Big AAA Publishers Need To Make Smaller Games Too, Ex-God Of War Dev Says

Here is a 194-word summary of the key points from the article: Former God of War producer Meghan Morgan Juinio believes big AAA publishers like Activision and Sony need to diversify their game offerings and invest more in smaller, AA and indie titles. She argues that while the potential payoff is high for pursuing massive franchises like Call of Duty, there are great opportunities in more compact, innovative games that may be more appealing to players than bloated, overproduced AAA releases. Juinio pointed to games like Astro Bot and Split Fiction as examples of successful AA projects that offer compelling, fresh gameplay experiences. She believes gamers are becoming "desensitized" to just big budgets and visuals, and care more about fun, engaging gameplay. While the games industry is facing challenges like rising development costs and mass layoffs, Juinio remains optimistic. She believes that as long as creativity and innovation persist, there will be structural changes that benefit the entire industry, even if the types of games produced end up looking quite different from the past. The key is for big publishers to embrace smaller-scale projects alongside their blockbuster franchises.