AAA vs. AA: The Distinction of Remedy and the Future of Medium Budget Games

If there's one thing the gaming industry loves, besides cutting-edge graphics and epic narratives, it's the classifications that try to categorize games. AAA, AA, indie... But after all, what really defines a AAA or AA game? Remedy Entertainment, known for hits like Alan Wake 2 and Control, brought its vision on this distinction - and, of course, sparked even more discussions on the subject.

According to Thomas Puha, from Remedy, the big difference between these categories is directly related to the budget, team size, and the amount of content and features available at launch.

"Good question. What do the “ratings” AA and AAA really mean? For us, it means the production cost of the game, that is, the budget, the size of the production team and the amount of content and features we release on day 1. All of this is intrinsically linked."

The explanation makes perfect sense, especially when we look at recent games from Remedy. A title like Alan Wake 2 is a classic AAA: a big budget, hundreds of professionals involved, a massive marketing campaign, and a complete experience right from day one. Not to mention the localization for multiple languages and the presence of cinematic cutscenes, one of the most expensive elements in game development.

On the AA spectrum, Remedy points to their next project, FBC: Firebreak, as an example. Games at this level have smaller budgets, reduced teams, and fewer features at launch. As Puha explained, one way to save on this type of game is to reduce the amount of voiceovers in different languages and avoid cutscenes, which are extremely expensive to produce.

"Then there is things like not localizing a lot of VO (voice over) into many different languages, being more economical in that regard, which is easier when you don't have cut-scenes, which are some of the most expensive things to do in videogames. The goal, as always, is to release the best game possible."

This division between AAA and AA is not exclusive to Remedy. Throughout the industry, AAA games are synonymous with big investments, cutting-edge graphics, and long production times - think of franchises like The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, and Elden Ring. On the other hand, AA are those projects that seek to deliver quality experiences, but without the same astronomical costs, like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Remnant 2, and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

But those who think that only AAA games dominate the market are mistaken. In the last decade, AA games have gained a lot of space, winning over the audience with more focused narratives, refined gameplay, and a development that is less dependent on already saturated formulas. Remedy itself proved this before, when Control, a game that oscillated between AA and AAA, became one of the big releases of 2019, even without the same budget as an industry giant.

So, will the new wave of AA games continue to grow and win over fans? Or will the AAA games still reign supreme in the market? The answer lies in the players' pockets - and in the creativity of the studios.