4 articlesMeghan Morgan Juinio, who was the former director of product development for Santa Monica Studio, the ones behind the God of War games, thinks that major publishers should also branch out into smaller, low-budget projects.
In an interview with Game Developer at Gamescom Asia, Morgan Juinio mentioned that exploring lower investment but more experimental games might just give studios the results they’re looking for.
Her beliefs stem from the fact that titles like Split Fiction, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Hollow Knight: Silksong have been raking in millions of sales.
Meanwhile, major titles like EA Sports FC 25 and Dragon Age: Veilguard failed to make it big.
God of War Ragnarok: Nornir Rune Chest Puzzle Guide | Valhalla DLCDec 17, 2023
God of War Ragnarok: How To Get Berserker Armour Full Guide | Valhalla DLCDec 17, 2023
God of War Ragnarok: How To Get Kratos Younger Version Appearance Full Guide | Valhalla DLCDec 17, 2023
With how a lot of recent releases coming from smaller studios are doing, Morgan Juinio believes that players tend to lean toward titles that don’t involve massive production cycles.
At the same time, she believes that players prefer such titles over their pricey counterparts due to the innovations they bring to the industry.
“I believe we have to make great video games,” Morgan Juinio stated. “If a game isn’t fun, it doesn’t matter how pretty it is. If a game isn’t engaging or delivering some hook, then it’s not going to connect with players.” she added.
As such, she warns major publishers that if they want to avoid the recurring layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations, then they have to diversify.
There’s Still a Potential for a Really Large Payoff for AAA Games
Despite all that, Morgan Juinio didn’t totally dismiss the entirety of AAA games. According to her, there’s still a “potentially really large” payoff when a major title performs well.
But then again, if studios pour most of their resources into those games without diversifying into the more creative ones, then they’d never break through the same issues plaguing the industry right now.
For example, 2025 alone saw the rising number of layoffs across several gaming studios.
One notable example is Microsoft laying off thousands of employees. Then there’s also Funcom who laid off an undisclosed number of employees despite Dune: Awakening’s successful launch.
And we’re not even talking about the long list of canceled AAA games from major studios.
Of course, AAA games aren’t going anywhere. This is evident with the success of Battlefield 6 and Ghost of Yotei. However, the future of the gaming industry is uncertain, which is why some analysts believe diversifying is one thing that major studios and publishers should consider.
“The very nature of who we are, as developers and creators, won’t allow it to stay doom and gloom. They won’t accept that state of the world,” says Morgan Juinio. ” I inherently believe in the power of creativity and innovation in our industry. And I believe that even if the powers that be structurally change or completely get upended, there is still a demand out there for great games.” she added.
Despite developers losing their jobs, games becoming more expensive, and shareholders not happy with their sales, Morgan Juinio is hopeful that the gaming industry will manage.
As long as creativity and innovation exist, the demand for great games will always be out there.
