Before we delve into the article any more, I must enlighten you on what AAA games - or triple A games, actually are.
There was a time when you had blockbuster games being released into the public fully loaded to the brim with content, people would eagerly await those, these games having blown competitors and people’s expectations completely out of the water.
Developers used every tool in the box to make such a game good, the era of games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II showed us that even a game without DLC could be breathtakingly amazing.
This is where DLCs come in.
DLC?
An abbreviation for downloadable content, it means that it is another part or an additional part of a game which can be added on - very commonly, costing money.
It has played a giant part in the fall of AAA games, along with the possibility of a game being updated through internet uploads to a console. This meant developers got lazy with executing any sort of bugs or problems with the game, usually meaning that they were put up for sale with lots of things wrong.
Such a launch for a game sometimes meant the start was slow, and inevitably, a very uncompetitive player base compared to other games.
How all of this escalated…
Microtransactions were not the most common back in the day, but were found in games like GTA V, which set an example for developer companies in those years the game managed to milk the game…
Now, we have only recently heard about the development of GTA 6, it really goes to show how sometimes developers can stay reliant on one game for such a long time - using microtransactions and DLC.
But at times, a demonstration like Cyberpunk 2077 can take years to be made - only to abruptly fail in the spotlight.
So microtransactions have not been the sole factor, but a few problems have cornered the gaming industry;
Investors indulging with gaming companies and corporations have increasingly been getting impatient - rushing a developer means that the game WILL come out unfinished, with DLCs lined up for future use instead of offering a full package.
Corporate greed has also consumed our gaming industry, with money being the primary thought of companies looking to dish out games for needy gamers.
There used to be games done for gamers, by gamers - now instead of hearing the word “game” often, we hear “money, finance, and profit”.
Reggie Fils-Aime (shown above) is a former Nintendo America president - was proven to be a gamer and had the best ideas for the fanbase of most games, even once stating he was playing Nintendo Crossing on his 3DS in his free time.
Fils-Aime retired in 2019 and has been a miss in the offices of Nintendo America and even by the fans of numerous Nintendo games.
The interests nowadays have sadly switched after a financial upsurge in gaming marked it as a major investment and innovation opportunity, adding this to a growing list of reasons why AAA gaming has perished.
New age for gaming?
Unfortunately, this has all become the norm. You will see unfinished games being released into the world depending on either updates which will come monthly, or even asking players to pay to add onto their experience.
The awareness of a first development of a game has also dropped thanks to the possibility of updates, it doesn't look to improve anytime soon with the toolbox available to our video game developers nowadays.
But not all seems gloomy, as games can sometimes still be rather good with the correct mix of nostalgia, experience, artwork and most importantly, great gameplay…