When big-money studios declare themselves "AAA," it isn't necessarily a declaration of quality to gamers. Rather, it signals to investors that their product is safe, that it will have the broadest possible appeal, and will ultimately sell well upon release. Games so big that they require the kind of funding only the biggest companies can provide are open-world games, and it just so happens that these types of games are what the largest gaming companies have been interested in making over the last few years.