Are AA games making a comeback, or am I imagining it?
Lately it feels like more games are sitting in that space between indie and AAA—projects that are clearly ambitious, but don’t have the same pressure to be massive, polished blockbusters.
Games like Crimson Desert or Pragmata seem to have a different kind of design philosophy compared to most AAA releases. They feel more focused, a bit rougher around the edges, but also more willing to take risks.
It made me wonder if this “AA space” is actually coming back, or if it never really went away and we’re just noticing it more now.
I wrote a short piece exploring this idea in more detail if anyone’s interested: https://open.substack.com/pub/oscarhanson1/p/why-2026-feels-like-the-year-of-the?r=7udsu4&utm\_campaign=post&utm\_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
But I’m more curious what other people think—does it feel like AA games are becoming more common again?