Alex Hutchinson, former director of franchises such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, argues that titanic budgets no longer allow everything to be remade from scratch, and that reusing resources more efficiently has become a matter of pure survival. As a direct example, he mentioned Far Cry Primal, a title that was criticized for reusing the Far Cry 4 map and which, for many, turned a defensible idea into an image crisis.
Hutchinson also recalls that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag reused nearly 80% of the elements from Assassin’s Creed III, a situation that proves recycling has always been part of AAA development. The difference is that many Western studios previously hid this practice out of fear of appearing lazy, but today it is increasingly seen as a smart decision.
The Example of Dark Souls and Like a Dragon
In line with his statements, Hutchinson asserts that some Japanese studios have made this practice the foundation of their work. He pointed out that FromSoftware and Ryu Ga Gotoku are two perfect examples, as these studios have turned returning to locations, systems, and animations into part of their identity.
In this scenario, the economic context is genuinely pressing: some studios are trying to keep their superproductions below 350 million euros while also containing staff expansion. This, combined with an ever-longer development cycle with releases taking between five and seven years to see the light of day, leaves little room to redo work, so these kinds of practices should become more widespread among Western studios.
According to the GDC 2026 report, two out of three professionals at AAA studios confirm that their company has experienced layoffs in the past twelve months. In that situation, reusing engines, animations, sounds, or tools doesn’t sound like a creative cutback, but rather like freeing up time for ideas that actually make a difference. The underlying news is precisely this: AAA has to accept that rebuilding everything from scratch is no longer a matter of prestige, but a luxury that can come at a very high cost.
Source: 3djuegos
