Former Assassin's Creed director Alexandre Amancio argues that the future of AAA game design lies in smaller, core teams rather than bloated headcounts, criticizing the idea that problems are solved by throwing more people at them and drawing comparisons to the film industry’s temporary, project-based crews.
Alexandre Amancio discusses solutions to the crisis in AAA game development, emphasizing smaller, more flexible teams, better management of complexity through choke points, and learning from other industries like film. He advocates for a more modular, iterative approach with clear constraints and strategic outsourcing, to foster innovation and efficiency in game creation.
Warner Bros. reiterates its commitment to transforming its major franchises into live service games, moving away from traditional one-and-done console games. The company aims to create ongoing experiences for players within its game worlds, despite acknowledging the volatility of the AAA market. Recent titles like Mortal Kombat 11 have seen success with seasonal content updates, and the company's free-to-play brawler MultiVersus is set to make a return, despite the financial disappointment of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.