Key Takeaways:
Much like film counterparts, game franchises typically die
due to lack of sales and interest
Timing is one of the most important factors in the success
or failure of a franchise
Occasionally, a franchise vanishes due to the closure of a
development studio
Nostalgia trips are potentially the only way a franchise can
be revived, but unless they can reclaim former sales numbers or surpass them,
they’ll likely remain dormant
(Basically…Credit:Whatculture.com)
If you’ve read any of my blogs post since I started up back
in April you know I love old games. That’s not to say that I don’t love new
games, in fact, The Last of Us is
probably one of the best 3 games I’ve ever played. That being said, the gaming
industry has become a lot more mature than it was in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and
I cannot help but enjoy reliving the wild business antics that are a part of
the industry’s history. So many unique and long lasting games and franchises
were born from this era. Today, you will never find another game like ToeJam & Earl - a game about two
space aliens wandering around a strange looking Earth while searching for
pieces of their spaceship and avoiding injury from the likes of mini-devils,
Cupid, and what appears to be a stampede of Black Friday shoppers. A game with
that concept would likely never make it to fruition in today’s industry without
a lot of help from Kickstarter[1].
Yet, even back in the glory days there were still a handful of high quality,
unique games that just never seemed to get their feet off the ground outside of
a few entries. This post will take a look at a few cases and try to rationalize
what went wrong.
Case 1: Vectorman vanishes out of this dimension
(Who could
deny Mega Value? Credit: hardcoregaming101.com)
Vectorman had all
the makings of a hit in the 1990’s. A run and gun platformer where you played
the titular hero, whose role was to take out the evil Warhead. The atmosphere
was more on the dark and edgy side, and the main character, a robot made of
green orbs, was cool, calm, and collected. His traditional weapon was a ball
gun that could blast enemies in multiple directions, and could later be powered
up. Furthermore, Vectorman himself could transform into vehicles or items such
as a drill or bomb. Due to a significant amount of advertising spending Vectorman and its sequel were both solid
hits for the Sega Genesis; however, Sega made one crucial error – it released
the games far too late in the Genesis’ lifespan. The original game came out in
October 1995, nearly 5 months after
the Sega Saturn was released to the public. Sega was fortunate to gain a
following for the game, but questions remain whether or not it came at the
expense of promotions for the Saturn[2].
Regardless, Blue Sky Software, the developer of the series, promised a new
outing by the end of 1997. Unfortunately, that outing never came to be, as Blue
Sky closed during that same year, and the project was lost. There are few
details behind the end of Blue Sky, but the main rumor is that Sega/Blue Sky
were not happy with the quality of the new game. Vectorman than remained
dormant until May 2003, when Sega announced that the franchise would be coming
to the PS2 (Sega was out of the console business at this point). Then, without
much reasoning in October 2003, Sega announced the Vectorman 3 project was dead again, simply stating that it has
chosen not to continue with the project[3].
With that, Vectorman vanished, and hasn’t been seen outside of compilations or
virtual console releases since.
(A missed
opportunity for the Saturn? Credit: Gamefabrique.com)
There are two significant reasons as to why Vectorman
vanished, the first of which has to do with timing. As previously mentioned,
the original game came out months after the Sega Saturn was released. I actually
believe that this was a fine strategic decision. The Genesis had an extremely
large install base, and launching a new franchise on a new console with no
familiarity to users may not have been the system seller Sega wanted,
especially if they did not promote it extensively with the console. Where I see
the true error is in the sequel’s release. Vectomran
2 was released in November 1996, a
year and a half after the Saturn was on the market. Now it’s no secret that
the Saturn struggled from the moment in launched, mainly given it had to compete
with Sony’s lower priced PlayStation and the incoming threat from the Nintendo
64; however, aside from the fact the game is in 2D as opposed to 3D, I have no
idea why Sega would not choose to release the sequel for the Saturn. Vectorman had established brand equity,
and the sequel presented an immense opportunity to generate sales for the
Saturn. I realize that during the late 1990’s there was a huge push to move
towards fully three dimensional graphics, but when a console is desperate the
parent company should do all in its power to make it successful. I understand
that Vectorman 2 was also a success
for the Genesis, but it could have done a lot more for Sega if it had been put
on the Saturn, perhaps even as a bundle with the console. Unfortunately, that’s
a reality we will never know.
The other key reason Vectorman vanished is the closing of
Blue Sky Software. Although a longtime successful development studio, when it
closed the majority of its franchises faded with it. There have been few times
in the gaming industry where a development studio or publisher has closed and
franchises have made it through unscathed (one example is how THQ’s assets were
sold off following its bankruptcy). If an upcoming game from a fledgling
developer is not already in a playable format or has not been overly successful
in previous iteration, it is even more unlikely anyone will pay to gain rights
to the franchise. Furthermore, with turnover and buyouts due to financial
trouble, the direction of the franchise may no longer be up to the original
studio, and thus, it disappears quietly from existence. Such was the case with
Vectorman, and unfortunately it looks like unless a nostalgia fueled campaign
exists, he’ll remain in obscurity.
Case 2: Rocket
Knight’s Revival Can’t Reclaim Past Glory
(Ready to go.
Credit: Youtube.com)
The 1980’s and 1990’s were overloaded with too many mascots.
Mario and Sonic led the charge, and almost every publisher/developer came up
with one to try to make a name for itself. Konami had the Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Contra
franchises, yet those game focused on main characters being people instead of animal/cartoon
mascots and were not as approachable as the aforementioned icons. Thus, in
1993, Konami released Rocket Knight
Adventures for the Sega Genesis. The game focuses on Sparkster, an armored
possum who uses a sword and a jetpack to defeat evil pig invaders[4].
The game is a side scrolling platformer, and is extremely easy to pick up and
play (it has a very arcade feel to it). I honestly had not ever played this
game up until a month ago, but it hooked me right away as it was extremely
accessible and a blast. It was a huge success for the Genesis, and is still
considered one of the best games for the console. Sparkster was also an
excellent addition to the mascot dominance of the Genesis, following strongly
in Sonic’s footsteps. Konami then released two games for the franchise a year
later, a direct sequel for the Genesis, and a spin off for the Super Nintendo.
While both of those games were not considered as good as the original, they both
seemed to find an audience. Building off the new success, Konami did absolutely
nothing for 15 years[5].
Sparkster made cameos in various games, but never received a third installment
of the franchise, that is, until Mega Man
9 fueled the retro revival in gaming. Due to the success of Mega Man 9 and its return to the early
8-bit graphics, several other companies attempted to bring out their old
mascots to see if there was any life in them[6].
This included Bionic Commando, Sonic, Contra, etc. A lot of companies thought this
method would both please established fans and save development money.
Naturally, this presented an opportunity to bring back Sparkster. The revival
was dubbed Rocket Knight[7].
The game contained similar characters and gameplay (with a few tweaks naturally),
but also sported updated graphics. Unfortunately, upon release in 2010, the
game was met with mixed to positive reactions. It came across at certain times
like a cash grab, as noted in the 1up.com review:
But for a fifteen dollar download, Rocket Knight feels
strangely underdone, as if you were playing an extended demo. There are only
about a dozen levels and not a lot of variety. Although some of the levels make
a visual splash and verge on the outright spectacular, the sound consists of
only a few whooshes and clanks as you go along, with the obligatory ding every
time you pick up a gem. If you were to turn the music off -- and lord knows
you're going to want to -- you could play this game in the library without
being shushed overmuch. (http://www.1up.com/reviews/rocket-knight-review)
It’s
important to realize that in 2010 retro revivals were no longer a new and
exciting innovation. Mega Man 9 was
released in 2008, the industry had caught onto the concept and embraced it
fully. Furthermore, certain successful games stayed fully true to their roots,
while Rocket Knight may have tried to
change a little too much.
(1993
vs 2010, 1993 wins. 2010 is just so lame. Credit: Wikipedia.com)
As
a result, Sparkster has not been seen since. Once again, there are a few
reasons as to why. First, by year end 2010, the game had been downloaded only
around 10,000 times. This is probably the biggest kiss of death there can be
for a franchise. I would imagine the lack of enthusiasm was twofold: the game
had changed too much for those who knew it, but for those who didn’t, there
simply weren’t enough games in the franchise to create longtime brand equity.
Gamers know Sonic, Mega Man, and the Contra series, even if they had not played
any of the games. Sparkster simply did not have the following. Couple this lack of interest and sales, along
with an overall mixed reaction, and unfortunately you have a recipe for the end
of a franchise.
While
I do believe there is always another opportunity for the future, it seems more
unlikely than ever for either Sparkster or Vectorman. If I were to guess, I’d
say that Vectorman has a better shot of coming back than Sparkster, simply
because Sparkster tried to return and failed. That being said, I would not be
surprised if we saw both or neither of them ever again. Only time will tell.
[1]
Ironically, a modern remake of the original was Kickstarted a little while
back, it should be out in 2017…I’ll buy it
[2] The
Sega Saturn and Sega’s other add-ons to the Genesis are a whole other set of
posts, sometime possibly in the distant future
[3] http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/21/sega-rumor-clarification
[4]
Eat your heart out Angry Birds
[5]
Konami needs its own case study. From mishandling Hideo Kojima’s exit to the
lack of interest in specific franchises (RIP Zone of the Enders) I have no idea what direction this company is
going in.
[6]
This is just my opinion the Mega Man 9
started the trend; however, it was a shock to the industry when it occurred so
I stand by it.
[7]
How late did you stay up thinking of that one Konami?
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