If you ever wondered what are AAA games, you likely have visited the Wikipedia page that defines AAA as a “buzzword” used for video games from mid-sized or major publishers with high development and marketing budgets. When defining “buzzwords,” Wikipedia says they “often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply used to impress others.”
Calling AAA games a buzzword is a bit unfair. Is it used to impress others? Often yes. Does it have a technical meaning? Often yes. Yet there are some requirements to using this name. If you want to know what is a AAA game and what makes a game truly triple-A, read on. But first, let’s go back in time and see the term’s origins.
History and evolution of AAA games
The first AAA game is widely agreed to be Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997. This RPG followed previous editions of the popular game series Final Fantasy created by Japanese video game developer and publisher Squaresoft. The production budget was about $40–45 million. At the time, it was the most expensive video game production ever.
An unprecedented development budget was possible due to the partnership with Sony. With all the money invested in the production, game creators applied all the technologies available at the time to introduce complex gameplay mechanics and quality graphics. The marketing campaign budget was even bigger than that of production.
In the 2000s, AAA games started expanding to open worlds. The narratives, storylines, and characters have been developing continuously. In the 2010s, many video games were like immersive movies, with intricate scripts, scenes, high level of detail, drama, and so on. Production budgets have risen, with an average AAA title cost of around $200 million.
What makes a game triple-A?
Since the release of the first blockbuster game, AAA games have evolved a lot. Yet many standards set by Final Fantasy VII remain the same. Here is what defines a triple-A game and gives AAA games meaning:
- High production budgets
- Massive marketing campaigns
However, understanding what does triple-A game mean involves looking beyond just budget and scale. It’s about a development approach. From the two principal features go the ones that come as a consequence:
- Long development cycle (3-5 years or longer in some cases)
- Large development team (about 500 people for an average AAA game, going up to over 1000)
- Top-notch graphics, technology, gameplay
- Targeted at a broad audience (to sell enough copies to make up for the production costs, you have to go for big markets)
- Continuous support
AAA games are a long story. Publishers want to keep gamers engaged with sequels, expansions, DLC, merch, online communities, etc. This is necessary to generate more revenue than just direct game sales.
The AAA video game industry
AAA game development is a highly complex process that requires experienced teams, substantial budgets, and cutting-edge technology. No company can jumpstart to launch such a massive project without specific experience. Most AAA games are developed by AAA studios.
What is a triple-A studio?
An AAA studio is a game development company that primarily works on big projects with high production costs and long development cycles.
Major AAA publishers, such as Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, and Microsoft Gaming, count with over 10,000 employees. They often operate several internal development studios, each one focusing on separate titles, employing several hundred people.
How AAA games shape the video game industry
Massive budgets spent on production put much pressure on game publishers to return the money invested. When a company spends hundreds of millions on one game, it can’t risk failing the market.
So, when companies don’t take risks, they often opt for sequels of famous stories with a big loyal fanbase who would buy the game anyway. It’s safer to go with something that guarantees success instead of risking and trying something completely new. That’s why games follow the same path as blockbuster movies: constant remakes, endless sequels, and similar stories.
For the industry, this means that risky, innovative games are left to smaller indie publishers, who spend less on production, and therefore, the loss in case of bad sales is minor.
The impact of AAA games on gaming trends, technology, and market
An AAA video game isn’t just about big budgets—it’s also about setting new standards in the gaming world. With top developers, artists, and marketers working on them, the result is an inspiration for many industry professionals—an example of a trend set by Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001.
The game featured an extensive open world and was widely popular. Since then, many other game developers followed the example and invested in creating open worlds with side missions, rich narratives, and seamless exploration.
Kevuru expertise in AAA game development
As game developers, we love working with AAA titles. In the past, we had projects with Star Wars and Fortnite. You can see more images in our portfolio.
Our AAA games services include:
- 3D character creation (including skins, outfits, creatures, and animals)
- Environment art and props (such as vehicles, weapons, and detailed object elements)
- Full-cycle game development
Do you want your AAA game to become the next big thing everybody’s talking about? Contact us, and let’s go on this adventure together!
