AAA (pronounced "triple-A") is an informal classification used for video games produced and distributed by medium or large publishers, typically having higher development and marketing budgets. The development of AAA games is associated with high economic risk and with the high level of sales required to gain profitability.
In mid 2010s, the term AAA began to be used to describe AAA type games that generate additional revenue over time in a manner similar to MMO using software as a service (SaaS) methods, such as season pass or expansion packets.
The term is analogous to the term "blockbuster" movie industry.
Video AAA (video game industry)
History
The term "AAA" began to be used in the late 1990s, when several development companies began using expressions in the US gaming conventions.
With the seventh generation of video game consoles (late 2000s) the development of AAA games in the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game consoles is usually worth a dozen million dollars ($ 15 to 20m) for a new game, with some even higher sequels. the total budget - for example Halo 3 is estimated to have a development cost of $ 30 million, and a marketing budget of $ 40 million. According to a whitepaper published for the seventh generation EA (Dice Europe) game see the contraction in the number of video game development homes that created the AAA level, reducing from about 125 to about 25, but with a fourfold increase accordingly in terms of the number of staff required to game development.
During the seventh generation, AAA games (or "blockbusters") have marketing at the same level as high-profile films, with television commercials, billboards and newspapers; sequential sequel, reboot, and similar IP franchise improvements are also seen, to minimize risk. The cost at the end of the generation has risen as high as hundreds of millions of dollars - the estimated cost of Grand Theft Auto V is ~ $ 265m. The same conditions also encourage the growth of indie game scenes at the other end of the development spectrum, where lower costs enable innovation and risk taking.
Around the transition period from the seventh to the eighth generation of the AAA development cost console is considered by some to be a threat to industrial stability. A single game failure to meet production costs could lead to studio closure - Radical Entertainment is closed by Activision's parent despite selling about 1 million units in the console in the short time after its release. Ubisoft game director Alex Hutchinson describes the AAA franchise model as potentially dangerous, stating that he thinks it leads to a proven group product aimed at maximizing profits, and or pushing toward higher graphics allegiance and impacting depth or game costs.
The eighth generation of video game consoles (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U) saw further increases in cost and staffing - in Ubisoft AAA game development involving 400 to 600 people for open world games, split across multiple locations and countries.
The desire to generate profits causes publishers to look at alternative revenue models, where players continue to contribute revenue after initial purchase, either by premium models, DLC, online tickets, and other subscription forms. In the mid-2010s major publishers began to focus on games that were engineered to have a long tail in terms of revenue from individual consumers, similar to how MMO games generate revenue - this includes those with content expansion or season graduation as with Destiny >, Battlefield and the Call of Duty series ; and which generates revenue from the sale of in-game items, sometimes pure cosmetics, such as Overwatch or League of Legends . Titles of this type are sometimes referred to as "AAA".
The development of AAA games has been identified as an environment where times of crisis and other employment pressures that negatively impact employees are very clear.
Maps AAA (video game industry)
Related terms
The videogame console industry is less equivalent to movie B, made for TV, or a live scene to a video. However, games with very low production costs that are not well received are sometimes referred to as the title "bargain bin".
AAA
The term "AAA" has been used by independent video game companies CD Projekt in an effort to promote their new content as of very high quality, even though it is technically an indie game; In addition this term has been used with different meanings to describe AAA games with additional methods of revenue, generally through purchases in addition to basic game costs. In 2016, Gameindustry.biz describes AAA games as a product that "combines AAA and aesthetic production values ââwith the principles of Software as a Service (SaaS) to keep players engaged for months or even many years ".
In general, the term "AAA" may refer to a subset of AAA games that are the highest sales or have the highest production value.
Triple-I
Triple-I (or Triple-i ) has been used to refer to independently funded games (see game Indie) that meets the level of analytical quality in its field; ie, Indie games that have a relatively high budget, scope, and ambition.
See also
- Blockbuster mentality
- Nintendo Seal of Quality
- Shovelware
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia