It isn't as black and white as all of that tho Ghz, at lest not imo.
Some highlights would be:
What if a sequels stagnets? It becomes past its peak, doesn't do much if anything to continue to evolve and grow. Examples poping into my mind are sports game. I would be thrilled with 20usd roster updates and small patches that fix glitches, etc instead of a full blown 60usd game with 50usd in DLC, every single year.
While it is true, in most cases, that every new IP has a long term goal of becoming a mega selling franchase full of sequels, it also needs to be noted that every franchise started as a new IP. And, at least imo, the influx of new IPs to the industry keeps the store shelves, and our game libaries, fresh.
Lack of new IP from a studio chases away talent. Once a studio becomes a slave to an IP in many cases the talent that developed that IP often leave. You can see this all around us. Torchlight was made by people that worked on Diablo and Diablo II. Bungie left Halo to do something different, I am sure they talked to MS about branching out, the answer was likly, no...more Halo. So they found was to leave. Cliffy left Unreal and Gears when he left Epic. Lots of examples. People as devs want to expand and grow, being locked into one or two franchises for the rest of their carrers doesn't allow for that.
I would strongly argee that sequels do NOT inovate more then new IP. I would concide that sequels refine a formula that drove sales of a the IP when it was new. But that doesn't always result in sucess. Example here would be Darksiders 2 is one of the titles that help break THQ. Minecraft vs CoD BLOPS2, Halo 4, Mario Bros WiiU, Mario Kart 7, Gears 3, and so on. Often smaller studios creating fresh new IPs almost always inovate far more then anything with an establish formula for sucsess.
The fact is the smaller games devs can afford to take more risks then a sutdio working for and asnwering to share holders. If I work for me, I can do what I want, if I work for you, its your money and you are the boss.
I would strongly argue that the indie scene is where the most inovative and freshest ips are found. And I am not just talking about XBLA, PSN, eShop, often times quality, fresh new IP can indeed be found there. But to really get to the heart of inovation sometimes you have to look at the Mobile and PC sides of "indie" devolpment. I think that fresh new inovation is why those markets have done so well in recent memory. they offer inexpensive experiences that gamers haven't played to death already.
"Proof of concept: There is not a single genre defining game which isn't part of a long standing franchise."
Again Minecraft. And in truth every single long standing franchise was once a new IP. Tetris sinlge handedly propeled Gameboy into a mega hit and handheld phenom. Spaceinvaders gave birth to the arcades. Pacman helped drive Atari2600 into more homes then any other game. Halo launched MS into the home console market. I mean you can look almost any where you want and see an example of what I am talking about.
Without new ips our industry would shrivel up and die, sales would begin to level off and then drop, pubs would begin to fall out of the industry, gamers would start looking beyond consoles for experiences. Games becomes less captivating. I know I tend to be doom and gloom. But look around. It is the current lack of new and inovative IPs and instead the reliance of franshice brands that is having the most impact on traditional Trip A console markets right now.
So in the end, I very much disagree with your pov Ghz. I would even go so far as to say without some serioursly impactful changes and shifts in biz the consoles will lose their dominance and importance in our little hobby. Franchises, while an important staple, can not be soley relied upon to sustain the industry. Because they can't do it. The top grossing franchise will continue to sell, while second and thrid teir IPs continue to fail. Evenetualy leaving a very small handfull of IPs, that I believe, people will tire of. What happens if CoD turns into Tony Hawk or Guitar Hero? The industry needs new IPs to sustain itself. Again, imo.
