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Does this generation have a franchise?

N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
Premium Quality said:
Even though the series began back in the PS2 era, it feels like the Yakuza series will explode this gen (talking about US region).
Click to expand...

I feel like there are a few IPs from last gen that really took off this gen. The Witcher might be a good one. 1 and 2 were successful for sure, but at least from my POV, it didn't feel like they defined last gen in nearly the same way that 3 seems to have defined this gen.
 
F

FarFromAnyGame

Banned
NinjaCoachZ said:
You have to put those sales in context though. Splatoon is on a dead platform and is

A - Owned by 1/3 of the system's owners
B - One of maybe three console games this gen that broke a milion units in Japan
C - The best-selling game on the system that doesn't have Mario in it
D - The first new Nintendo IP since the Touch Generations/Wii era to even approach 5 million

Plus as far as its success as a "franchise" goes, it already has a sequel in the works, a bunch of amiibos and other such merchandise, and has crossed over with several other nintendo games (Mario Maker, Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe).

If the Switch is successful then Splatoon 2 could break 10-15 million easily.
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Yeah but we're talking about current gen only.

WiiU doesn't have Mario?
 
D

Dr. Worm

Banned
tumblr_oqnghvwHd61vzc73fo1_500.jpg
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
FarFromAnyGame said:
Yeah but we're talking about current gen only.

WiiU doesn't have Mario?
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Wii U, PS4, and XB1 are current gen. Wii U only becomes last-gen in two weeks. But the whole "gen" label is starting to become archaic as time goes by.

The Wii U games that outsold Splatoon are Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario 3D World (three Mario games), and Nintendo Land and Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo crossovers, featuring Mario). Splatoon is the best-selling U game with no connection to Mario at all.
 
F

FarFromAnyGame

Banned
NinjaCoachZ said:
Wii U, PS4, and XB1 are current gen. Wii U only becomes last-gen in two weeks. But the whole "gen" label is starting to become archaic as time goes by.

The Wii U games that outsold Splatoon are Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario 3D World (three Mario games), and Nintendo Land and Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo crossovers, featuring Mario). Splatoon is the best-selling U game with no connection to Mario at all.
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I read it as "the system that doesn't have Mario in it" my bad.

Anyway, it won't get a sequel on WiiU so that doesn't make it a generation defining series.
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
FarFromAnyGame said:
I read it as "the system that doesn't have Mario in it" my bad.

Anyway, it won't get a sequel on WiiU so that doesn't make it a generation defining series.
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While that's true, OP is asking for "a series that started in this generation". Splatoon would count by that criteria. I mean, Overwatch might not ever get a sequel, certainly not on PS4/XB1, so if the thinking is that the sequel has to be on the same platform that'd disqualify it too.
 
S

serenewarfare

Banned
The answer here is Destiny. Even without sequels, it's managed to release content every year and stay in the news cycle. A "franchise" is no longer defined by sequels given the "games as a service" model.

Overwatch is a very close second though for the same reason.

I love Splatoon as well, so I guess that also counts.
 
R

renzolama

Member
JB2448 said:
Why, because it's exclusive to one platform? Has it not sold enough? Has it not reviewed well enough? Is it not a franchise that has not carved out its own cultural niche?

What other metrics do you use to define a generation's representative franchise?
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Well, because no, it hasn't sold anywhere near the level of Overwatch and Destiny. Yes, because it's exclusive to one platform, and that one platform is owned by a trivially small number of people compared to the consoles of the games OP listed for comparison. When I consider the term "franchise" I think of global sales numbers, overall market/player penetration, etc. Reviewing well and carving out a cultural niche are great, but those are also characteristics of a cult classic, indie darling, etc, and not even absolutely necessary for a franchise-level success at all.

Hey, it's a subjective opinion about the meaning of a word/concept, you're free to express your counter opinion that I'm full of shit.
 
T

timetokill

Banned
renzolama said:
Well, because no, it hasn't sold anywhere near the level of Overwatch and Destiny. Yes, because it's exclusive to one platform, and that one platform is owned by a trivially small amount of people compared to the consoles of the games OP listed for comparison. When I consider the term "franchise" I think of global sales numbers, overall market/player penetration, etc. Reviewing well and carving out a cultural niche are great, but those are characteristics of a cult classic and not absolutely necessary for a franchise at all.

Hey, it's a subjective opinion about the meaning of a word/concept, you're free to express your counter opinion that I'm full of shit.
Click to expand...

I mean, I know this is a US-based forum, but if we're talking Japan for instance Splatoon is probably the only one with real cultural relevance going forward.
 
J

Jaded Alyx

Member
renzolama said:
Well, because no, it hasn't sold anywhere near the level of Overwatch and Destiny. Yes, because it's exclusive to one platform, and that one platform is owned by a trivially small number of people compared to the consoles of the games OP listed for comparison. When I consider the term "franchise" I think of global sales numbers, overall market/player penetration, etc. Reviewing well and carving out a cultural niche are great, but those are characteristics of a cult hit and not absolutely necessary for a franchise at all.

Hey, it's a subjective opinion about the meaning of a word/concept, you're free to express your counter opinion that I'm full of shit.
Click to expand...

OP cites Gears as an example from last gen. According to wiki, GoW sold 6 million in 2 years. Splatoon has sold 5 million in a little over a year and a half.

It's also the highest selling new IP of the generation in Japan.
 
O

Obliterator

Member
timetokill said:
I mean, I know this is a US-based forum, but if we're talking Japan for instance Splatoon is probably the only one with real cultural relevance going forward.
Click to expand...

Japan is also becoming one of the least relevant territories for gaming.

I'm not however against including Splatoon. I'd say it qualifies for sure
 
R

renzolama

Member
timetokill said:
I mean, I know this is a US-based forum, but if we're talking Japan for instance Splatoon is probably the only one with real cultural relevance going forward.
Click to expand...

Sure, if you narrow the context down from global then Splatoon is absolutely a title with regional franchise potential.

Honestly, this whole thread is silly and my argument in particular was dumb and mean-spirited. People should be excited to share their enthusiasm about games they love and express their hopes for continued, increasing success...my original comment was rude and dismissive. Nintendo certainly has a storied history with the creation of successful franchises, so the argument that a game can't be a franchise because it's only on a couple Nintendo consoles is actually ridiculous. Splatoon is a great game that I've enjoyed; it was undeniably a surprisingly global phenomenon and by all accounts people are extremely excited for the sequel, so there's no reason to believe that it won't end up as the most important new Nintendo franchise of this generation.
 
L

Laurel_McFang

Member
Gears and other games really demonstrated with made the ps3 and xbox 360 unique i.e. larger worlds with variable gameplay. So i will second the already mentioned

1. Splatoon - for showing what the Wii U could do
2. Destiny - for showing what the massive networking behind the consoles could do.
Technically Destiny could be considered last gen, but it was mostly cross-gen do to uncertainty on next gen consoles.

but the only next gen console exclusive that has really managed to make it big seems to be Bloodborne which was great, but not hardly defining.
 
J

Jack The Nipper

Banned
Without a doubt it's either Overwatch or destiny. Sony already has plans to show it every chance they get for the next two years.

Even games like rocket league did very well but they aren't in the mind like those other two.

If destiny even remotely fixes the story issues and has changes like halo had from one to two in mp. It could be one of the biggest franchises ever, not just bigger than this gen.
 
royox

royox

Member
JB2448 said:
What other metrics do you use to define a generation's representative franchise?
Click to expand...

For me it has to be a generation changing franchise. A franchise with a big impact during the generation. Those games that has so much sales and good reviews every other companyes will (somehow) try to copy them. Games like Assassins Creed or Gears of War.

For me Splatoon doesn't fit that list. It fits the "WiiU representative list" but it was meaningless for the whole generation. It's not comparable to Overwatch for example.
Jaded Alyx said:
OP cites Gears as an example from last gen. According to wiki, GoW sold 6 million in 2 years. Splatoon has sold 5 million in a little over a year and a half.

And every TPS post-gow was a gow-clone using the same cover, aiming and shooting system. It was literally the meaning of "generatiom changing" game.

You are comparing Gow and Splatoon sales but you should compare overall Franchise sales during its generation and impact on the industry.

It's my opinion of c.
Click to expand...
 
R

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
Its too early.

Bloodborne hopefully. Im sure the big companies want all those fancy new games to be franchises.

Destiny, The Division, Horizon,etc. Time will tell.
 
Jaguar Victory

Jaguar Victory

Member
Destiny. (I count expansions because episodic)
Watch Dogs.
NBA2k kinda came into its own this gen.
Battlefield did too on console.
Forza Horizon (became a franchise this gen)

This gens only been 3 years so not a lot of time for franchise generation. Lots of one hit winners though primed for it.

Overwatch
The Division
Ori
Some others
 
W

Wozman23

Member
In my eyes - as a guy primarily interested in first party titles - there were only two games so far poised to become franchises: The Order 1886 and Sunset Overdrive. Both could have had sequels close to releasing now had they performed better. (I'd still love to see either get a sequel. The Order is still a generational favorite.)

Microsoft isn't really that well known for developing new IP. Still, they've only had a single new Gears and a single new Halo.

Nintendo is even less known for new IP. Splatoon is a breath of fresh air, but a single game does not a franchise make. Nor does a second release on new hardware.

Sony, who has always been strong with new IP, has really dropped the ball. Many of their biggest studios fell back on old franchises for their initial release - Uncharted, Infamous, Killzone - instead of going straight into new IP as many have done in the past.

I blame the ever-growing budgets and scale of AAA. More developers are taking the safer bet the initial time around. Sony may also be slower since they're transitioning away from the cell processor. It's probably far easier to fall back on an old franchise than it is to build a new IP from the ground up.

At least Horizon looks promising, and will probably sell well enough to justify a sequel, which could hopefully have a shorter development time.

It's also weird to think we may not see anything new from Naughty Dog until after they're done with TLoU2 which I assume is still a few years out.

The lack of quality new IP has had a hugely negative impact on my enjoyment of traditional, AAA gaming. Thankfully, indies keep me satiated.
 
H

hatchx

Banned
As mentioned, Destiny, Splatoon, and Overwatch are the big ones.

Secondary would be Super Mario Maker, Bloodborne/DS3 (and the growth of that series), and Watch Dogs.
 
J

jdstorm

Banned
renzolama said:
Well, because no, it hasn't sold anywhere near the level of Overwatch and Destiny. Yes, because it's exclusive to one platform, and that one platform is owned by a trivially small number of people compared to the consoles of the games OP listed for comparison. When I consider the term "franchise" I think of global sales numbers, overall market/player penetration, etc. Reviewing well and carving out a cultural niche are great, but those are also characteristics of a cult classic, indie darling, etc, and not even absolutely necessary for a franchise-level success at all.

Hey, it's a subjective opinion about the meaning of a word/concept, you're free to express your counter opinion that I'm full of shit.
Click to expand...

Splatoon on the WiiU sold over half of what EA expects Mass Effect Andromeda to sell on all platforms 6M. On a console with a 13M Installbase. It counts

Edit: splatoon is also important because its the game that kicked off the free DLC rollout trend amoung shooters this gen.
 
H

hampig

Member
When I think PS4/X1 I think Watch Dogs. Never played it, but that's this generation to me.

I think Horizon could be it though.
 
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