While video games are more popular in the world than they have ever been, almost ever single blockbuster game that is out now is a sequel or a remake of an already existing franchise. Skyrim is the 5th game (not counting spin-offs) in the Elder Scrolls Series, GTA V is the 5th game in its series. XCOM is a remake of the popular franchise from the 90s, Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed almost always see a new release every year. Outside of a handful of successes, like Dragon Age, Dishonored, or the Souls series (all of which have sequels already), new IPs are as rare as being happy it’s a Monday. Analyze why this trend has come to be; is it economic, or is there more to it than just that?
Are we talking new IP's in regards to just AAA games, or new IP's in general? Because one of the biggest trends around is "Five Nights at Freddy's." And apparently that's not only getting a movie, but it was created just last year by a one-man indie developer, and it has four games to its name due to it's utter simplicity to design and code. There are also plenty of other Indie game IP's that are quite popular as well. Besides that, are you saying IP's as in, a title, a franchise, something apart from other IP's? Or are you saying IP's as in, something that is popular enough and is intended to breed sequels? Because by that second definition, all of the IP's you mention are getting more sequels, thus there's less room on the schedule for game developing companies to put effort into developing new IP's. So it's almost a Catch-22. You can't have a new IP if it can't guarantee longevity with sequels. And you can't stop making sequels to existing IP's because you have to ensure their longevity in order to keep the money flowing. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I like to think it is because it is easier to make money out of something that's previously establised so you don't have to waste time or money creating an IP when you're not confident that'll take off. Brand goes hand in hand with IPs, that's why Disney is raking in the dough
– McNook9 years ago
Money, obviously, but I'd like to see just how much money. It would be interesting to do some analysis of the sales figures of sequels/spinoffs vs. new stuff. Maybe work that into a piece? Or even sequels vs. spinoffs. I'd look at the final fantasy franchise for that one. – lmunson9 years ago