tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959857904862764847.post8369644374640690474..comments2023-09-23T10:46:14.707+01:00Comments on The Boss Monster: Playing Dr. Freud to Your Intellectual PropertySean Duganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12929101541707990779noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959857904862764847.post-37428701769786226882010-02-12T02:49:14.658+00:002010-02-12T02:49:14.658+00:00You are, of course, completely correct, all those ...You are, of course, completely correct, all those contrary factors just mean we're unlikely to see many devs make the effort for movie tie-ins (which means when developers do, the game shines all the brighter).<br />There's another issue that I neglected to mention but experienced first hand - when the IP holder and the publisher have some notions of what the game should be. My own experience went something like this: <br /><b>Publisher:</b> We bought the MMO rights for this popular movie. We think the game should be like this...<br /><b>Designers:</b> {after listening in stunned silence...} Well, um, there are some problems with your proposed direction. First, the style and gameplay you've just described are the same as a popular Korean MMO... which are completely unrelated to, and totally inappropriate for, this IP. Second, the MMO that you're using as the model for this game is only popular in Korea, but the movie IP is only popular in the U.S., so we're not sure who your targeted audience is. Third, the creators of the IP have (quite correctly, in this case) expressly forbidden the use of certain game elements upon which you've based your entire design. Fourth, all that fighting-based gameplay? Inappropriate both for the IP and the age range of the audience. How about we try this other design, instead, that's more appropriate to the IP?<br /><b>Publisher:</b> That sounds more expensive.<br /><br />Ultimately, unsurprisingly, the publisher decided it wanted to do it cheap rather than right. The project's development was transferred to Korea, where I'm sure it started to take on a resemblance to a certain popular Korean MMO.,,bob_dhttp://www.lies-all-lies.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959857904862764847.post-85895986989794937422010-02-10T13:48:41.558+00:002010-02-10T13:48:41.558+00:00It's true, licensed games that are tied in to ...It's true, licensed games that are tied in to some event (such as a movie release) are almost always seriously under the gun. Hollywood has very little understanding how long it takes to make a good game. <br /><br />For me, if you're a professional on a project, it's important to do the most justice to your IP as you can. There's a host of factors (time, money, technology) that can get in the way of that. But you still gotta try and figure out what makes the IP tick - and in my experience, even if you're not in love with the IP, that can turn the experience into something more rewarding.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17489854003602130830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959857904862764847.post-7130900251117106602010-02-09T23:53:08.075+00:002010-02-09T23:53:08.075+00:00I imagine that for most games of this sort the int...I imagine that for most games of this sort the intent is to make it as broadly appealing as possible. Since they are often tied in with specific films, I can almost see the designers thinking, "what popular game-play can we shoehorn this IP into, while also allowing the character to do that thing he did in the movie..." (Though I've seen some designs that dispensed entirely with having anything to do with the original IP.) Ironically that results in a bland, generic game that disappoints the actual fans who are the core audience for the game, rather than significantly broadening its appeal.<br />I think the problem is compounded in that most games based on existing (non-game) IPs seem to be done with especially small budgets and especially short deadlines; that development environment really doesn't lend itself to deep thinking about the IP or development of complex game-play systems. <br />I also get the impression that a small number of studios end up doing many of the tie-in games, and IP-based games are seen as money makers to fund "real" projects, so the developers therefore aren't particularly invested in any of the IPs they work with.bob_dhttp://www.lies-all-lies.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com