Brace Yourselves For The Next AAAA Game

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The big-budget gaming industry has faced a lot of negativity recently, with many layoffs and increasing production costs causing concern for developers. It’s been a struggle to justify the long and expensive process of creating major game releases. Despite these challenges, some studios are still considering even larger scale games, and the team behind the recent Deus Ex titles might be the next to attempt one.

The definition of ‘indie game’ is often unclear. Many independently created games actually look and feel as polished as bigger, more mainstream titles—like Baldur’s Gate 3, for example. While budget is usually the deciding factor, even that isn’t always a clear distinction, as development costs aren’t always public. The term ‘AAAA’ game is even more vague, but developers still use it anyway.

Eidos-Montreal Is Working On An Unannounced AAAA Game

A former developer from Eidos-Montreal has hinted at the gaming industry’s push for even more ambitious projects. Hard surface artist Derian McCrea’s LinkedIn profile shows he briefly worked on a confidential “AAAA Game Project” (first noted by Timur222 on Bluesky), suggesting a trend towards larger-scale games.

Eidos-Montréal is working on an Unannounced AAAA game — Timur222 (@timur222.bsky.social) 2026-01-14T03:04:08.667Z

It’s important to remember that this information comes from LinkedIn, which isn’t always reliable. It could simply be a mistake, and since the project hasn’t been officially announced, it doesn’t have a confirmed name yet. It’s possible this is just an internal goal or a target for the quality the team is aiming for.

It’s been a while since Eidos-Montreal released a major game, and fans are eager to see what they’re working on next. A new Deus Ex title appears to be off the table. Their last big project as lead developer was 2021’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which didn’t get the recognition it deserved. More recently, they’ve assisted with Grounded 2 (currently in early access) and Fable, slated for release in 2026. However, the studio’s previous efforts to create exceptionally ambitious games haven’t been hugely successful.

The Last AAAA Game Was A Dumpster Fire

Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones is often cited as the prime example of a so-called ‘AAAA’ game that struggled from the start. Development on the pirate game was incredibly difficult, spanning over ten years and initially conceived as an add-on to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. It likely would have been cancelled without financial support from the Singaporean government, but even the promise of a high-budget experience couldn’t save it from poor reviews.

Surprisingly, some other games labeled “AAAA” have faced even bigger problems. Ubisoft used the term for Beyond Good and Evil 2, which has been stuck in development even longer than Skull and Bones – it was first announced way back in 2008. The Perfect Dark reboot was also once considered an AAAA title, but it was ultimately canceled after seven years of work, and the development team, The Initiative, was closed down.

Calling a game “AAAA” is a bold statement, suggesting a level of ambition and quality beyond anything currently available. However, given past examples, it’s easy to see why the term isn’t respected. Even the studio behind the game hasn’t officially labeled it as AAAA, and with the recent cancellation of Deus Ex, it’s going to take something truly exceptional for “AAAA” to be taken seriously and not just seen as a joke.

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2026-01-14 21:01