Sequals

[LostTimeLady]

The thought has occured to me... why does everything these days get sequals or some form of follow up?
I know some writers deliberately go out to write a series of books or produce a number of films from the beginning but my issue is with the epidemic of sequals to things that were stand alone pieces. I'll leave you to think of some examples.

I realise that there is a market for continuing a story but when done ham-handedly it really shows and I maintian that in a trilogy the second film is always the best but the original is always better when you tack a number 2 to a title (in my opinion!).

So, why do you think we get so many sequals and do you mind etc?
And for added discussion, what's your fave/least fave sequal to an original piece?

Discuss.


(P.S. I put this in the off-topic discussion cos although it relates to games it also relates to film a lot too as well as other media.)

 

[windlenot]

Something gets money. Can't go wrong with more of that. Well, you can, but a lot of consumers won't know that instantly!

 

[Boneasse]

Because there's good money to be made, if the first in a "series" is succesful. You have a baseline on; the story, characters, the universe of the game. You know the engine and how to work with it, and so on and so forth.

As such, it takes less work/money to produce a sequel, that you are fairly sure will gain succes, more money, than an original IP which might be succesful.

Mayhaps the story could not be fitted into one game aswell? It doesn't always have to be about the money.

I'm fairly sure a game like Dragon Age 2 was made with money in mind moreso than, for example, The Witcher 2.

 

[Hive Mind]

Following up an established franchise = cheaper and less risky than marketing a new IP.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

The first one is to establish the fan base, the following are to cash in on that fan base.

What's not to get?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Something gets money. Can't go wrong with more of that. Well, you can, but a lot of consumers won't know that instantly!

/thread.

 

[Buizel91]

Some developers want to try something different, some want to expand that particular game world, some milk it, and others have sequels planned when the original is created.

There a few sequels i can't wait for, such as the sequel to Transformers WFC (will be released in 2012) and Batman Arkham city.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Because there's a market for continuing a story. You answered your own question.

Also, Devil May Cry 3, Baten Kaitos Origins (technically a prequel), Metroid Prime 2, Smash Brothers Brawl (if it counts), The Malloreon series, and Toy Story 2 were all sequels I enjoyed even more than their already-enjoyable originals.

 

[Bobic]

You've seen Die hard right? It was awesome. And after seeing it you were probably like 'Damn, I want to see more Die Hard'. Movie producers know this so they make Die Hard sequels so that fans of the original get to see more Die Hard. They're kind like that. Sometimes they even throw in Samuel L. Jackson to sweeten the deal. I hope this clears things up.

 

[Vern5]

First: Spell check

OT: Brand recognition and fan devotion means a lot of potential revenue to be made by milking a particular franchise to death. Honestly, if it worked before then why not cash in again?

Not all sequels are bad, though. I actually liked Ghostbusters 2 about the same as Ghostbusters. Also, the Back to the Future trilogy was just damn good.

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

The main reason: Money.

If something does successful and sells well, from a business standpoint it is more profitable to focus on cashing in on that IP rather than sink more money into something you have no real clue if it'll be successful.

Games are a shining example of this.