We've all heard it before and thought about it ourselves. When a franchise is driven into the ground with numerous sequels, we talk about the lack of originality and creativity, but we're also the ones first in line to purchase the next Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Legend of Zelda, or Super Mario Bros. With this in mind, why should any developer with a hot IP on their hands risk anything on a new title? With Fable 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metriod Prime 3: Corruption, Halo 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4, and numerous other sequels due out soon, are sequels choking out original titles? When do we have too many sequels?
D'Marcus Beatty, Co-Site Director
Sequels are an unavoidable facet of video games, movies, books, and most forms of entertainment. When someone is entertained, they usually look for a similar experience to entertain them the same way. When a relationship is established with existing characters, it's easy for someone to seek to follow that character throughout multiple adventures or scenarios. However, it is also too easy for developers, authors, producers, etc. to become too complacent when churning out sequels by expecting a loyal audience to support their ventures. Consider the thousands of Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Madden games, each with only a slight improvement (if any) over the previous version.
A sequel is a difficult pitch because it has to be a fresh experience that, ironically, is also trying to recreate a previous experience. Very few games are able to pull this off. More often than not, games with endless sequels run the series into the ground, making each new iteration a shadow of the former games…unless the first few games were bad to begin with, of course.
The sequel decision is a difficult one. Most developers and producers are simply worried about figures and will create a sequel if there is a good chance of it selling. However, when considering making a sequel, the developers should ask if they can genuinely make a good game that builds off of the foundation the first (or previous) game(s) made. Is there anything fresh we can bring to the table? Is there something we wanted to try but couldn't that we could put in the sequel? Do we have some unanswered questions to resolve (if there is an interesting story to begin with)? If they sincerely think they can give us a good game, a sequel isn't a problem. But a sequel for the sake of having a sequel is a no-no. No more Megamans please until we get a next-gen update!
Maria Montoro, Co-Site Director
Video game sequels have become necessary for game developers. Because of the ever-increasing cost of developing video games, companies can't afford to take a risk with every game they give birth. Developing video games for Xbox 360 and PS3 has become especially expensive, and some companies are having budget difficulties that they need to overcome with methods like creating cheaper, downloadable games with less overhead costs and developing sequels for those games that truly guarantee good revenue.
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