AAA games

By the late 2010s and early 2020s, the boundaries of the AAA label had become increasingly fluid as development budgets rose and production pipelines grew more complex. Some industry commentators noted that the escalating cost of producing large-scale titles encouraged publishers to invest primarily in established franchises, leading to fewer experimental projects within the AAA space. Others argued that advancements in game engines, digital distribution, and crowdfunding allowed smaller studios to achieve production values approaching those of traditional AAA teams, further blurring categorical distinctions. AAA games also began heavily to rely on microtransactions and operating as live service games. Such changes led to the growth of the indie game market in the mid 2010s, as well as other categories of games, such as AA games, representing works by smaller teams but with the quality and approach used in AAA games.