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Why not lend old IPs to great indy devs?
- Thread starter sn00zer
- Start date
Tizoc
Member
Would Wayforward be considered Indie?
Except there aren't creative IPs on the line in your examples. Disney doesn't make a contract with an indie movie maker to make a new The Lion King. I don't know of any examples of sub contracting in an entertainment industry. It's different than a construction contract.
I agree though that just because an indie signs up with a bigger company, they shouldn't be called a sell out or whatever.
better still, just buy good games without regard for indie status
If I'm a publisher and there's a proven market for my IP, why not make it myself?
If I'm a developer and I have confidence in my output, why use an existing IP where a publisher will own my work?
It's not like "sure win" titles don't get made because of a lack of staff. They don't get made because of a lack of expected return, which will only get worse when -two- parties need to turn a profit, or sometimes because they're tied to particular creative staff who were key to the original but not interested in following it up.
Well, subcontracting does happen: see most post-2000 Mega Man games, or the constant rotation of who programs any given Dragon Quest. But again, these tend to be direct involvement with existing outsourcing-centric studios, not experimental shots in the dark.
If I'm a developer and I have confidence in my output, why use an existing IP where a publisher will own my work?
It's not like "sure win" titles don't get made because of a lack of staff. They don't get made because of a lack of expected return, which will only get worse when -two- parties need to turn a profit, or sometimes because they're tied to particular creative staff who were key to the original but not interested in following it up.
Well, subcontracting does happen: see most post-2000 Mega Man games, or the constant rotation of who programs any given Dragon Quest. But again, these tend to be direct involvement with existing outsourcing-centric studios, not experimental shots in the dark.
N7Commander95
Member
Well it's working with Double Helix and Killer Instinct, so I can see it becoming more a thing for Microsoft
True, I guess a better example would be marketing companies that make commercials for another company. They take a well known (or not so well known) product or company but show it in a new light. In the same way an ad campaign can reevaluate and challenge what the public thinks about a company or product, an indy dev could do the same with an old IP that has been sitting around waiting for new innovation.
yep
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Not really in the typical way that the word is used. Wayforward is actually a huge company (19,000 square foot office) and many of their games are done with IPs that they don't use.
Tizoc
Member
What's wrong with BF?Sega did this a few years ago.
That's how we got Afterburner Black Falcon and Golden Axe Beast Rider.
Beast Rider seems less Golden Axe and more 'Burning people and cutting them in half'
Opinionatedfish
Member
Clu Clu Land = DK King of Swing.
But Ice Climber. Hmmm. How to flesh that out into a full game... Maybe exploring frozen caverns? Maybe the two characters find a note and a map, then set out exploring frozen caverns in a search for their parents, while picking up treasure and vegetables along the way.
Actually, what about Balloon Fight/Balloon Kid. The second game ends on a "here we go again" note that I would like to see addressed.