Licensed game

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A licensed game is a video game developed as a tie-in for a franchise in a different media format, such as a book, film or television show. Like other types of tie-ins, they are generally intended as a form of cross-promotion in order to generate additional revenue and visibility. The poor quality of licensed games, which were rushed to meet unrealistic deadlines, nearly caused the collapse of the video game industry during the video game crash of 1983, and they have historically been regarded as inferior to original IPs. Nevertheless, there are numerous examples of well-regarded licensed games, and the rise of video games as a cultural force in their own right have resulted in tie-in titles of significantly higher production values and quality.

Contents

History

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), a licensed game and notorious commercial failure, was one of numerous games in the Atari video game burial. Atari E.T. Dig- Alamogordo, New Mexico (14036097792).jpg
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), a licensed game and notorious commercial failure, was one of numerous games in the Atari video game burial.

Licensed games were common since the very start of the video game industry, but were rarely a hallmark of a high-quality product. For decades, games based on a non-sports-related license were poor commercial performers, and many, such as Superman 64 , were considered some of the worst games of all time. Most of the licenses were movie licenses, tied to big-budget films that were due to release in a much shorter time than a quality video game needed to develop, causing the game's development to be rushed to meet the film's release, and resulting in numerous bugs and glitches in the final product. [1] [2] Notably, the 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was rushed to release in five weeks to meet the Christmas shopping season, becoming one of the largest commercial failures ever and causing the downfall of Atari. Atari's failure triggered the video game crash of 1983, until the Nintendo Entertainment System revitalized the industry. [3] Alternatively, the game released long after the movie and was unable to profit from the movie's release hype, also causing poor sales. [1]

Initially, studios refused to divulge many details about their films to game developers, even going so far as to prevent them from reading the script more than once. [2] Studios interfered heavily with a game's development, such as requesting numerous minor changes to appease actors. [4] Over time, communication increased between movie studios and game developers. Studios send over clips and plot outlines to ensure the game meshes properly with the film it is based on, as well as allowing developers to use the same actors and soundtrack. [3] [2] Studios became less worried about matching a game's release date to a certain film's as brand strategies became larger in scope, more about keeping a franchise front-of-mind for audiences, allowing developers to work at their own pace, usually slower than a film's. [4]

In the modern day, fewer AAA games are licensed titles, and the industry shifted towards creating original IP. Licensed games are more commonly on mobile platforms and oriented towards a casual audience, with a low development budget and time. Games created in months can more easily meet the deadlines for a movie marketing campaign. [1] Genres such as idle games are simple to play for a wide array of fans, resulting in high revenue. [5]

Some indie games have also started becoming licensed tie-ins. Examples include John Wick Hex , a turn-based strategy game developed by Mike Bithell after he pitched the idea to Lionsgate. [4]

Notable examples

DuckTales , a 1989 platformer and one of Disney's earliest licensed games, received critical renown for its unique gameplay, and is known as one of the best NES games. Aspects lauded by fans include its pogo stick ability, non-linearity, and its soundtrack, composed by Capcom's Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, including its well-known Moon theme. [6] [7]

GoldenEye 007 , a 1997 Nintendo 64 first-person shooter based on the film of the same name, is considered one of the best video games of all time, and marked a significant change in the genre towards more cinematic games. It used open level design based on exact blueprints and photos of the film sets, allowing players to explore the film's spaces at their own leisure. Allowing players to "inhabit" the role of James Bond and complete levels using their own gameplay style, it let them control an expanded version of the movie. [8] [9] The A.V. Club called it an "anomaly" in an "era when licensed games were almost universally terrible". [10]

The Batman: Arkham action-adventure series, beginning in 2009 with Arkham Asylum , attained commercial success, with the 2011 Arkham City becoming the single most critically acclaimed superhero game, [11] also being declared the best licensed game ever made by Game Informer upon its release. Particular aspects that were singled out by reviewers include the games' combat against multiple enemies, Batman's ability to glide through the game's world, and its Detective Vision system. [12]

The Walking Dead, a 2012 episodic adventure game series by Telltale Games, told a standalone story in the established fictional world of The Walking Dead . It was praised for its emphasis on player choice and its more story-driven gameplay than a typical zombie game, achieving widespread commercial success and becoming a widely cited example of successful transmedia storytelling, despite the company's later collapse. [13] [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Telltale Incorporated was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following LucasArts' decision to leave the adventure game genre. Telltale established itself to focus on adventure games using a novel episodic release schedule over digital distribution, creating its own game engine, the Telltale Tool, to support this. It closed in October 2018 after filing for bankruptcy protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traveller's Tales</span> British video game developer

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Batman: The Dark Knight was a cancelled action-stealth game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Pandemic Studios from September 2006 until its cancellation in October 2008. It would have been the first open world video game to feature the DC Comics superhero Batman and was based on Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight. In Batman: The Dark Knight, the player controlled Batman, who could freely explore Gotham City, drive vehicles, and perform missions. Pandemic was given access to the film's script and other materials, and the film's cast would have reprised their roles for the game.

<i>Batman: Arkham Asylum</i> 2009 video game

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, Arkham Asylum was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman battles his archenemy, the Joker, who instigates an elaborate plot to seize control of Arkham Asylum, trap Batman inside with many of his incarcerated foes, and threaten Gotham City with hidden bombs.

<i>Batman: Arkham City</i> 2011 video game

Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum and the second installment in the Batman: Arkham series. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini with Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, Arkham City was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos. In the game's main storyline, Batman is incarcerated in Arkham City, a super-prison enclosing the decaying urban slums of fictional Gotham City. He must uncover the secret behind a sinister scheme orchestrated by the facility's warden, Dr. Hugo Strange.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">WB Games Montréal</span> Canadian video game developer

WB Games Montréal Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal, Canada. It was founded as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games in 2010 and is best known for developing Batman: Arkham Origins and Gotham Knights.

<i>Batman: Arkham</i> Superhero video game series

Batman: Arkham is a superhero action-adventure video game series based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Rocksteady Studios and WB Games Montréal, and published originally by Eidos Interactive and currently by Warner Bros. Games. The franchise consists of four main installments and a spin-off, along with four smaller titles for mobile devices, two virtual reality games, tie-in comic books, and an animated film. The continuity established by the games is often referred to as the Arkhamverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAA (video game industry)</span> High-budget video game

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<i>Batman: Assault on Arkham</i> 2014 film directed by Ethan Spaulding and Jay Oliva

Batman: Assault on Arkham is a 2014 direct-to-video animated superhero film that is the 21st film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Based on the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, the film was directed by Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding, produced by James Tucker, and written by Heath Corson. It was first screened at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2014, and it was released digitally on July 29 and on physical media on August 12.

<i>Batman: The Telltale Series</i> 2016 video game

Batman: The Telltale Series is a 2016 episodic point-and-click graphic adventure video game developed and published by Telltale Games and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under its DC Entertainment label. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, though not tied to any previous adaptation of the work in film or other media. Upon release, it received mixed reviews, which praised the atmosphere, action sequences, and faithfulness to the Batman mythos, but criticized it for technical issues and plot. A second season, titled Batman: The Enemy Within, was released in 2017, and was viewed as an improvement over the original.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT Games</span> British holding company

TT Games Limited is a British holding company and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Games. The company was established in 2005 through the merger of developer Traveller's Tales and publisher Giant Interactive. Its other branches include developer TT Fusion, animation studio TT Animation and mobile game studio TT Odyssey. The company is best known for its video games based on the Lego construction toy.

LCG Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Telltale Games, is an American video game developer and publisher based in Malibu, California. The company was established after the original Telltale Games filed for assignment in October 2018 and were forced to shut down and sell off assets. LCG Entertainment had been able to acquire the rights to much of the original Telltale intellectual property (IP), including branding, games, and game licenses, and announced in August 2019 they would be bringing the old Telltale Games titles back.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Peterson, Steve (2014-11-03). "Why Licensed Games Are Finally Hot". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  2. 1 2 3 Musgrove, Mike (2006-07-20). "Movie and Game Studios Getting the Total Picture". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. 1 2 Canwest News Service (2012-11-06). "Hollywood and video game industry profit from movie tie-ins". Canada.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  4. 1 2 3 Sinclair, Brendan (2019-07-29). "Making the most interesting licensed games through self-sabotage". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  5. ↑ Rees, Lewis (2022-11-29). "Why do so many licensed games go down the idle route?". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. ↑ Watts, Steve (2022-09-23). "The Best Disney Games Of All Time". GameSpot . Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  7. ↑ Teti, John (2010-07-17). "Retrospective: DuckTales". Eurogamer . Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. ↑ Knorr, Alyse (2022-07-06). "Excerpt: How the designers of GoldenEye 007 made use of "Anti-Game Design"". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. ↑ McCarter, Reid (2023-02-06). "GoldenEye 007 marked a massive change in the course of game design". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  10. ↑ Pang, Kevin; Gerardi, Matt (2017-08-07). "For some of us, games never got better than GoldenEye 007". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  11. ↑ "Most critically acclaimed superhero videogame". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  12. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (2011-10-14). "Batman: Arkham City Review - The Best Licensed Video Game Ever Made". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  13. ↑ Suellentrop, Chris (2012-05-08). "Putting the Guilt Back in Killing: Game Features Zombies With a Little Soul". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  14. ↑ Batchelor, James (2019-04-11). "Telltale's The Walking Dead "made Skybound what it is"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
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