14 DAY TRIAL // 2008 was a pretty tough year for games and especially for gamers, who were affected by the recent financial recession. As the usual customer's budget for games and consoles was severely downsized, it seems that people have begun to hunt out the much cheaper products, thus explaining the surge in sales that the low-priced Xbox 360 registered and games that were guaranteed to deliver a great experience.
As such, it seems that sequels to popular franchises like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero or Grand Theft Auto seemed more attractive to a lot of people than games that were based on new IPs (Intellectual Properties), like Dead Space or Mirror's Edge. Also, the recent top ten charts released by gaming websites feature numerous games that are sequels, like Capcom's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots or Bethesda's Fallout 3.
“In uncertain economic times, gamers do what every other consumer does – focus on quality brands,” said Sid Shuman, senior editor at GamePro Magazine. ”If game purchases are limited, gamers will flock to core titles that are guaranteed to satisfy like Call of Duty: World at War, Gears of War 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Think of them as gaming comfort foods.”
Also, this year was a great one for music games, as their own genre has surpassed the very popular sports one and gained the number two spot in terms of popularity amongst gamers across the world. As such, the sequels to the most important music franchises out there, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, have sold extremely well and are sure to have huge sales this holiday season.
2008 was also a very good year for the Nintendo Wii and the casual gaming scene, as new iterations in extremely popular franchises like Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers Brawl have achieved record-breaking sales and pushed the small white Japanese console to new heights in terms of popularity and, more importantly, sales.
All in all, it seems that, in 2009, gamers who are affected by the recession will still turn to sequels, as they have a guarantee that they will deliver a great experience. Let's just hope that this won't spell the end for new and original titles.