There’s an interesting piece in The New York Times today on Relying on Video Game Sequels. The article states that Electronic Arts, one of the largest game companies out there, is suffering a sales slump which might be attributed to something Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey calls “franchise fatigue”. Basically, if I bought Madden 2003, 2004 and 2005, do I really need to pony up another $50 to own Madden 2006?
IMHO, video games need to learn from the comic book industry. Why has no one created a subscription game yet? $10 a month delivers a game disc to your door with the latest chapter of a massive story arc. It’s like an expansion set every month. Further, there could be any number of games in this series, each one starting anew at the end of the year. Wham! Recurring revenue stream, a bold new step in entertainment, and an all-new addiction for us Square-Enix junkies.
Thoughts?
Storyteller, scholar, consultant. Loving son, husband and father. Kindhearted mischief-maker.
I'm the Director of the Games and Simulation program at Miami University in Ohio, where I am also an Assistant Professor in the College of Creative Arts' Emerging Technology in Business and Design department. I'm also the director of Miami's Worldbuilding and Narrative Design Research Laboratory (WNDRLab). I have a Master's in Comparative Media Studies from MIT and a PhD in Media Arts and Practices from the University of Southern California.
In past lives I've been the lead Narrative Producer for Microsoft Studios and cofounder of its Narrative Design team, working on projects like Hololens, Quantum Break and new IP incubation; in a "future of media" think tank for Microsoft's CXO/CTO and its Chief Software Architect; the Creative Director for the University of Southern California's World Building Media Lab and the Technical Director, Creative Director and a Research Fellow for USC's Annenberg Innovation Lab; a Visiting Assistant Professor at Whittier College and director of its Whittier Other Worlds Laboratory (WOWLab); the Communications Director and a researcher for the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab; a founding member of the Convergence Culture Consortium at MIT (now The Futures of Entertainment); a magazine editor; and a award-winning short film producer. more »
The opinions put forward in this blog are mine alone, and do not reflect the opinions of my employers.
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