Back then AAA meant the game had budget, scale, graphics, polish… Nowadays all of these qualities are present in AA devs, and plenty of indies as well.

I feel like the only real differences the AAA has is 1) very detailed and realistic graphics (which does not equal good looking or good art direction, mind you), and 2) a lot of overhead management and investors. These investors are all looking to make returns on investment, which is probably why they so strongly discourage taking risks by deviating from the pre established formula, and strongly encourage absurd monetization practices.

Not to say there’s no good AAA games nowadays, Fromsoft is amazing with their souls borne series, and Zelda is pretty solidly designed imo.

Yeah, I think most people in general are fine with Nintendo exclusives, since it’s nearly the only console maker on the market that doesn’t ship out what is essentially just an optimized pc. Especially since the Nintendo emulation scene is so incredibly thriving, games being exclusives there is generally only true on paper.

With that said: Fromsoft I am begging you release Bloodborne on PC I need my 60+ fps no motion blur game that is wetter than a crushed tomato and edgier than London’s knife bins’ contents. I want to replay it but I don’t have the magic box anymore goddamnit…

Seconded, but do also strongly consider pirating it. The original devs have have been fired from their studio. Essentially Kombus and Haavel took out company funds and bought majority share of the company with it, then fired the original devs. Honestly it’s kind of fitting if you enjoy the game in a non-consumerist manner.