The opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of MyGaming
There are certain games that are guaranteed success, at least in this modern age we live in. They build on the success of earlier titles in their franchise, and piggy-back off the fame and brand recognition that customers have with the franchise title. The actual gameplay, graphics, storyline, and everything that would normally make up a good game, is rendered unimportant, as the fanboy factor guarantees sales, assuming enough effort, time and money is put into marketing the game.
If we look at some examples, the first to come to my mind is Halo. The first game was a smash hit, selling millions for the original Xbox, and sure enough, a sequel was produced, which also went on to become a huge hit. From there, the franchise grew a life of its own, and even if each subsequent game had been a totall pile of trash, it would still have sold millions of copies, just from the expectations of the experienced Halo players.
The game has become somewhat of a legend, and the upcoming Halo: Reach will surely also sell millions of copies and become a cult favourite. I can quite accurately make this prediction, based entirely on the franchise’s past successes. Another fine example of this phenomenon is the Call of Duty franchise, where every game bearing the Call of Duty branding is virtually guaranteed to become a chart-topping bestseller.
In the case of Nintendo, anything they touch seems to turn into piles of money. Recently, at E3, a whole slew of games were announced, including a new entry into Nintendo franchise staple The Legend of Zelda. This follows on the heels of the recently released Super Mario Galaxy 2, another instalment in the long line of Mario games. While not strictly sequels, they bear the franchise name, and thus are virtually guaranteed to make Nintendo some mad bank.
Now, I’m not necessarily saying that this almost blind devotion to a gaming franchise is a bad thing. If gamers choose to support lesser known independent studios or smaller game development companies, then that can be a good thing. I, for example, eagerly keep an eye peeled for any new releases by Creat studios, as I have had nothing but good experiences from all their titles which I have downloaded. Wakeboarding HD, for example, was a day-one purchase for me, simply based on a preview article I had read and the strength of a previous Creat game: Mushroom Wars.
Obviously, if the genre does not appeal to you, you will have no interest in closely following a franchise. For example, if you hate shooters, then you won’t care about any Hale: Reach or Call of Duty: Black Ops news. In the same vein, if you have an objection to plastic musical instruments, you won’t give a damn about any Rock Band or Hero game, regardless of the massive copies that will shift when the latest title is released. Fans of the genre, however, will be anxiously awaiting the next title, eager to enjoy a selection of new music.
As long as marketers do their job well, the hype surrounding sequels to will continue to grow to a fever pitch. Subsequently, this will ensure strong sales, which will in-turn prompt the developers to begin work on a new sequel. And so the cycle will repeat, until eventually, we will be faced with a situation where the public refuses to keep buying what is essentially the same game, and new intellectual properties will need to be brought in to liven the gaming market up. Until then, be prepared for endless iterations of Call of Duty, Halo, Guitar Hero, Metroid, Mario, Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Need for Speed titles.
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