... considering how many AAA developers are still out there, I'd hardly call it any sort of "fall." More than anything, it's reactionary, as we're getting more and more into the back-end of things, finding out more stuff we didn't know about back in the day.

And, really? Levine shutting down Irrational was... irrational. No matter how you look at it, that was a personal- if stupid- decision by him, so he could make more money. It's not indicative of some bigger problem, except the issue of developers- and publishers, even moreso- abandoning console/AAA development to chase the easy money of the mobile market.

In fact, that's the case with most of the big names that have left big-budget gaming behind. It may, though, have something to do with age, or time in the industry, too.

I feel like this is one of those things that's being forced into becoming an issue. Cuz, hell, big developers close their doors all the time; it's nothing new.

And aren't there more AAA studios than ever?

If "smaller projects" meant more focus on fun factor and less on "this looks so cool!!!" then I'd be all for it. I miss the PS2 days of having 50 games to choose from, all unique, but look similar.

Today its always "look how realistic and down to earth this title is" the industry has lost a lot of its creative ways.

However "smaller projects" often means casual mobile titles.... and if thats the future, I need a new hobby.

I think when people read the headlines, they think someone is trying to claim that hardcore gaming as we know it is dying. That may be true, but only in a certain sense.

Big AAA titles will not be going away in the near future, but it has become clear that there is only so much room for success in that type of business model. So the big dogs will continue to make their games, and we will buy them.

The change we are seeing now is that many industry veterans and new-comers alike are beginning to see that the chances of succeeding with new AAA IP are not what they once were. Bloated budgets and increased pressure from investors and gamers alike are making AAA production harder and harder. This type of development is no longer as attractive as it once was. On top of that, they also seem to be pushing back against the executives and share holders. With self-publishing finally available on most major platforms, these guys would rather take their chances crating new, imaginative, fresh and risky games, aimed squarely at true gamers.

While mobile is here to stay, we still have some real heavy-hitters working on "hardcore" games. We as gamers should be both grateful and supportive over this. Maybe now these devs will be able to fully realize their full potential, and exciting new content will be the norm rather than the exception.

Well you can't keep taking 5 years and 200 million to make a game that may not sell well. It's a big risk and it's gotten way out of control. Greed, laziness and lack of inspiration take their toll. "Corporate gaming" is not going to work forever.