Surely I’m not the only one who scoffs at movies trotting out the same old intellectual property. Instead of giving examples and drawing the ire of fans, let’s just say we all know what I’m talking about. After all, I watched every one of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies and will be doing the same for the new Man of Steel offering this summer.
In the old days, movie studios would just release a movie and hope people vote with their dollars on what they like. Now, that’s not enough. With every blockbuster, there is merchandising to be printed, video games to code, even tie-in comic books.
The same IPs get translated to new forms of media with the hope of similar popularity.
Today’s article by Venture Beat thinks that approach could save the video game industry. If you are a fan of Mega Man, it just so happens the 25th anniversary of it’s initial launch. Instead of putting the kind of capital into revamping the game for new console systems, why not release to iOS and Android?
Development costs would be down, possible profit could be higher and customers would get a big spoonful of nostalgia.
There are ups and downs on this road. You could pick the one game people don’t remember as fondly as they thoughts. The price for the IP could be so high that app store prices would have to be higher than people are willing to pay. The upside is you could have the hidden gem people were waiting to port to their phone or tablet, and downloads would rack up faster than you thought possible.
I’m not hugely invested in the health of the video game industry, but there are a lot of jobs at stake. Big companies are laying off staff left and right, so mobile could be their saving grace.
Chances are if the price is right, I would replay all the old Mega Man titles on my phone. I’ve already done that with others from my childhood. I’m just not sure how long that can last.
Chris Murman 