AAA Games Struggle With Rising Graphics Costs

Realistic Graphics: The Financial Burden of AAA Games

According to Techspot , the AAA gaming industry, home to top developers like Sony, Microsoft, Naughty Dog, and Rockstar Games, has relied on realistic graphics to attract players for decades. Popular titles like The Last of Us , Red Dead Redemption 2 , and Horizon Forbidden West have not only received artistic acclaim but also achieved commercial success thanks to their heavy investment in graphics.

However, the cost of achieving this increased level of realism has passed a sustainable threshold. A prime example is Marvel's Spider-Man 2 . The game takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5's processing power, recreating New York City with incredible detail.

In Marvel's Spider-Man 2 , New York City is recreated in detail with famous architectural structures and realistic lighting effects.

But to get there, Insomniac Games spent around $300 million on development—more than three times the cost of the previous game in just five years. Despite Spider-Man 2 selling more than 11 million copies, Sony announced in February 2024 that it would lay off 900 employees, including some members of the Insomniac development team.

Another example of the complexity of graphics development is the famous scene in The Last of Us: Part II where Ellie shows off bruises and scratches without any visible glitches. This demonstrates the level of detail that AAA developers are aiming for, but also raises questions about the sustainability of this approach.

Changes in player tastes

While high-end graphics are still popular with a certain group of middle-aged players, younger generations are increasingly interested in highly social games, such as Minecraft , Roblox , and Fortnite . These games are less about complex visuals and more about creating spaces for players to interact and socialize.

“For many young gamers, gaming is an opportunity to connect with others,” says Joost van Dreunen, a market analyst and lecturer at New York University. This has become a major driving force in the design and popularity of today’s games.

Roblox attracts players with its ability to create content, engage in rich worlds, and strong social connections, suitable for all ages.

This shift has forced game developers to look for new business models to reduce graphics costs while still meeting market demand. One of these is a model that focuses on frequent content updates rather than cutting-edge graphics. Games like Genshin Impact have found great success with this model, generating billions of dollars in revenue primarily from mobile platforms.

However, not every studio has been successful in adopting this strategy. Failures like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Sony's Concord show the high risks of competing in the live service game market.

Artificial Intelligence: New Hope or Questionable Solution?

With the pressure of increasing graphics development costs, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential solution to help the gaming industry reduce the financial burden. AI can help automate complex processes in graphic design, from character modeling to environment building, thereby saving developers time and resources.

For example, AI has the ability to create dynamic lighting or material textures that previously required hours of manual work, while reducing the need for large teams of people. This not only improves efficiency but also opens up creative opportunities for smaller studios.

The human element, with its creativity and genuine emotions, cannot be replaced by AI in developing characters and stories in games.

However, not everyone is optimistic about the application of AI in game development. Beth Parker, acting director of Black Myth: Wukong, expressed the view that AI cannot replace the creativity and genuine emotions of humans in the process of developing characters and stories. Parker emphasized: "AI can simulate intonation, but can never recreate the true emotion behind what it expresses."

As costs continue to rise and player tastes change, the AAA gaming industry is facing strategic choices. The trade-off between embracing new technology and maintaining core values ​​will shape the future of the entire industry.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cac-tua-game-aaa-gap-kho-khan-truoc-chi-phi-do-hoa-ngay-cang-tang-cao-185241230113346796.htm