Some of the AAA publishers overextended themselves; I think they inadvertently got into the cathedral-building business and then realized they can't build a $70

Some of the AAA publishers overextended themselves; I think they inadvertently got into the cathedral-building business and then realized they can't build a $70-per-serving cathedral every three years without abusing their employees or making some kind of quality compromise. It's been a decade since Skyrim was released, for example, and a little less since GTA V, and the microtransaction model seems to be their strategy for filling in the gaps.