AAA+
In general use, the term "
AAA+" (
Triple-A-Plus) may refer to a subset of AAA games that are the highest selling or have the highest production values. However, there are at least two more specific meanings.
The first describes AAA games with additional methods of revenue generation, generally through purchases in addition to the cost of the base game.
[25] The desire for profitability has caused publishers to look at alternative
revenue models, where players continued to contribute revenue after the initial purchase, either by
premium models,
DLC,
online passes, and other forms of
subscription.
[17] In the mid 2010s large publishers began a focus on games engineered to have a
long tail in terms of revenue from individual consumers, similar to the way
MMO games generate income – these included those with expansion or season pass content such as with
Destiny,
Battlefield, and the
Call of Duty series; and those which generated revenue from selling in-game items, sometimes purely cosmetic, such as
Overwatch or
League of Legends.
[25] Titles of this type are sometimes referred to as "AAA+". In 2016,
Gameindustry.biz described AAA+ games as products that "combine AAA production values and aesthetics with
Software as a Service (SaaS) principles to keep players engaged for months or even years".
[26]
AA (Double-A)
"AA" or
Double-A games are mid-market video games that typically have some type of professional development though typically outside of the large first-party studios of the major developers; these may be from larger teams of indie developers in addition to larger non-indie studios. Double-A studios tend to range from 50 to 100 people in size.
[27] A double-A development studio will typically be backed by a publisher but not fundamentally part of that publisher, and thus have somewhat more freedom to innovate and experiment compared to triple-A studios, though will still be constrained by specific risk-limiting targets and goals from their funding source. Double-A games tend to be priced $10–40 compared to $60–70 (as of 2021) that triple-A games are priced at. Examples of games considered to be double-A titles include
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,
DayZ (a key game in the
survival game genre), and
Among Us.
[28]
As of 2022 game publishers and studios that are currently considered to be AA include
Devolver Digital,
Warhorse Studios,
Obsidian Entertainment,
Hazelight Studios, and
PlatinumGames.
[29]
Admirable, but mistaken. 