Bruce Strehly, former creative director of The Last of Us, has apologized to the Santa Monica Studio team after calling modern AAA games "boring." A commentary article on the French gaming website jeuxvideo still agrees with his criticism, arguing that big-budget productions are causing gameplay in major titles to become increasingly similar.
Strehly previously worked on The Last of Us and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. In an interview with Edge, he commented on modern AAA games, sparking discussion after remarks about the yet-to-be-released God of War: Laufey. He later apologized to the Santa Monica Studio team on social media.
The commentary argues that rising development budgets make it harder for major publishers to take risks on gameplay innovation. Citing the development cost of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as an example, the author criticizes some AAA titles for repeatedly using skill trees, map markers, and puzzle hints given too early; in his view, these designs diminish the sense of exploration. He lists The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring as rare exceptions.
The author therefore favors indie games and mid-scale productions. He believes these teams can experiment with more challenging mechanics and personal themes, while keeping games relatively compact. However, he mentions that he is currently playing Meow Gene, which exceeds 100 hours, acknowledging that indie games can also be lengthy.
The article concludes by citing Sandfall Interactive's Light and Shadow: Expedition 33 to illustrate his point. The author states that this game, developed by a team of around 30 people with a budget under $10 million, sold over 5 million copies and won Game of the Year at The Game Awards. He believes its success proves that mid-sized teams can also create widely acclaimed works.