Support NeoGAF

[ziran]

From Next Gen.

Part 1 Part 2


it's a lengthy article discussing episodic content for videogames in general. it's interesting and, imo, worrying.

thomas suggests an answer to increased dev costs could/will be episodic content. he says developers are currently making content that maybe only 30% of gamers see [those who play a game to completion]. so a re-using of assets could deliver a profitable business model for developers, with episodic content providing around 3 hours of gameplay at a cost of $5-$20.

more worryingly, he talks about videogames following the way tv programming works [in part 2].

i tried to imagine playing mgs, ff, halo or zelda in episodes, costing $10, and didn't like it!

on the positive side thomas says this system could deliver innovation, creating lower dev cost and lower risk per game.

with sony's phil harrison saying we should move away from 20 hours of content on a disc, it looks like episodic content will be at least tried.

 

[Tain]

i tried to imagine playing mgs, ff, halo or zelda in episodes, costing $10, and didn't like it!

That doesn't quite cover it, chief.

I like the idea. Given the pricing on Aftermath and the thought of Sin and Sam and Max episodes, I'm actually pretty pumped.

 

[dorio]

He's a hardware guy isn't he?

 

[ziran]

That doesn't quite cover it, chief.

I like the idea. Given the pricing on Aftermath and the thought of Sin and Sam and Max episodes, I'm actually pretty pumped.

i gave examples of games i would not like in an episodic form, as an extreme example.

why are you looking forward to it?

 

[Blackace]

as a gamer that gives you the chance to "preview" a game.. you are not full invested in it.. I just think this might bring heavier deadline pressures giving us, the gamer, buggier crap..

 

[ziran]

my main fear is 'cookie cutter' sequels. i mean far worse than anything we have today. if it genuinely delivers innovative content, fine, but mimicking the tv model? no.

 

[argon]

as a gamer that gives you the chance to "preview" a game.. you are not full invested in it.. I just think this might bring heavier deadline pressures giving us, the gamer, buggier crap..

Shouldn't those pretty much come free in game magazines?

 

[svenuce]

i tried to imagine playing mgs, ff, halo or zelda in episodes, costing $10, and didn't like it!

From the sound of it, I think he means episodic content is really meant more for games that wouldn't ordinarily get published in one big chunk. One of his major points is that developers and publishers would have a lot more freedom to try out a lot more "off the wall" and creative ideas by creating the first 2 or 3 episodes rather than a complete game and see what finds an audience and what doesn't.

So halo, fff, mgs, etc. aren't REALLY ideal candidates for episodic content models. It's already known that those have an audience.

Great article by the way. Well worth the read.

 

[Blackace]

Shouldn't those pretty much come free in game magazines?

should they? who is to say what should happen in this case.. I am just looking at what is a good thing that will come out of this..

 

[Borys]

Pay-per-play.

That's the future of content distribution and usage.

 

[ziran]

So halo, fff, mgs, etc. aren't REALLY ideal candidates for episodic content models. It's already known that those have an audience.

initially, maybe. but even if you're right, once success occurs using episodic content with an action game, fps, rpg, etc, major franchises will follow, imo.

 

[Beer Monkey]

In related news, Samsung execs told Hollywood how they should market feature films.

 

[rainer516]

episodic content eh? Look at Xenosaga.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

more worryingly, he talks about videogames following the way tv programming works [in part 2].

i tried to imagine playing mgs, ff, halo or zelda in episodes, costing $10, and didn't like it!

Not that I've put a lot of thought into this, but we expect different things from movies than we do TV shows. Perhaps the games you mentioned would continue to be the "movie" types, but we'd get something different from the "TV" types.

 

[Pimpbaa]

I don't like this at all. What if I really like the game? I would have to wait just to finish the complete game. Also, if you want a taste of what the game is like, that's what demos are for.

 

[Leatherface]

Is this guy Satan?!!

 

[Oni Jazar]

The problem I see with episodic content is that every subsequent episode is practically guaranteed to sell less then the previous version. It's not like TV where you can just jump in the middle. Most people who buy games don't finish them so that would be money saved by the consumer and money lost by the developers.

 

[svenuce]

It's not like TV where you can just jump in the middle.

Actually, there are models being suggested that would allow for this.

 

[pj]

Another problem is that storylines would have to be shorter. You couldn't have a 20 hour story divided into 5 four hour chunks, released months apart. I can barely follow the story of a 20 hour game if I stop playing for a couple weeks.

 

[Nikashi]

I don't think they're suggesting taking a game like.. Final Fantasy and splitting it up. I'm thinking more like... stories with persistent characters, that are self enclosed. Like mini sequels, if anything, not splitting up a longer story (although they could always write in a background plot for the content, so it has cohesion too)

 

[Pimpbaa]

I don't think they're suggesting taking a game like.. Final Fantasy and splitting it up. I'm thinking more like... stories with persistent characters, that are self enclosed. Like mini sequels, if anything, not splitting up a longer story (although they could always write in a background plot for the content, so it has cohesion too)

I like this idea. Splitting up a game into episodes would be very bad, but an ongoing series I would definitely like.

 

[svenuce]

I met him at a party at E3 if I recall.

So on the hardware guy giving software directives issue, before ATI he was one of the third party ISV guys for Xbox and he helped direct (if I recall or at least gave considerable input on) some of Microsoft's Live implimentation for services that could be used for episodic content.

 

[DrGAKMAN]

Mr. Yamauchi loved this idea and Mr. Miyamoto said how he wanted him to do it, but Mr. Miyamoto didn't really like the idea.

I like the idea...for SOME games.

I had the idea once of having a main game (say a new Metroid) that took place on 4 different planets/worlds. You could start & end that game as you would any other, but there would be other discs containing seperate planets not in the main game that could be added on and explored. If there were 3 additional planet discs there would thus be 3 new sub-stories and possibly 3 different endings added to the main game. New items, suits, weopons, enemies, situations, story elements, endings, etc. would be kinda cool and would make a game that's normally completed start to finnish in a month, drag on (in a good way) further as more discs come out to add to the game.

This is the way PokeMon works (to SOME extent, .hack would probably be a better example, though I don't think it's done as effectivly sales wise) and really this appeals to those who want more of a good game, but don't wanna wait/buy a seperate full-priced sequel. Plus, as alot of these current TV shows do these days, people love to hang on the edge of their seats at the end of a episode (or even a whole season) and clamour for the next.

 

[RobotChant]

We could see a series get canceled a few episodes in because it's just not selling well? The "Freaks & Geeks" model, coming to a console near you. Sounds like a wonderful idea.