CD Projekt exec pokes fun at Ubisoft's "AAAA" game Skull and Bones, says the studio will now make "AAAAA" games
Apr. 6, 2024The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 publisher throws some shade
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ACD Projekt Redexecutive has slyly poked fun at fellow publisherUbisoftand its failed attempt to label Skull and Bones as a “AAAA” game.
AAA is usually a label given to blockbuster games by big-money companies to signify that, yes, these games were expensive to make. The label is normally meaningless. At best, it gives us a sense of a game’s budget. At worst, it’s marketing jargon used to convince potential customers that high production values make a game good.
Ubisoft attempted to pull a similar stunt when releasing its multiplayer pirate ship romp Skull and Bones earlier this year.CEO Yves Guillemot previously called the endlessly delayed game a “AAAA” releaseto justify its $70 price tag - an argument that beta players strongly disagreed with.
The topic of ever-increasing As also came up in a recent financialQ&A chatwith CD Projekt Red’s investor relations VP Karolina Gnaś. One question jokingly asked whether the Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 studio would reassess its AAA-only stance amid Ubisoft’s comments. “Ours will be AAAAA,” Gnaś responded.
Video game budgets have become unsustainable, and thus, the AAA Arms Race has officially begun. Skull and Bones marked the first AAAA game in history. CD Projekt Red dares to unleash the world’s first AAAAA game withThe Witcher 4and aCyberpunk sequel. Who will pick up the mantle, write the check, and dare to develop an AAAAAA game first?
In more serious news, the publisher also shared thatThe Witcher 4 will introduce “gameplay elements and new mechanics"not seen in the original trilogy. We don’t have too much more information about the upcoming RPG yet - even its name is unconfirmed - thoughCDPR won’t be replacing developers with AI to make the sequel.
OurSkull and Bones reviewsaid it was “too much of a grind for too little reward.”
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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.
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