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.
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.
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...
