More Sequels


I complained about mainstream press coverage of our business. I complained about publishers banking on sequels. Now it is time to bitch about gaming press and their obsession with sequels. You could say they have to because there is nothing else coming out. Thankfully, this is not the case.

I was on my way home from presenting an original IP to a slew of publishers. Some talked about the problems of launching a new IP, but all are interested in following up. As I entered the airport I started to think it may not be as bad as I thought. Maybe the industry was looking for new IP after all. Then I got to the newsstand. I picked up the latest issue of Gamepro. The cover featured all of the great games for "08, every title was followed by a number. Rainbow Six 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Gears of War 2, Bioshock 2, GTA IV, GT 5, God of War 3, Resistance 2 and probably a few others. I bought the magazine, something no one outside the business or not already inclined to buy a game would do, and checked to see how piss poor the state of the industry must be to merit a cover full of sequels.

Inside were some new screenshots from The Bourne Conspiracy - which the magazine actually said was good, Patapon, which the magazine drooled all over as something they could not put down and introduced a completely novel game play and a few other new franchises they were pretty excited about. None were strong enough to earn a cover. On the other hand, I found statements full of nothing about God of War 3, Gears of War 2, Bioshock 2, Resistance 2, Lost Planet 2 and just about every other title featured on the cover. There was nothing new, but they all earned a cover.

If our own media does not respect us enough to support new properties, how will anyone else? Gamepro guys, don't you want to see something new? There is a lot of great new stuff out there. Some are even squeezed into the sidebars of some of your pages. How about showing a little more love? You may just find the love you get is equal to the love you give.




Comments

Joel said…
I think a decent amount of the blame needs to go to the consumers. Sure, our desires are in part fueled by the enthusiast media, as you are pointing out, but consumers need to buy original IP. I think EA Sports and Guitar Hero are examples of games that would benefit greatly from increased DLC, so they are more like platforms which can be updated with new engines every few years, and use the DLC to fill the gaps with new rosters and tracklists. The problem is that I'm sure that isn't as profitable, but it goes a long way to cutting Gamestop out of the equation.
March 17, 2008 at 5:27 AM
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