Open World

Games inspired by the success of Grand Theft Auto. Not all of them have a thug life theme, but it certainly helps.




1. Prototype
X360/PS3/PC
Activision Blizzard/Radical Games
Q2 2009
It’s a testament to how well Prototype must be coming along that it was the only announced Sierra new IP that was retained by Activision in the merger. Prior to that, the project already had a great deal going for it; Radical has proven its worth as a developer with many “better than they had to be” licensed games, and the shape-shifting open-world design is about as market friendly as hardcore games come. Now that Activision is behind it, Prototype is also virtually guaranteed a heavy marketing push that will start the franchise rolling with a couple million sales. Hey, there’s no way Activision would have kept this if it weren’t a franchise in the making.




2. Brutal Legend
X360/PS3/PC
TBD/Double Fine
Holiday 2008
Brutal Legend, it appears, was not retained in the Vivendi/Activision merger, which means Double Fine is two for two with projects set adrift by their publishers. It’s been assured that Brutal Legend is okay though, which is great news. It’s obvious that there’s never been anything like this open world heavy metal roadie action game, which makes it potential for success hard to gauge. But it does have the Tim Schafer cult of personality behind it, and metal has been enjoying resurgence lately (thanks partially to games like Rock Band). This will move a few hundred thousand maybe, but it will deserve to move more.




3. Prince of Persia
X360/PS3/PC
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
November
Here’s an idea: reboot a franchise before it starts to get stale. While most people still wouldn’t have minded another game in the Sands of Time series, Ubisoft instead went with a different prince, lost the time manipulation feature, and gave the game a beautiful new cel-shaded art style and open world design. As a result it might not do as well as another entry in the beloved SoT franchise would have done (though seven digits is certainly likely), but it will contribute to the long-term health of the brand. So Ubisoft has its priorities in the right place—the Prince is headed to the movies, after all.




4. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
X360/PS3/PC/Wii/PS2/PSP/NDS
Activision Blizzard/Shaba Games
October 21
Web of Shadows’ marketing push nails its tween male demographic in two words: “Wolverine symbiote”. Between them and more general comic book fans this game, like all Spider-Man games prior, has a good spread of customers. Perhaps the Spidey game franchise is a victim of its own success, as sequels could never quite live up to the amazing Spider-Man 2. The media blows such matters out of proportion though. It doesn’t really matter if this game is that good; the Spider-Man brand is invincible, and this will move millions no matter what.




5. The Godfather II
X360/PS3/PC
EA/EA Redwood Shores
Early 2009
The first Godfather game (pictured), which could have easily been an epic disaster, was instead decent enough that people still talk about how decent it was today. So the Godfather is actually a fairly powerful game brand now, and early descriptions of the Godfather II make it look like more effort than is strictly necessary is being put in once again. RTS-style territory battles, character classes for goons, and a story that takes place in New York, Florida and Cuba makes this look like far more than another cash-in, which is precisely why it will succeed.




6. Saints Row 2
X360/PS3/PC
THQ/Volition
October
In a pre-GTAIV world, Saint’s Row looked pretty good. But in late 2008 it looks like the franchise has been capably outmaneuvered by the market leader. That recent marketing campaigns have been reactionary to Grand Theft Auto’s success haven’t helped, though the tongue-in-cheek presentation is differentiating the title a little bit. But this holiday Saint’s Row 2 also has to deal with the tongue-in-cheek Mercenaries 2. There’s a lot for this franchise to deal with, then, and it might prove surprisingly resilient and move a million units. On the other hand, this could also be the last Saint’s Row ever.