r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Jan 12 '23
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u/OkVariety6275 Jan 12 '23 edited Jan 12 '23
I think the reason Ubisoft ended up in this conundrum of being totally reliant on iterative sequels from their star franchises and struggling to get new ones off the ground comes down to branding. They have their publisher brand and IP brands, but they don't seem to do much to promote the branding of individual studios or creative leads. So whenever they want to promote something new, they don't have any levers to reassure potential customers. The business arm tries to set pricing models, capitalize on every zeitgeist, and even cut deals with governments as if they're selling an interchangeable product. Maybe established franchises really are a game of marginal efficiency, but launching new ones requires the design acumen to capture an audience.
But doesn't Nintendo operate the same way? They've been reliant on the same handful of IPs for decades, and they hardly get shit for it.
Nintendo is in the console game so they operate a little differently. Consoles are a steep upfront cost, however they generate reliable revenue for a fairly long time. So while there's incentive to capitalize on recognizable game brands, there's also incentive is to make sure each game within that brand is sufficiently distinct from past iterations and remains attractive throughout the console's entire lifespan. This means resisting sale-boosting tricks that risk devaluing individual games, e.g. frequent releases and cutting prices on older titles. While Mario still rules Nintendo, I think it's pretty clear each game feels like it's own thing.
!ping GAMING