Tag Archives: sequels

Nielsen’s latest research has found that the most anticipated sequels in the US for 2012 are mostly comprised of sequels and entries continuing current franchises on the market.

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Jade Raymond, producer of the original Assassin’s Creed and managing director of Ubisoft Toronto, has said existing IPs provide good platforms for testing new gameplay innovations, while new franchises is “a really tough task”.

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Bet you didn’t see this coming – Microsoft is to make more Fable, more Halo, more Forza and more Gears of War.

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IBIS Capital director Tim Merel has said that firms concentrating on AAA franchises may being doing so for the financial bottom line, but lack of innovation with sequels can actually damage the business.

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Nine out of the ten biggest-selling games of the past 12 months are sequels, according to this Seeking Alpha piece.

Not exactly a shock, and it’s a trend unlikely to go changing any time soon, with the likes of Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War busting the block this Holiday. Good spread of genres, though.

From the piece:

Here’s a quick look at the games that have sold the most copies over the past 12 months, in order of sales to date. (Note that the sales figures are approximate, and that the release date is the first date the game was released globally.)

1. Call of Duty 4 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC (10 million copies sold-Released November 6, 2007)-Activision, now Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI)

2. Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 (8 million copies sold -Released September 25, 2007)-Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

3. Grand Theft Auto 4 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC (6.5 million copies sold -Released April 29, 2008)-Take Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO)

4. Mario Kart Wii for the Wii (6.5 million copies sold -Released April 10, 2008)-Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY.PK)

5. Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii (6 million copies sold -Released November 1, 2007)-Nintendo

6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii (5 million copies sold -Released January 31, 2008)-Nintendo

7. Wii Fit for the Wii (5 million copies sold -Release December 1, 2007 (in Japan, later elsewhere)-Nintendo

8. Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PlayStation 3 (3 million copies sold -Released June 12, 2008)-Konami Corp. (KNM)

During yesterday’s EA earnings conference call – following the release of Q2 financials – CEO John Riccitiello revealed that, thus far, Mercenaries 2 has moved 1.9 million copies — meaning that the highly explosive, Mohawk-sporting take on the GTA formula probably won’t be coming to a halt any time soon.

Riccitiello felt the newly christened word “sequelable” could be slapped on the Mercenaries franchise, so Mercenaries 3 is virtually confirmed. Oh, and Mercenaries 10, as well, apparently. Yes, he actually said that.

EA’s making fire and explosions predictable – mundane, even. Please Lord, just end it all now.

Thanks, Kotaku.

By Nathan Grayson

Ted Price, Insomniac President and CEO of Insomniac Games, has told Reuters that one of the advantages of sequels is that it allows developers to hit the ground running.

“Developers can hit the ground running with sequels,” said Ted. “The game’s story and art style have a solid base, the tech and tools are stable and the basic gameplay mechanics have gone through plenty of tuning in the first game.”

“It’s certainly a liberating experience when you’re no longer arguing over the main character’s name, or waiting for basic systems to be implemented,” he explained.

“The end result is usually a game that’s bigger, more polished and has more innovative features than the original game.”

Loads more through the link.

By Mike Bowden