Ben-DutkaSequels, spin-offs and follow-ups are often lucrative in this industry. Just ask Activision, EA, and most other big publishers.
But some game producers are willing to take more of a risk; they believe that in order to make their mark, they must pursue all-new IPs. And this is the current focus at THQ; executive vice president Danny Bilson has stated in a recent GameZone interview (as cited at GamerZines ) that he wants to "build great, original, innovative experiences that are among the best in the industry." That's quite the ambitious and admirable goal, isn't it? Added Bilson:
"That's what this mission is all about. With that high quality and that kind of innovation will come revenue and the ability to make more, and make cooler stuff.
In great success you can take more risks creatively and get back to your first question of more bold, innovative games. Although I think we've got some in the pipeline that are pretty bold and innovative, they are commercial also."
For instance, one can look at THQ's Homefront , a promising new IP set to release in March. Bilson has high hopes for this one, as he "absolutely expects" that it'll outsell their currently established franchises, like WWE and UFC. Let's not forget that THQ publishes Tim Schafer/Double Fine's stuff, and they also have Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third and the new game from film director Guillermo del Toro, inSane .
Of course, they're not about to abandon those aforementioned franchises; they're currently hard at work on the third Saints Row , and more Red Faction games are coming, too. Oh, and that Darksiders sequel. But in the end, we like to see a publisher that strives to be diverse.
That's good to see. While I can't wait to see Uncharted 3 or Killzone 3, I'm always game to try something new. It's good to have fresh, new ideas and let them loose. If we don't, we'll just have the next Call of Duty running around or the next Sports games. Sequels keep the industry chugging, but new IPs keep it fresh.
About time!
I haven't bought a THQ game since their wrestling days.
THQ, start making some good new IPs. And please no war + guns, ok, thank you.
THQ has never made a single game that I have enjoyed. They are kind of generic when it comes to game developers. They're like the Big Lots of game publishers.
And how is Homefront "original"? It's another military FPS set in the US. MW2 already did that.
I think they plan to add a story (Blasphemy to MW) with, like, emotional stuff.
The attempted emotional attachment. I was really excited when I first heard about it. How you weren't playing as a soldier, but a regular civilian, and I expected that to be represented in the gameplay. Like a wavering crosshair, slower, more deliberate action. Control being wrenched away when you kill someone. No such luck.
It's all about making you see the atrocities of war in your neighbourhood, and that's a decent enough goal, just not as impressive as overhauling FPS controls.
Peace.
Homefront is a new IP and it is going to be nothing like COD's Modern Warfares' and be a lot better. It's original, How many other shooters have you defending your country and do all that homefront will bring. online is looking good, unlike COD, it's been the same since COD4.
MW2 had Russians attack the "homefront" with US soldiers defending our neighborhoods. Doesn't sound much different to me.
THQ's track record for mediocre to terrible games gives me the feeling this won't be as glorious as THQ would like people to believe.
I tend to agree, THQ has yet to truly Bring It this gen.
Yeah THQ is kind of vanilla, sorta beige, really tepid. The only thing in that mess that interests me is Devil's Third.
And what's up with Guillermo (that name is fun to say, Gee-air-mo) taking the inFamous trademarked capital letter inside the title?
Well, props to 'em. Let's see if their originality can match Heavy Rain. No, that's not fair. I'll settle for Demon's Souls. Hey, at least they're aiming to create something new rather than constant sequels. BUT does anyone get the feeling that this may be tied into their acquisition of the rights of all of those 80s cartoons not too long ago?
Peace.
You think Heavy Rain is the height of originality when it plays much like it's spiritual predecessor, Indigo Prophecy? That's interesting…
As for the topic, THQ has put out some great stuff amid some off licensed games. Saint's Row1 and 2. Darksiders. UFC 2010. Red Faction: Guerilla is truly fantastic, but judging by the posts on this page, I can see why sometimes great games do not fare well in regards to sales. Disheartening, to say the least. Anyway, I'm glad that in an era when sequels rule (this year's PS3 lineup?), they are willing to put themselves out there for originality.
Last edited by PorkChopGamer on 1/17/2011 2:13:41 PM
Darksiders was a huge letdown.
Remember when people were saying Darksiders would be a "Zelda Killer"? Hahaha!
Game was nothing like Zelda. I don't know why people keep saying that.
I mentioned Heavy Rain, knowing full well that it is similar to Indigo Prophecy, but compared to most other new releases which are little more than copy/paste jobs of older games, it certainly does stand out. But, by all means, if you have a better example, tell me.
darksiders rocked!
FINALLY a game that actually makes you use your brain a little, none of this move block here and wallah hardest puzzle in the game complete!
cough gow3………….
This is good, I like that they arnt just giving us next instalments becouse THQ doesn't have any that are worth it, maybe one for some when.
Homefront is looking saweet, freaken awesome!
Hey THQ, where's Darksiders 2? Hey, that rhymes!
"But in the end, we like to see a publisher that strives to be diverse."
Is this the case? If so then tell Sony to stop focusing on sequels to Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Resistence, Ratchet and Clank, LBP, Motorstorm, to name a few and refocus the respective developers on new IP's.
As for THQ taking risk, I doubt it in the longrun and I say this because saying and doing are two different things. In the case of THQ, risk is not part of the formula when you have games with budgets that rival that of a motion picture.
Uhh, just because Sony is pumping out sequels doesn't mean there not diverse. The games you mentioned are all basically zero percent alike.
Really? You want Sony to STOP making games in those series? Are you INSANE?
@World
I'm thinking he just may be.
Insane? No World. Not insane. Troll?…Yes. Most definitely.
I thought you got Benhammered?
Maybe they can convince Relic to make Homeworld 3 now =(
That's a great thing to hear from a developer, but I can't think of a single THQ game that I have ever owned, or one I am looking forward to. I can't even think of a single game they have done that is above mediocrity.
''Homefront DLC maps to debut on Xbox Live, 'Suburb' exclusive to Xbox.''
Homefront went from buying later this year to maybe if the dlc debut a week later on PSN.
On my wanted list!
"just because Sony is pumping out sequels doesn't mean there not diverse. The games you mentioned are all basically zero percent alike.'
I don't call relying on the same franchises as being diverse, but playing it safe. In fact I find it very hypocritical how people that identify themselves as being Sony fans put themselves in a position of criticizing Nintendo for relying on safe franchises, yet they fail to see that Sony is doing the exact thing. In fact I find even more hypocritical on how the talking heads at Sony throughout the years(even up to now) have become critical of both Nintendo and Microsoft playing of playing it safe when infact they are doing the same thing
"You want Sony to STOP making games in those series? Are you INSANE?"
There nothing "INSANE" about abvocating a new direction because in the end the market will demand it and this is why the overreliance of safe franchises is futile.
See the sales of GT5 in Japan? Judging by the low sales of 500,000 its obvious that the japanese market is given up on the franchise and what does that say? franchises have their limits.
Diversity stems from what is available. Considering that Sony has a line-up of games that vary greatly in their design archetype, it is most certainly diversity. You're trying to coalesce two completely separate points.
The reliance on franchises is less welcome by me, but I, and others, understand that you can garner a much larger market share by creating the same game as one you want to, and changing superficial design choices to fit in with an established series than you often can with marketing as an entirely new game.
And GT5 in Japan may be lagging, but look at it in a worldwide context and you will quickly realise that it still has legs for days.
Finally, I also can't agree with your comment about Sony and Nintendo both relying on established franchises. The key difference being that Nintendo have created what this generation? What new IPs have they released? The Wii-brand titles don't count as they are clearly set with a certain boundary. Off the top of my head, there is nothing. Instead we see more Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus and Metroid. Sony supports their older series: Twisted Metal, Ratchet and Clank, Killzone, God of War, while creating new IPs at the same time: Uncharted, Resistance, Warhawk (kinda), LittleBigPlanet.
Peace.
ninty does have a few new IPs like the conduit, cursed mountain, red steel and madworld.
you cant class sony and ninty together though because there catering to completley different audience.
why dont you think ninty have games like KZ or halo or GOW?
because they cater to the kids market, thats why they only release sequels to kids games because kids know and like the series.
i know when i was a kid i only bought sequels because i knew what to expect and i knew i would like it, now im the opposite i look for new IPs hoping for a new experience.
Anonymous, you are partly right. The Wii has games. You've listed a few there yourself, but key to remember is that none of those are owned by Nintendo. Those IPs all belong to third parties, which means that if the developers want, they can put it on whatever system they desire.
Nintendo themselves, to the best of my knowledge, has created nothing distinctly new for this generation. Although, Metroid would hardly be described as a kids game. It has adult themes, but aside from that… I actually agree with you.
Peace.
they have not created any new IPs because as i said they probably would not sell.
look at all the wiis sales of games that are not made by ninty, there abysmal!
99% of people who own wiis are kids, and kids dont buy new IPs because they dont know what to expect, there not willing to put down what little cash they have on a game they have no idea if they will like or not.
with a sequel at least you can have a look at the predecessor, or say yea i played the old one so i will like this.
on a new IP you have nothing to go off, besides trailers but there not exactly great indications.
watching trailers of infamous it looks boring as bat sh*t to me, but its still and always will be one of my all time favorite games!
I wholeheartedly agree, I'm just saying that it is a terrible idea for them have not made any new IPs. Brand recognition is a powerful thing, but brands will eventually wear out if constantly used. This necessitates the creation of new brands, which the Big N doesn't seem to realise.
i would not say a terrible idea, because they would not sell well.
would be interesting to see what would happen if they created a new IP based on zelda, or mario and see if it sells half as well.
they already have.
darksiders, saints row, homefront, bodycount.
the only series THQ have released a sequel for this gen is red faction guerrilla, but than that was a spin off so you could kinda say its a new IP.
Thats why THQ are my favorite third party publisher, they may not release many games but each is worth its weight in gold!
the worst game THQ have made this gen is by far saints row 2, but that was far from a bad game!
10000000000 times more fun than that crap they call GTAIV!
maybe i was wrong?
maybe THQ are not going to sell out.
Well, I'll be damned… You're right. Although THQ always brings to mind the WWE games for me, and I gave up on them two years ago.
Except that Bodycount is being published by Codemasters.
they do the WWE games?
did not know that, simply because i have always despised wrestling.
THQ own codemasters.
now that black has left though, i dunno looks seriously shakey!
Codemasters is independent…