Former God of War Director Gives a Warning to Major…

Former God of War studio head Meghan Morgan Juinio has warned major publishers not to focus solely on big-budget AAA games. As the gaming industry has grown, so too has the scope of games themselves, but big players in the space have also struggled with disappointing sales and financial difficulties. Now the former God of War director has offered some insight into how companies might avoid the worst consequences of these trends.

Kratos wielding the Blades of Chaos against an enemy - God Of War Ragnarok

God of War itself stands out as a massively successful AAA franchise. The current-gen revamp that kicked off in 2018 was a smash hit, and now there are signs that a new God of War is in development, possibly either a mainline game set in Egypt or a spin-off that may dive into another genre. While the details are still a mystery, hype is high for the franchise, but one of its former leaders has suggested that the industry may need to move away from such big AAA releases, at least a little.

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By Viraaj Bhatnagar

Former Santa Monica Studio Head Says Big Publishers Should 'Look to Diversify into Double-A and Single-A'

In a conversation with Game Developer, Juinio, who served as Santa Monica Studio's Co-Head and Director of Product Development until June 2025, said major game publishers have become too focused on AAA titles after the pandemic. Juinio expressed belief in "the power of creativity and innovation" in gaming, saying that looking beyond big-budget projects to explore lower-investment but more experimental games could yield the kinds of results studios want. It's easy to see where that line of belief comes from, as in the past year, Split Fiction sold more than four million copies in mere months while EA's major titles like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Sports FC 2025 fell short of expectations.

Zoe and Mio with dragons in Split Fiction

At the same time, Juinio did not write of AAA games entirely, highlighting a "potentially really large" payoff when an expensive title with a long dev cycle does perform well. However, she stressed that pouring more resources into these kinds of games without diversifying into other, perhaps more creative, projects may not help break the cycle of layoffs, closures, and cancellations sweeping the industry. Despite some massive recent launches, times have not been kind to the gaming sector, with Microsoft laying off thousands of employees in 2025 and many developers seeing their doors shut and projects canned.

For now, it does not seem like AAA games are going anywhere or getting any smaller. There are many upcoming games with budgets in the hundreds of millions, with GTA 6 rumored to have a $1 billion budget, so it will be interesting to see how these play out and affect the industry. Of course, there are still indie success stories to be seen, too, as evidenced by Hollow Knight: Silksong. The future is uncertain, but at least some industry vets think gaming needs to diversify to thrive.

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