AAA games reportedly need to sell over 10 million copies in order for them to be considered profitable by major publishers.
According to Jeff Grubb, who is known for his sources in the games industry, big publishers have deemed AAA games to be profitable only if they manage to sell over 10 million units.
Grubb took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the current state of AAA games. Based on his sources, he is of the impression that licensed games are considered the biggest ingredient for success these days, and that this is what we should be expecting from major publishers for the next 5 years.
He further elaborated by saying that he’s been flat out told that big games need to get to as close to 10 million units sold as possible, and that this is easier to do with a license. However, Grubb didn’t appear to agree with this notion, as, to him, it is merely yet another check mark in the “this is all unsustainable” column.
One AAA game that did in fact cross the 10 million unit milestone is God of War Ragnarok. Santa Monica Studio revealed on Twitter that the game has officially sold through 11 million copies to date, making it the fastest selling PlayStation first-party title ever.
God of War Ragnarok was released for the PS4 and PS5 in November, 2022. The game is set in ancient Scandinavia, featuring Kratos and his adolescent son Atreus as the protagonists, and is loosely based on Norse mythology. Three years after the events of the last game, Fimbulwinter, a tremendous winter spanning three summers, is coming to an end, signalling the start of the foretold Ragnarök.
Kratos and his son Atreus go on a journey through the nine realms in search of a way to halt Ragnarök while also hoping to find the truth about Atreus’ true nature as Loki. Their adventure will take them to Tyr, the Norse God of War, who was thought to be dead. Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, and Freya, an ally-turned-enemy who seeks vengeance for the murder of her son Baldur, will be at odds with them.
