[IndustryGamers would like to thank EA Sports for sponsoring our trip to GDC this year]
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Creating epic game franchises are often as much a byproduct of luck as they are of design skill (Valve never expected Portal to be half as big as it is). Still, BioWare recently created series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age with a long-term view, and BioWare general manager and CEO Ray Muzyka thinks other game companies should think similarly about their IP.
"We think of our games now in our group as franchises, we really do," said Muzyka [thanks Gamasutra]. "Franchises include a lot more than just games, for that matter."
He noted that BioWare thinks about ideas for an IP sometimes as far as a decade in advance. They consider bringing their game properties to books, TV and film and are careful to make sure that all representations are consistent with each other.
By contrast, Bungie design director Joseph Staten says that his company did not have any sort of long term plan when they launched Halo: Combat Evolved on the Xbox in 2001. He indicated that Bungie is much more thoughtful of the IP now. "We didn't have a lot of time for looking forward, but now we do," he said.
"Franchise fatigue" is common when sequels come out too frequently or with not enough innovation. Staten says that Bungie has avoided this by creating a universe that players want to visit again and again.
"If you think about building a franchise around a character, that's a problem," said Staten. "If you focus on building worlds where you'd like to spend time, no matter who you are [in the game]... we can tell whatever story you want. When franchises don't succeed is because the focus is too narrow from the outset, too singular. I think Halo from the very beginning was an IP where you could tell any story you wanted."
"To be fair, developers want to see sequels too," he added. "For us, it's not that we have to make sequels every year. We enjoy making them. It doesn't matter if it has a two or three at the end."
For his part, Muzyka said that innovation was crucial for a franchise, noting the numerous changes between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, many of which were driven by fans. "If you're not going to take the innovative risks that you need to, then yeah, you're setting yourself up to be in a death spiral, and that's a bad thing. You have to invest and innovate, that's what keeps sequels selling more," said Muzyka. "You gotta listen to fans. That's the most important thing you can do."
17 Comments
4 months ago
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4 months ago
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4 months ago
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4 months ago
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