If you thought there were a ton of remakes coming out recently, you’re not the only person that noticed that trend. Whether its Blizzard’s Warcraft III: Reforged or Square Enix’s ambitious attempt at remaking Final Fantasy VII across multiple installments, we’ve recently seen a lot of remakes with more to come. And that’s not stopping the announcements of other games getting remade as well, such as the persistent rumors that Red Dead Redemption‘s remake.
So what’s behind all of this? Money, of course, and Wall Street is taking notice of the video game industry’s ability to mine its old IP for new earnings. Is this a trend that will stick with us for some time? Probably, and there’s a lot going in its favor to make sure that happens.
For one, the criticisms behind game development and how much it costs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. One way to alleviate this is to have guaranteed hits. You know, things like Final Fantasy VII. The argument goes that, with superior options in terms of technology, video game companies can present stories and situations in new ways. This is different from the movie industry which is normally just limited to a new take on the same subject material. Video game remakes go beyond the story and delve into certain qualitative aspects like immersion that is easier in some ways now than ever before.
As Take-Two President Karl Slatoff explained, “Even though they’re not brand new experiences, there is always a new audience to catch and then there is always a new experience depending on the generation that each of those individual titles came out where even existing fans can enjoy in a different way.”
But the Motley Fool has a word of caution for the industry in the midst of this remake hype.
“It’s unclear what kind of profit margins remakes generate. It might seem that touching up an already made game with new graphics may not involve much investment, but it can be a substantial undertaking,” John Ballard of the Motley Fool writes. “For example, Square Enix had bounced around the idea of a Final Fantasy VII Remake for several years before finally releasing it this year. The studio’s budget was one of the hold-ups.”
The author goes on to say that similar to upcoming movies like Top Gun, these games seem safe bets for good returns.
What do you think? Are we entering the era of the remake? Is that a good thing? What is one game that you would like to see get remade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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