Insomniac CEO Ted Price came out yesterday to argue the case of the humble sequel. To some a great way of taking existing ideas to next level or continuing a story it would seem that to many more sequels are just a way for big firms to soullessly exploit the franchises their consumers hold so dearly. Price’s argument that sequels are in fact a great way to motivate development teams to achieve their best work incidentally came in the light of an announcement that we may see the sequel to the upcoming Fallout 3 in less than 3 years. That said, there are several ways of looking at sequels and all are questions of product marketing strategy and brand perception.

The Cynical View

This is a view taken by many consumers and certainly the most conservative if adopted as the basis for a strategy. This is simply a question of a company identifying a successful franchise and clinging to it for dear life. Be it that they want to squeeze every single drop of revenue out of the IP or they are simply too afraid to try anything new. The risks of taking this approach are two-fold. First of all it is a shortcut to an unmotivated employee base, games are a creative medium and as such it takes great amounts of creative thinking to make them happen. If a development team is forced to work on a title that does not inspire them simply because corporate are so obviously too concerned about their margins then ultimately the end product will suffer and lose a great deal of value.

Furthermore, different IPs work in different eras because of the state of the industry and entertainment environment at that particular time. An IP that works today may not necessarily work tomorrow. When, during 2006 and 2007, the market was flooded with FPSs whilst simultaneously upgrading to a new generation of hardware it was those new and exciting IPs such as 'Gears of War', 'Bioshock' and 'Resistance: Fall of Man' that stood out and succeeded. Now this hardware cycle is maturing consumers are ready to see those once original ideas developed upon and as such sequels become viable.

IP Development

Another way of looking at sequels, and this is the view shared and further developed by Price, is as a means to build upon and expand original ideas - exploring new avenues and opportunities that compliment the original experience. While ideas may be infinite disc space isn’t. It makes little sense, from both a creative and intilectual assets point of view, to restrict a development team to a single 5 or so GB attempt at their vision. It is the limitations of the physical media leads on to third view of sequels.

The Episodic

The development of the episodic business model has also changed what it means to create “sequels”. A brilliant example of this at work is the 'Half-Life' franchise. Whilst Half-Life 2 is considered a sequel to the original Half-Life, Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are not considered sequels to Half-Life 2 but as expansions of the original universe and narrative. Despite working in roughly the same way the distinction in the mind of the audience is completely different. Part of this is due to the fact that Half-Life has become a brand in its own right. Half-Life no longer refers to any singular title but a conglomerate of ideas, narratives and products. 'Portal', 'Blue-Shift', 'The Lost Coast' and 'Gary's Mod' all included.

This is a change is from a linear model of game production where one title is released, then its sequel and then maybe a prequel etc. into a three dimensional model whereby each title orbits a singular idea (which may or may not be a game in itself) in the mind of the consumer.

Of course all these notions and views come from a negotiation of meaning between marketers and consumers. Ultimatly it is good ideas in the face of mild anti-consumerist cycnism that reinvigorates gaming brands and makes games that “explore and not exploit” exsisting IP feel dynamic and constantly engaging. The ultimate risk of letting an IP fall into a linear view with consumers is that each title will feel further and further removed from the original experience and as such more strung out. It is that alone that leads to cynism of sequels.