Kevin Johnson

Kevin is the Director of Development at Double Fine Productions. Previously he was a Producer for over 16 years at several studios including EA and Telltale Games. He also spent a few years doing contract design and programming for mobile titles.

Is AA the Future?

We've all heard that "AAA is dead". If that's the case, then how does the industry survive? There's a push towards funding indies, but can that support an industry of hundreds of thousands of people? Whether or not AAA is dead, it's clear that those games aren't going to secure the jobs of the people that work on them. So what can we do? There was a time when smaller teams making solidly good games meant that they could make the next solidly good game. Now the industry is chasing the next Call of Duty, Final Fantasy 14, or Destiny. Or on the other end, the next Balatro or Schedule I. Is that really the future of the industry?

There's also the quote "I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less". Is that the vocal minority or an unheard cry from an unaddressed market? 

In this talk, Kevin proposes that we get back to "AA" games and discuss the role of AA games in the modern landscape. He will define what "AA" means to how those games can bolster the future of the industry.