The Difference Between AAA and AA Games in the Video Game Industry
The video game industry categorizes games into AAA and AA based on factors like budget, team size, and market reach. Remedy Entertainment, known for games like Alan Wake 2 and Control, explained their take on these distinctions.
According to Remedy, AAA games are big productions with high budgets, large teams, and a wide range of content available at launch. These titles, such as Alan Wake 2, aim to reach a global audience with significant investments in production and marketing. On the other hand, AA games have smaller budgets, smaller teams, and fewer features at launch, like Remedy’s project FBC: Firebreak.
Thomas Puha of Remedy explained, “For us, the ‘ratings’ of AA and AAA refer to the game’s production cost, budget, team size, and the amount of content at launch. These factors are interconnected. Making cost-effective choices, like not localizing voice overs in multiple languages, helps in creating a good game.”
These distinctions apply beyond Remedy. AAA games require large financial investments and hundreds of professionals, resulting in high-quality gaming experiences with top-notch graphics. In contrast, AA games are developed by medium-sized studios with limited budgets but can still offer quality experiences by balancing innovation and resources.
It’s important to note that these classifications don’t determine a game’s quality or success. AA titles have attracted many players, proving that memorable experiences can be created even with limited resources.
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