Daniel Dunham writes "There’s a question I often hear posed by many gamers and it goes something like this. ”Why is it that Mario games always seem to get a free pass, when it comes to sequels and rehashes. Yet game franchises like Assassins creed, God of War, Halo and the like, get criticized and sometimes even marked down for it?.” Well, I have a theory for why that seems to be the case, as much as this may seem to be a double standard, and I’m sure many will argue that it is, there is a fundamental difference between games like Mario and Assassins Creed."
'The economy is in shambles and these companies are still talking about sustaining growth instead of sustaining their business.'
They should just make games. That sounds crazy, I know, but, hear me out.
No need for dev-times to.take 3+ years. Just stick to formula. Not every game needs to be bigger & better than everything else. Not every game needs to be GaaS. Not every game needs to completely re-invent the wheel.
They KNOW how to make a cool Splinter Cell game; Interesting story, 8-10 levels, just go and make it. Give the people want they know, want and love. It doesn't need to be a shared online experience. It doesn't need to be an epic big open world. It doesn't need celebrity voice-acting. Just make a cool new SC game, and the fans will be happy and pick it up. Easy. Done. Next one.
Same for Prince of Persia, Watch-Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Trials, Rayman, Brothers in Arms, etc.
The State of the Game Industry reports US-based tariffs are impacting 38 percent of business leaders in the game industry, affecting financial decisions.
Revenue rose by only 0.2% year-on-year, while downloads increased by 4.6%
I don't mind studios pushing out sequels long as they also develop fresh stuff too
Sequelization is kind of a matter of appropriateness, if you ask me.
Some franchises are meant to be open for many sequels, spin-offs, and sub-series like Mario and its many niches, as the writer mentions.
Others are not so much and further installments end up feeling like an excuse once the intended run has ended or the novelty has been worn out with too little in the way of fresh ideas and concepts. This especially applies to games with significant storylines involved.