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The Thursday Letters site isn’t keen on the idea of 11 new Assassin’s Creed games after a reader gets a Starfield shipment.
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Number one or broke
So lately we’ve been learning a lot about sales, between the Final Fantasy info and the Horizon series, and that got me thinking about what to expect from GTA 6. Not in terms of the game itself, but in terms of sales. The fact that GTA 5 sold as much as the entire Final Fantasy series is mind-blowing, but it also sold almost as much as all other GTA games combined.
GTA 5 sold 180 million copies (and counting), but GTA 4 only sold 25 million and was the best-selling of the series at the time. So does that mean GTA 6 will do just that, too? Was GTA 5 Lightning in a Bottle? It doesn’t look like the demand for GTA 6 will be less, but it’s better not to make assumptions.
I think it will do very well, but given the current small user base of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the absolute maximum would be around 60 million, not counting the PC. But obviously not every single next-gen console owner is going to buy the game.
I assume this is one of the main reasons Rockstar is in no rush to release the game. Why release it at all if it can’t be the greatest game ever? I mean, that will probably happen at some point, but will it break GTA 5’s record and be sold over three separate generations? I think people underestimate what an amazing achievement this is.
goals sir
Endless horizon
I can imagine he thought he sounded very impressive and confident because the idea of 16 new Horizon games, or whatever the actual number is, strikes me as absolutely terrifying. Not because I hate the franchise or anything, but because such a benign series is being exploited for content that sounds like it’s been a decade or more.
If a big-budget game now takes about six years to make, how long will it take even just a handful of games? The idea of planning the future of the series so far in advance and in so much detail is terrifying. It also seems like the perfect way to encourage brain drain in guerrilla games, as people realize how much time they have to spend doing essentially the same thing.
The first game was okay, but halfway through the second I was fed up with the formula. I can’t imagine how strong the déjà vu will be when they get to the sixth.
Caleb
Binary
I just want to check if I’m not the only one who thinks it’s crazy that there are currently 11 Assassin’s Creed games in the works? How can it be that there are new ideas and interested fans so quickly enough to support so many? And what happens to the poor developers working on the 10th and 11th when the others in front of them are doing less and less well?
I know Ubisoft has had a rough few years lately, but it seems very short-sighted to be so hard on the biggest franchise. What will they do when they bankrupt their cash cow and suddenly have no certainty to rely on?
gaston
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blood pact
So I suspect we’re in a situation now where it’s entirely possible for Microsoft to have Infinity Ward or Raven or someone working on Halo in the near future. It seemed like a silly idea at first, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like it’s almost the only thing they could do.
They obviously aren’t interested in starting a new studio and I don’t know there’s anyone out there who can be guaranteed to do a better job. Id Software came to mind as an option that Microsoft already owns, but I don’t think they generally dislike their games being that serious.
I know Halo is in trouble right now, but I want it to come back and regain at least some of its former glory. But for that you need new blood, or at least veteran blood that has never worked on it.
corsair
No decision
I’ll tell you what: The Activision/Xbox deal is far from over. They’re going to appeal the verdict, the FTC is strictly against this deal, and they’re not going to lie down. Just like Xbox won’t. They have already announced that they will try to block it again in the next few days.
I have a feeling this is going to drag on for years, and let’s face it, having a judge who had never watched a game let alone picked up a controller was a huge mistake. We all know why they want to buy Activision and it’s not for King.
David
GC: They have said they are considering appealing, but have not done so.
The boat is missing
I love it when GC does a Shmup review and I totally agree. I don’t know why more people haven’t tried to copy Star Fox 64. I guess because back then it was the all-range mode sections that were revolutionary, and is it that everyone was more interested in hunting?
Unfortunately, I feel like the time for publishers to experiment with things like this is probably over. It wouldn’t have cost that much to experiment with things like this on the PlayStation 1 or 2, but we’re talking millions now. Maybe an indie will try, but all I’ve seen are games that want to copy Star Fox as closely as possible, rather than trying to go beyond.
Even if Konami or Square Enix or someone with a classic Shmup franchise tried to make a new game, they’d probably try to turn it into a space combat simulator, but not only is that not the same at all, but they don’t sell either very good, so why? I imagine they’re doing just that, and that’s why we don’t see anyone trying.
spike
Soon
Sorry to reiterate this Kickstarter campaign, but I missed an important piece of information: If you support the documentary The Rubber-Keyed Wonder from the creators of From Bedrooms To Billions, you will receive a digital or physical copy in September of the 2023 documentation, depending on which tier you choose.
Although the original campaign took place in 2021, I and many original supporters have been patiently waiting for the release for a long time. If you support them now, you will receive the documentation in September.
Andrew J
new idea
Talking about 16 more “plans” for new Horizon games seems so strange to me. I know they said it wasn’t literally 16 games, but I know for a fact from my friends that I’m not the only one who was fed up with the series by the end of game two. In fact, I know a lot of people who haven’t gotten that far. Do we really need to see them scrap the bottom of the barrel for new robotic animal ideas? I can’t wait to face a robot rabbit or hedgehog.
I guess the series has its fans so I’m not going to attack them, but what irritates me about this situation is why they don’t realize that it’s spawning something new and the original was made interesting by things never seen before, just like his own qualities. Making half a dozen sequels is the exact opposite of the idea behind the original.
Nintendo is the same. They had a huge hit with Splatoon, which was new, exciting and different for them and what did they do…? They went ahead and made a number of other Splatoon games.
It seems to me like publishers are so desperate for a hit that as soon as they get one that’s even remotely successful, they convince themselves that it’s the new greatest thing of all time, and buy it right away to blow up. You see that a lot at Microsoft too, so I think it’s universal.
The lesson to take from your brand new IP being a smash hit is to create more new IP and not immediately turn it into a problem you were trying to get out of.
Taylor Moon
Inbox is also running
Why is Need For Speed: Most Wanted the most popular? I was sure it would be Underground 1 and 2. With all the problems the series has had lately, I would have thought that Underground 3 would be a given.
custard
I’m ready.
Johnny five stars
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