Yearly releases are becoming common place for many franchises. But what is too much?
Moar pls...
Here’s when it’s ok...
Despite saying all of that, I can’t help but feel a little hypocritical. There are definitely titles that I personally would love see have a new iteration on a yearly basis. One example is the Mass Effect series. I have loved every game set in this universe. Even without my Sheppard, I would still love to see regular releases featuring brand new stories. Heck, I love all of the DLC that gets released, but yet I hold off due to the insane prices. It wouldn’t even need to include any specific new features. The same goes for some of my favorite adventure games, like the Tex Murphy series that I spoke about in an earlier article. If we could somehow get a one of those adventures every year, I would be an extremely happy person. Realistically speaking though, that is not very likely to happen.
The games that I am talking about require years of production due to voice acting, story writing, and ultimately putting together in a single package. While a consistent engine would help, the content that is driven on the engine is what really makes those products memorable. Being able to produce a full scale title like that would take an enormous amount of resources and would be extremely difficult to do in parallel within one developer.
While I don’t think anyone would say that the AC franchise lacks in production value, the idea that having your product “out there” too much could lead to consumer fatigue is a real threat. You don’t want people saying, “Really? Another one?” You want them to be excited. You want them to be eagerly anticipating what you are about to release. I feel like the Assassin’s Creed franchise has lost some of that excitement. I really do hope that Black Flag finds a way to re-ignite it. As I mentioned above, being a franchise with such immense potential, it can only be a great thing for the gaming community if it finds a way to consistently succeed.
