Support NeoGAF

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Gravity Daze wasn't a risk? Freedom Wars wasn't a risk? Rime wasn't a risk?

Sony is investing in new mid-tier IPs, as well as AAA-ones. Why is there a need to revive old IPs other than nostalgia?

No, those games were risks. But you actually help to kind of illustrate my point in how existing IP can also be risks in their own way. As you said, b/c they haven't been active for a while, they may have lost relevance.

However, there's nothing stopping anyone from re-imagining and remaking those IP to fit today's market while still retaining their identity. It's been done before with Bionic Commando and Rocket Knight. It's being done right now with games like Strider, which has been a dormant IP for over a decade, and Killer Instinct, which hasn't been relevant since the mid-90s. Street Fighter did it last gen and to most people SF dropped off after Super Turbo or Alpha 2/3. Wild ARMS may not have done well, but it's also only one example in a sea of many. You just need the right people to make it happen.

Hope isn't lost for those IP and Sony's shown they can be smart (one dubious example aside) with budgeting dev for their games.

A lot of the IP I mentioned, if they were to be revived, they would not need super-massive teams or a lot of money. It's also possible Sony could outsource dev for some to 3rd parties like what MS and even Nintendo have done and continue to do, while retaining IP ownership (which, you're right, Sony does value a hell of a lot. So maybe they wouldn't take on someone else's IP) and publishing rights. It's not a rigid system, there's lots of flexibility here.

 

[Manmademan]

No, those games were risks. But you actually help to kind of illustrate my point in how existing IP can also be risks in their own way. As you said, b/c they haven't been active for a while, they may have lost relevance.

However, there's nothing stopping anyone from re-imagining and remaking those IP to fit today's market while still retaining their identity. It's been done before with Bionic Commando and Rocket Knight. It's being done right now with games like Strider, which has been a dormant IP for over a decade, and Killer Instinct, which hasn't been relevant since the mid-90s. Street Fighter did it last gen and to most people SF dropped off after Super Turbo or Alpha 2/3.

These are bad examples. Bionic Commando was resurrected by Capcom, on their own with no first party assistance. Same with Strider. Rocket knight was Konami. again, on their own with no first party involvement.

Street Fighter (in addition to being a capcom IP) was never dormant. Super Turbo was 1994. Alpha 3 was 1998. Between that and SFIV Third Strike was in 1999, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was 2001, SNK vs. Capcom was around the same time in 2001, and Capcom Fighting Jam (remember that?) released in 2004. Capcom was also consistently putting out videos, collections (Street fighter anniversary was also between there) Console ports of Arcade titles, and other merchandise related to street fighter.

Killer instinct is owned by Microsoft, it's their IP- so not sure why it's being mentioned.

What you're asking Sony to do is approach a third party, ask for permission to resurrect a dead franchise that they don't control that the third party themselves doesn't see any value in releasing. As far as I'm aware this has never actually happened, and there's not much point to doing so.

A lot of the IP I mentioned, if they were to be revived, they would not need super-massive teams or a lot of money. It's also possible Sony could outsource dev for some to 3rd parties like what MS and even Nintendo have done and continue to do, while retaining IP ownership (which, you're right, Sony does value a hell of a lot. So maybe they wouldn't take on someone else's IP) and publishing rights. It's not a rigid system, there's lots of flexibility here.

It's also possible that the game hits big, and Sony watches the sequel go multiplatform or timed exclusive to the competition, because moneyhats. All that hard work to benefit a competitor. This is what happens when you don't control the IP to a property, and why it makes no sense to do this.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

What you're asking Sony to do is approach a third party, ask for permission to resurrect a dead franchise that they don't control that the third party themselves doesn't see any value in releasing. As far as I'm aware this has never actually happened, and there's not much point to doing so.

Ah, no no no. It appears I've been misunderstood. I've already conceded the fact of Sony developing new installments on 3rd party IPs was a bad idea. Sony loves ownership, can't blame them on that.

Everything you're replying to, that's my idea on what they can/should do w/ the IP they actually own, not 3rd party stuff. And altho you have a point w/ SF in a way, a lot of stuff after Alpha 2/3...honestly it was pretty niche compared to what came before, in terms of influence and sales. 3rd Strike was hated by a lot of people for various reasons and didn't get a lot of exposure until that EVO vid struck back in '06/'07 or so, right before SFIV was coming out.

Otherwise SF was not mass-market, everyone knew that. So in that sense it was dormant, b/c Capcom wasn't investing in it like they were the top-tier franchises like Resi or Monster Hunter. They only started treating it top-tier again once SFIV was selling big.

 

[NinjamicWZ]

SCEJ should reposition PS4 into a streaming device for Vita games.

 

[Manmademan]

Ah, no no no. It appears I've been misunderstood. I've already conceded the fact of Sony developing new installments on 3rd party IPs was a bad idea. Sony loves ownership, can't blame them on that.

Everything you're replying to, that's my idea on what they can/should do w/ the IP they actually own, not 3rd party stuff. And altho you have a point w/ SF in a way, a lot of stuff after Alpha 2/3...honestly it was pretty niche compared to what came before, in terms of influence and sales. 3rd Strike was hated by a lot of people for various reasons and didn't get a lot of exposure until that EVO vid struck back in '06/'07 or so, right before SFIV was coming out.

Otherwise SF was not mass-market, everyone knew that. So in that sense it was dormant, b/c Capcom wasn't investing in it like they were the top-tier franchises like Resi or Monster Hunter. They only started treating it top-tier again once SFIV was selling big.

What...WHAT? Third strike has always had a stellar reputation. That one is flat out incorrect, sorry.

and you're overlooking something pretty obvious. In between the time period where Alpha 3 and Third strike came out, and Street Fighter IV launched, you had the death of the american arcade, and fighters along with them.

Console online infrastructure wasn't yet at a point where competitive online play was viable, especially since the most popular console of the generation (the PS2) did not ship with any kind of modem or broadband adapter. You were playing your little brother or your roommate and no one else.

With the generational change, good broadband connections were common and everyone had online play from the jump. Surprise Surprise, there's a fighting renaissance.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

No worries. Five years later, FFXV will finally come out and KH3 three years after that.

Than PS4 will be a big seller in Japan...while the west will enjoy Call of Duty Future Warfare 6 on PS5!

(Obvious joke on SE taking so damn long with FFXV!)

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

Eh, what would constitute as a JRPG with global appeal, pick your national flag? There's no such thing, just make a good JRPG and it'll sell great everywhere.

That's not really true. A lot of quality JRPG series have historically been held back in the West by an overly anime presentation.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

What...WHAT? Third strike has always had a stellar reputation. That one is flat out incorrect, sorry.

and you're overlooking something pretty obvious. In between the time period where Alpha 3 and Third strike came out, and Street Fighter IV launched, you had the death of the american arcade, and fighters along with them.

Console online infrastructure wasn't yet at a point where competitive online play was viable, especially since the most popular console of the generation (the PS2) did not ship with any kind of modem or broadband adapter. You were playing your little brother or your roommate and no one else.

With the generational change, good broadband connections were common and everyone had online play from the jump. Surprise Surprise, there's a fighting renaissance.

SFIV bought back the folks who didn't care anymore about SF b/c it was either too weird for them or 2D. If we're being honest, the SFIII games did not have the popularity of Alpha or SF2 with the mainstream; there's no way to honestly argue against that if you look at the sales, for a few reasons. The two that usually come up are that the new characters where a turnoff and it was 2D when people were very much against 2D as a whole. These are obviously not my beliefs (3rd Strike is my favorite SF game, and I champion 2D like a broken record), just the probable ones of most mainstream consumers.

Who are usually not in the hardcore fighting scene, fwiw. B/c those guys were cool w/ III, CvS2, MvC2 and all of those games from the beginning.

Or maybe using SF was a bad example, but I still think the things I mentioned are viable choices for Sony. I mean, even Nintendo's doing it, and they're usually late to everything.

 

[DeSolos]

One of the apparent improvements this generation was adopting a more PC like architecture for ease of development, but churning out art assets of the quality that is expected from this generation keeps budgets over inflated.

I don't think most Japanese developers are willing or able to throw $30-$100 million behind one game that won't see returns for 3-5 years.

I personally wouldn't mind if we got polished "PS2 style visuals"(simple lighting,post processing,etc) if it meant more games from Japan. WE NEED A MID TIER!

 

[RedSwirl]

I'm kind of surprised I can't find a comprehensive chart showing Final Fantasy worldwide sales.

 

[Zoe]

Distinct? In what way? I thought the PS4 was a video player in Japan. If it was a game console I'd imagine it would have games.

It's barely even that. They haven't put any apps on it yet.

 

[Manmademan]

I'm kind of surprised I can't find a comprehensive chart showing Final Fantasy worldwide sales.

nope. the only ones making the attempt appear to be getting their data from Chartz.

 

[klee123]

Sony Japan is a lost cause and is the weak link of Sony's studios.

They haven't done shit for the platform besides Bloodborne and that's not even internally developed.

Expect Sony Japan to troll us with Knack 2 before anything worthwhile comes out from their internal studios if ever.

Really their internal development houses needs a massive shakeup before anything can be done.

I'm not even confident that TGS will have anything worthwhile from them and the only thing we'll get are token messages from third parties saying that "This franchise will come to PS4!" like last year and nothing materializes.

Last console generation indeed.

 

[Replicant]

So? What are you waiting for Sony? Court those Japanese developers already!

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

Between a console selling around 10k on an average week with Mario 2D, Mario 3D, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Pikmin, Dragon Quest, Zelda and Monster Hunter in its library...

And a (most expensive) console selling around 8k, with ONLY western games to help (Yakuza Ishin and Ground Zeroes being not even exclusives)...

You could wonder which one is actually underperforming the most.

In the foreseeable future, of course, Wii U will get Smash Bros while PS4 will have to wait next spring to get its very first japanese hit (Bloodborne), but as of now, the fact that PS4 numbers are closer to Wii U than Xbox 360 is, in some way, almost impressive.

No it almost isn't. It's doing pitiful over there, stop trying to sugar coat it. Sony also didn't bother give even a pitiful effort at it, knowing they would struggle. Their attempt so far has been about as good as their attempt with PSVita being a AAA factory.

 

[Vashetti]

So? What are you waiting for Sony? Court those Japanese developers already!

They're comfortable on PS3 and don't want to create new engines all over again.