Why Most AAA Games Have No Soul

What happened to the AAA studios we used to love? Until Elden Ring came out, recent AAA releases were all soulless copy & pasted games. But despite being such a breath of fresh air, Elden Ring caused a mountain of controversy. Why were so many AAA developers and fans angry at Elden Ring's success? Well, it has to do with why so many AAA games lost their 'soul'.

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📃 Research Links
Elden Ring Says NO To Western AAA, Devs Lose Their MINDS
Why Elden Ring's Success Makes Ubisoft Devs Mad
What Elden Ring Is Like For Someone Who Doesn't Play Games
Ubisoft Collapses! Cancels ANOTHER Game As Massive Layoffs Are Coming & Stock Totally Tanks!
Horizon: Forbidden West Was Set Up To Fail (Elden Ring Completely Overshadowed It)
Angry Ubisoft dev tweets
Putting Elden Ring's 12 million sales in context
Assassin’s Creed developer is facing a strike after its CEO told staff it was up to them to stop its slump, writing ‘the ball is in your court’
Sales number of Elden Ring proves Horizon Forbidden West developer wrong as the latter's sales fall by 80%
‘Elden Ring’ Was The Second Best-Selling Video Game Of 2022
Google's 80/20 Rule

[GoingIndie]

What's a AAA game or studio you used to love, but no longer enjoy?

🔵 Join our Discord to vote for the next indie game shoutout

[walkermoss]

Another thing that Elden Ring has going for it is the cost to play, you pay $60 and get access to everything. There's no store for microtransactions, no cash grab, it's a game that doesn't limit you based on how much money you are willing to pay. Most AAA developers now have a store integrated into their games with most of the content coming from paying extra.

[peaceandtranquility]

“doesnt matter the genre, as long as its good” is a sentiment I apply to literally every game

[aizawasensei]

Bloodborne is a masterpiece.
Sekiro is a masterpiece.
Dark souls 3 is a masterpiece.
And Eldenring is a masterpiece.
From Software is such an incredible studio. Without any bullshit micropayment.

[MegatronDidNothingWrong]

Most AAA games: *have no souls*
From Software: *puts soul in the title*

[Lexyboogie]

The real reason companies like FromSoftware maintain their soul is because they have managed to stay private instead of being publicly traded. It would be the biggest red flag for me if FromSoftware went public all of a sudden, because then nothing would matter for them except maximizing as much profit for shareholders as they can. The stock market is the cancer of the entertainment industry.

[mirayoquese]

The funniest thing is that, if you're already a Souls fan, you can clearly see Elden Ring reusing a lot of aspects of the same dark souls formula, that honestly starts to get old. But it still looks far more original and anti-formula than all the other big games that are released today, because of how bad that AAA formula has become. Quite the irony that the most overformulaic souls game is still far more original than the vast majority of videogames made today.

[mrcookie]

It's very weird because none of my coworkers even tried Elden Ring yet they all bashed the game. I don't try to talk about video games with them anymore, they have no clue of what they're missing

[starterblue]

My 1st Elden Ring playthrough is my best gaming experience so far. I felt like a kid again where I feel totally immersed inside the game. Exploring the lands between for the first time is magical. Still remember how terrified I was when I stumble into Caelid but excited at the same time to see what the area offers. What a game. I am so hyped for the dlc.

[RandomNorwegianGuy.]

I think the reason many game developers are angry at FromSoft and Elden Ring is because: FromSoft are pro consumer. There are no lootboxes and other content you have to pay for, after you have already paid full price for the game. It's the same as if Disney charged full price, while STILL putting out tons of ads. Which should be illegal

[jacktheripper]

Elden Ring actually gave me the feeling that i felt playing games as a kid, it felt genuine and like it actually wanted me to have fun
and i did, 5 times in fact, and im only not playing it cuz of how addictive it can be

[thenecromancer]

The moment a company is no longer private, it's time to jump ship.

[aunixy]

If someone says elden ring doesn’t deserve GOTY then they clearly couldn’t get past the fucking tree sentinel🤣💀

[captaincrunch]

I cracked a joke when my friend died in elden ring and lost all of his runes pretty early on, and I said “would you like to purchase 5, 000 runes for $3.99?” and we started dying laughing

[WandererOfWorlds]

For me, Elden Ring is a Gothic game for the modern era. Organic exploration, unique locations, no handholding, fixed scaling and very satisfying progression. In essence it's an old game in a new skin but that was exactly what we needed in the current hellhole of "AAA" garbage.

[hannahrosa]

My favorite game was Child of Light, which was made by a small branch of Ubisoft named Ubisoft Montreal. This game was made as an indie game, passionately and was just gorgeous. (It was the game that gave me the spark to become a game designer) Sadly Ubisoft Montreal closed and the game was shadowed by Far Cry 3 on release.

[barban]

The souls formula is amazing, because at the end of the day it just a well made action game. All their changing is the pacing of the combat and the aesthetics, but just those small changes makes it feel like a completely new game.

[jerodwolf]

I am so fucking happy that FromSoftware is succeeding - one of the studios to keep looking to stick to solid fundamentals, while experimenting with new genres. Even if you don't like their style, they are at least coming out to say that their games aren't for everyone. I think pure art is one that isn't meant for everyone, but rather, being an expression of a person or group of people's ideas.

[slipperysteev]

I will NEVER forget my first steps into the world of Elden Ring as a first time souls player.
OMG, the overwhelming feeling of excitement, joy, fear, and awe.
I was getting killed by everything, A LOT…and loving every second of learning how to be a souls player.

[yamatohime]

Well, the entire game industry reminds me of how Nintendo tried new thing in their flagship games and new consoles. Some of them sunk, some of them raised but overall it allows it to push forward.