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