The Challenges of Developing AAA RPGs in Today's Market
TL;DR
The rising cost of cutting-edge technology, top-tier development talent, and ballooning player expectations are driving up the price of AAA RPGs, with Cyberpunk 2077 costing over $310 million to make. Managing player expectations is a losing battle, and consumers may have to pay more for big, beautiful RPGs to continue pushing the envelope. However, not every RPG needs to be made on a AAA budget, as Disco Elysium shows. The challenge for developers is to find a balance between cost and quality to keep gamers engaged.
- Can You Put a Price on a Quality RPG? Yes, and It's Rising All the Time Push Square
- Here’s Why ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Didn’t Have More Branching Choices Forbes
- CD Projekt Lead Quest Designer Thinks AAA RPG Development Is Hitting A Wall TheGamer
- 'We're running at a f**king wall, and we're gonna crash'—CD Projekt's lead quest designer on big budget RPGs PC Gamer
- RPG roundtable podcast: Josh Sawyer, Mike Laidlaw, Strix Beltran, Paweł Sasko, and Lis Moberly go deep on writing and playing RPGs PC Gamer
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