Not all AAA games do try to jam themselves in to the cinematic space. A lot do, but then you have to think about what it means to be a AAA game. Basically, wh

Not all AAA games do try to jam themselves in to the cinematic space. A lot do, but then you have to think about what it means to be a AAA game. Basically, what is it that causes a game to require a huge budget? A huge budget is generally due to a lot of assets. A lot of assets is generally very high detail models and cinematics, the tools to tell a story. The other thing is technology, things like creating an MMORPG is technologically expensive. But look at your average MMO and note how they generally lack on the story side of things. Gameplay on its own is pretty lean. You can't put a team of 100 designers together and get a great game in 1% of the time, but you can do something (with good direction) somewhat similar with artists. You can have one guy doing the rocks, and one guy doing the hair, and a few guys doing architectural stuff, and some people doing monsters, and they can all fit together. With gameplay though, it's too much the essence of the game to be split across too many roles and still work well. So you look at something like The Order: 1886, and you complain about how cut down it is because it's so expensive to make. But think about what that game is. It's a game to sell PS4s essentially. Each new generation of console gives access to great new graphics and performance. But when you have the ability to render the movement on the hairs on your characters arms, you have to hire someone to put hairs on peoples arms and make sure they act correctly in the wind. You can certainly make games with lower detail, but then what is the point of the new generation of console? This is why I think the majority of games out there for the next gen consoles are either cross-releases with current gen consoles with some moderate performance or upscaling, or they are pretty but underwhelming. The best stage to be creative is in the small teams of the 80s, and the more recent indie resurgence. When you employ a battalion of creative people to make your game, you absolutely need to sell it. You can't take a risk. And not only do you have to sell it, you have to sell big. On the other hand, if you're a team of 4 people, sure you don't want to go broke, but you can afford to make something that you think might be niche. The especially cool part about that is that sometimes these teams discover something that we never knew we always wanted. Take minecraft, little hobby project that can be done only because it's a little hobby project, but ends up earning millions and being sold for billions. And now it's on the PS4 too. The problem isn't the game industry. It's the AAA game industry and the pressure to sell consoles with more power than people need to play a fun game. The more detailed the games are, the more expensive they are to make. The more expensive they are to make, the less risks they can take creatively. This (and the internet) is the reason the Indie scene is pretty forefront right now.