree with this once Xbox drops triple aaa's on y'all head next month too.

Games don't cost nearly as much as they should for the amount of work that goes into them

 

[Fatboi1]

I literally just quoted the second paragraph

Yeah, you cherry picked one paragraph and left out another important detail that makes up the entire point. He didn't only say AAA games were unsustainable at the rate they are but mentioned length and size which I personally disagree with.

Imagine the next big AAA game is less than 20 hours and there's going to be people all over commenting about how it's a waste of $60 and you can "beat it one day!" Some gamers binge game a new game and beat them really fast. "Short games" get a bad rep for $60 no matter the quality.

 

[The Mad Titan]

Yeah, you cherry picked one paragraph and left out another important detail that makes up the entire point. He didn't only say AAA games were unsustainable at the rate they are but mentioned length and size which I personally disagree with.

Imagine the next big AAA game is less than 20 hours and there's going to be people all over commenting about how it's a waste of $60 and you can "beat it one day!" Some gamers binge game a new game and beat them really fast.

No. I can't cherry pick something I didn't read completely. I literally only read the paragraph I quoted and the 1st one before posting.


Y'all just mad sensitive about anything remotely negative regarding PlayStation

 

[kdslittlebro]

Y'all dudes are wild.




I'll agree with this once Xbox drops triple aaa's on y'all head next month too.

Games don't cost nearly as much as they should for the amount of work that goes into them

Price em accordingly then let the cream rise to the top. I already paid 70 for TLOU2 anyway. Paid 80 for RDR2 then another 60 for PC I don't mind paying a fair retail price, they just better not expect me to spend anymore than that in the game

 

[Uitomy]

Well of course you do. Nothing will make you happier than the industry pumping out AA Gamepass fillers like the Xbox

We need more games like TLOU2 if we want to push the medium forward. Of course there will always be a place for AA indie games but that shouldnt be allowed to dominate.

In all due fairness, we need more games where the studios aren't literally torturing the people making the game the way ND did on the last of us, had they just treated those people correctly the game would've never leaked. These AAA crunch their developers way too hard, and they'll do that shyt for years at a time too.

 

[Fatboi1]

No. I can't cherry pick something I didn't read completely. I literally only read the paragraph I quoted and the 1st one before posting.


Y'all just mad sensitive about anything remotely negative regarding PlayStation

Oh so you barely read it but was quick to make a thread? Lol

Oh and who says it's about PlayStation? They're the only AAA publisher? AAA games aren't exclusive to Sony bregh

 

[kdslittlebro]

In all due fairness, we need more games where the studios aren't literally torturing the people making the game the way ND did on the last of us, had they just treated those people correctly the game would've never leaked. These AAA crunch their developers way too hard, and they'll do that shyt for years at a time too.

The worst part is when they delay these games, they don't even take easing up on crunch into account. The devs are just forced to crunch longer.

 

[kdslittlebro]

I think the biggest culprits are scope creep due to lack of good/fair management, and too much say from publishers and shareholders like @Rekkapryde let the pros do their job breh y'all gonna eat in the end