Gaming Industry Needs More New IPs & Fresh Ideas

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Abiyan

At Tech4gamers, I cover all sorts of gaming news. Whether it’s a leak of any upcoming game or an update, an announcement, or a rumour, I like to write about it all. Over the weekend, I sit and write features where I talk about games that I miss or want to see return.

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Last year was my personal favorite in gaming, as I spent a lot of time playing great titles. However, it was easy to see a distinct lack of original IPs since most of the best games were just sequels or remakes.

Whether it be Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, or Resident Evil 4 Remake, most of the games released in 2023 were just retreads of old franchises through sequels or remakes.

This problem is not a recent one since remasters and remakes have become a bit too popular. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, I would like to see studios trying more creative ideas and creating new IPs in the process.

Why it matters: A quick look at 2024 shows that this problem will continue to persist in the next eleven months.

More Remakes & Sequels On The Way

Though 2024 is filled with many great releases, the conversation has been dominated by familiar IPs. Going into the first month, The Last of Us Part 2 has been re-released as a remaster.

Meanwhile, franchises like Tekken, Prince of Persia, and Yakuza returned with new entries. These games are by no means bad or unoriginal, but there is something to be said about a completely fresh experience, which is seldom possible for existing franchises.

Naughty Dog, in particular, has added to the frustration. Amid the demand for new games, the studio has only put out re-releases since 2020, canceling its only new project last year.

The rest of the 2024 is also filled with sequels. Hellblade 2, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Stalker 2, and more are just a few sequels headed our way in the coming months. Even Phil Spencer has said:

“AAA publishers are riding the success of franchises created 10 years ago.”

Meanwhile, a small developer has just shaken the industry to its core with Palworld. Admittedly, Palworld is far from original. However, as a new IP, it highlights why fresh ideas and franchises are so important.

New IPs Shined In 2023 & 2024

No games demonstrate the prowess of a new IP better than Hi-Fi Rush and Palworld. Both games were made on fairly limited budgets, avoiding the risk of complete failure.

However, they used familiar ideas and concepts to create something engaging. Today, Hi-Fi Rush has the honor of being Xbox’s best-rated game in the stacked year of 2023. Meanwhile, Palworld’s success needs no introduction.

This game, initially ridiculed as Pokemon with guns, has reached a historic 2 million concurrent players on Steam. The only other game to boast a higher player count is PUBG.

It has become so big that I feel Pokemon should go multiplatform to capitalize on a market Palworld is currently shining in. Meanwhile, a game like Starfield showed the impact of new IPs on AAA gaming.

Not only did it reach 12 million players, but it also became 2023’s most-played RPG, beating Baldur’s Gate 3, the Game of the Year.

Licensed IPs: A Middle Ground

While some might not consider games based on franchises like Star Wars new IPs, they serve as a balanced approach.

Franchises like Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi practically change the canon, with Respawn’s original character, Cal Kestis, becoming part of the official Star Wars universe eventually.

Hogwarts Legacy was a similar example of this approach from 2023. It was the most successful new release of 2023. While the game was based on an existing universe, it felt fresh because of a unique concept and new gameplay mechanics that weren’t in a previous game.

It eventually sold 24 million units and became 2023’s biggest AAA release. 2024 is already shaping up to be another year based on gaming adaptations of popular IPs. For starters, MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been revealed with an incredible first trailer.

Ubisoft is also working on a new Star Wars game, filling the gaps between two of the IP’s biggest films. Looking further into the future, Marvel characters like Iron Man and Black Panther are set to star in their own games.

With game budgets ballooning out of control, such adaptations lead to a less risky but fresh approach to games.

Promising New IPs In 2024

Amidst the numerous sequels coming soon, a few new IPs have also shown promise.

Rise of the Ronin seems to be a familiar take on Japanese samurai games. However, it raises the stakes with Team Ninja’s signature combat that packs a decent amount of challenge.

Elsewhere, Stellar Blade looks promising as the latest addition to stylish hack-and-slash games. It also seems to incorporate Souls-like elements for an amalgamation rarely seen in gaming.

XDefiant is another game I look forward to this year. Overall, such IPs have given me more hope for the future. If successful, such games can motivate other studios to follow suit in an attempt to separate themselves through new IPs.

Abiyan

[News Reporter]

Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.