The Indie Game Magazine December 2015 | Issue 56 | Page 6

EDITORIAL Saving the Gaming Industry by Solving Sequel-itis T his month wraps up an unexpected editorial trilogy of sorts. What began as a single idea for developing a commentary about the state of the industry, and how AAA and indies alike must work together to build a sustainable middle ground, has turned into a more focused breakdown of the points where game development is failing, and how I think we can fix it. Last month, I alluded to the idea that sequel-itis is plaguing the AAA scene, and is causing serious problems when it comes to both overspending, and under-producing. This month, I want to talk about a new approach to franchise IPs that I think would prove to be a financial benefit to both developers and consumers. How can there be an approach that both saves consumers money and provides developers/ publishers with an influx of cash? Well, since the AAA industry is already prioritizing a business model of developing at least one major, renewable franchise per studio (i.e. games that can be serialized or released annually such as Call of Duty, Madden, Assassin’s Creed, etc.) that can generate enough funds to support smaller, riskier endeavors, I suggest reevaluating how we handle and release these properties, and our expectations of consumers. In regards to release schedules, the first thing I suggest is for AAA studios to stop releasing “full” sequels to popular games every year. Aside from running the risk of player burnout, and having consumers get tired of the relatively same experience over and over again (because let’s be honest, it takes years for a franchise to gradually reinvent its mechanics; no annually released game has ever felt fresh year-to-year.), releasing a blockbuster title every year is simply not feasible for most teams. Even for studios large enough to have multiple splinter teams, the amount of bureaucracy required to get anything done can slow development to a crawl. The end results are often rushed, unpolished experiences that tarnish an otherwise promising franchise. Here’s an example of why annual releases don’t work: I can guarantee you the next Assassin’s Creed game is going to suck. It’s going to be a bad, undercooked, unpolished experience. Guaranteed. You know how I know? Because that’s the Assassin’s Creed trend. The first Assassin’s Creed is not a good game. It’s a grea Ё