God of War Ragnarok Producer Urges AAA Teams to Make AA and Indie Games

Large studios typically concentrate on vast, expensive titles with protracted development cycles. However, Megan Morgan Junio, the former director of product development at Santa Monica Studio, argues that it’s time to rethink that model.

In an interview she suggested that major teams should allocate resources to smaller projects to foster sustainability, creativity, and diversity. A heavy focus on blockbusters produces significant revenue but also contributes to layoffs, canceled projects, and studio closures.

“There is an opportunity to adopt a long-term strategic perspective and deliberately shape both products and the industry’s identity.”

That doesn’t mean shelving flagship franchises like God of War or Call of Duty, but they should be complemented by nimbler, experimental titles. Junio points to Astro Bot (Sony) and Split Fiction (EA) as examples that show players care about more than just graphical fidelity or map size — they value craftsmanship, enjoyment, and original ideas.

Today, audiences are somewhat desensitized to technical spectacle, so large publishers should use their scale to support creative, risk-taking projects. Despite the industry’s turbulence, Junio remains optimistic:

“Those who make games will never accept a negative outcome. Creativity and innovation will always find an audience.”

Source: iXBT.games