3 ms·

Can you define AAA in a way that excludes Fortnite, and "AAA studio" in a way that excludes Epic Games?

by mastax 5y ago

dijit 5y ago
Easy: Just Dance Now[0] is not a AAA game. It was made by Massive Entertainment, who makes AAA games. So, a game being produced by a AAA studio does not make it a AAA game. What "is" and "is not" AAA is debatable, sure, but some things are clear: 1) they're not mobile games. 2) They have a lot of marketing budget 3) They generally push the limits of the platform (lots of LOD) 4) They have large development teams AAA usually means that a game needs: Lots of time, Lots of Money and Lots of People. Fortnite is low fidelity, has been in early access since it's inception (many years at this point) and has a relatively small number of people (<100 direct, compared to >1,400 for The Division) making it, even though it's been "in development" for many years, not AAA level. FWIW I'm not saying AAA is "good", I'm just saying that Apple isn't chasing AAA- and "fortnite" is not a good counter-argument, the better argument might be call of duty or sims, which have mac ports, but they're definitely not first platform and they actually are emulation shims using Wine. Fortnite itself does not claim to be AAA, and it's totally fine not being AAA, it's actually better to avoid making AAA games and instead go for "AA" with low fidelity because the stakes are lower and you can take more risks in making a more interesting and engaging game. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_Now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_Now
- KptMarchewa 5y ago
  ><100 direct What's "direct" and how did you get this number? https://pokde.net/news/many-epic-games-fortnite-people https://pokde.net/news/many-epic-games-fortnite-people
  - dijit 5y ago
    Go to game credits, count everyone until they mention a publisher. Industry convention: Project only: Main studio first, ancillery studios next, outsourcing parties next, then the scope broadens and includes the publisher, HR, office team etc; But anyway, Tim even says that they shipped with only 25 people. Even if they broaden it now the scope was defined early. If you really want fortnite to be AAA, I concede, I don't really care. But then: please give me at least 1 other example.

Can you define AAA in a way that excludes Fortnite, and "AAA studio" in a way that excludes Epic Games?

by mastax 5y ago

Can you define AAA in a way that excludes Fortnite, and "AAA studio" in a way that excludes Epic Games?

Easy: Just Dance Now[0] is not a AAA game. It was made by Massive Entertainment, who makes AAA games. So, a game being produced by a AAA studio does not make it a AAA game. What "is" and "is not" AAA is debatable, sure, but some things are clear: 1) they're not mobile games. 2) They have a lot of marketing budget 3) They generally push the limits of the platform (lots of LOD) 4) They have large development teams AAA usually means that a game needs: Lots of time, Lots of Money and Lots of People. Fortnite is low fidelity, has been in early access since it's inception (many years at this point) and has a relatively small number of people (<100 direct, compared to >1,400 for The Division) making it, even though it's been "in development" for many years, not AAA level. FWIW I'm not saying AAA is "good", I'm just saying that Apple isn't chasing AAA- and "fortnite" is not a good counter-argument, the better argument might be call of duty or sims, which have mac ports, but they're definitely not first platform and they actually are emulation shims using Wine. Fortnite itself does not claim to be AAA, and it's totally fine not being AAA, it's actually better to avoid making AAA games and instead go for "AA" with low fidelity because the stakes are lower and you can take more risks in making a more interesting and engaging game. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_Now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_Now

KptMarchewa 5y ago
><100 direct What's "direct" and how did you get this number? https://pokde.net/news/many-epic-games-fortnite-people https://pokde.net/news/many-epic-games-fortnite-people
- dijit 5y ago
  Go to game credits, count everyone until they mention a publisher. Industry convention: Project only: Main studio first, ancillery studios next, outsourcing parties next, then the scope broadens and includes the publisher, HR, office team etc; But anyway, Tim even says that they shipped with only 25 people. Even if they broaden it now the scope was defined early. If you really want fortnite to be AAA, I concede, I don't really care. But then: please give me at least 1 other example.