We love a good sequel. After all, where would we be without the likes of Battlefield 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , or Mass Effect 3 (due for release in just a few months)?
However, the gaming industry needs new intellectual property. We need new worlds, characters and themes, because without them we’re treading water, and that’s no good. We need new places to visit, and new ways to engage with them, and to a large degree, this requires a constant influx of new IP.
This year pickings were a little slim, but here are the six most promising new IPs to come out of 2011. Not all of them were instant hits with critics, but they all had something special that we feel warrants additional franchise investment.
Minecraft
This one kind of goes without saying. Not only is Minecraft a fresh IP, but it has also been remarkably well received and sold over 4 million copies to boot. Minecraft without a doubt deserves to be developed as a franchise, and by the looks of things it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Minecraft
LA Noire
Despite some critical imperfections, LA Noire delivered a unique world and some interesting gameplay mechanics. The technology used to render characters’ facial animations was incredible, and we would love to see Rockstar invest in the franchise going forward.
LA Noire
Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm was one of our favourite games of 2011. Had it been a little longer or had a more compelling multiplayer component it would have been one of the better games of 2011. Its unique tone combined with a brazen approach to game design made Bulletstorm one of the most memorable games of 2011, and we would love to see People Can Fly develop the franchise further.
Bulletstorm
Homefront
Homefront was supposed to be THQ’s answer to Call of Duty and Battlefield. It wasn’t. But it did manage to provide the basis for what could be a formidable player in the shooter space. The single player campaign was particularly well received, and the multiplayer component was ruined only by various teething issues which could probably be ironed out quite easily with additional investment and development.
Homefront
Rage
Although Rage was ultimately a bit of a disappointment, there were moments where it shined. Despite its flaws, it managed to earn a Metacritic score of 81/100 on console and 79/100 on PC. If id Software takes critical feedback into account and goes back to the drawing board, we could see additional games in the series fulfil the first game’s potential.
Rage
Dead Island
Seriously, an open-world zombie infested tropical paradise sounds pretty much like one of the coolest ideas for a game ever. Despite that, the game failed to live up to the hype it enjoyed prior to release. While it received a relatively positive response, it failed to really capitalise on the awesome underlying concept. We would love to see Techland take Dead Island back to the drawing board for a second attempt at what could be one of gaming’s coolest franchises.
Dead Island
