New IP’s vs Sequels – Which are Better?

It’s a question that we love to ask, and one that is answered in both directions when new games are announced. But which is really better? One the one hand, the continuation of the Master Chief or the Nathan Drake story is great, and it’s great to see which directions the studio takes our favourite characters, but it’s also refreshing to see a studio go for it and shake the foundations with a new IP and a never before seen story, hoping to make the next Master Chief or Lara Croft. Let’s talk.

So on the subject of Sequels, there is a trend I think we should first look at. As time goes on, and more and more people decided to buy sequels to a much loved game it tends to take a bad turn for the franchise. They make moves to try and hold onto that new fan base by making the game feel more friendly to them and what ends up happening is that they go so far with it that they first end up alienating the die-hard fans who have been there forever and then even further to the point that not many people at all enjoy the game. The progression here is directly in line with how sequels go, with the games ending up looking like a bell curve when it’s over. This is usually the fate of all sequels and there aren’t many studios that can pull a game back up to it’s former glory. That being said however a sequel is a great way to bring an old fan back into their next game especially if the characters are the same and the feel to the game is similar.

New IP’s (or intellectual property), are a completely different kettle of fish for pretty much the opposite reasons. Unlike sequels already having a fan base to build from, new IP’s have to rely solely on the company’s name and the advertising budget they have allotted. A good example for this is Destiny. This game had a huge marketing budget and the studio behind the majority of the Halo’s backing it up and it sold well, even reaching the top spot on the Xbox Live activity chart, even though the game content wasn’t blockbuster. The unique position Bungie were in when making this game is that Halo was such a success, that people flocked to their next creation. Whatever Bungie’s next game was, would have been huge. But the question is, will a Destiny sequel sell as well as the first? Time will tell, but it will be an interesting one!

Would you guys rather play a fresh new IP or a sequel to a much loved game? Does it even matter if the game is good? Leave us a comment down below!