The rise of the ‘outsider AAA’ studio, from The Witcher to Crimson Desert

Outsider AAA studios from regions like Poland, South Korea and China are increasingly making large-budget games.

CD Projekt rose from a small Polish developer to a major studio after The Witcher 3 sold over 60 million copies.

Pearl Abyss and Game Science released high-profile titles—Crimson Desert and Black Myth: Wukong—that achieved strong player interest and sales.

Sony has supported some non-Western developers by publishing PlayStation 5 exclusives.

A wave of similarly ambitious studios and projects is emerging outside traditional Western and Japanese hubs.