The video game industry has always been particularly creative. There has never been a problem with creating new IPs, trying different things, going against the norm. Even when imitation has occurred, there has always been a search for something distinctive. It is an intrinsic part of video games. Everyone knows that no one wants to play the same game, just with a slightly different aesthetic. That is why, even today, so many games from another era continue to surprise us.
It is important to note the “another era” because it happens less and less. Originality still exists in the indie field, but it is not as abundant. Because if there is one thing that the video game industry is full of, for one reason or another, it is remakes and remasters of already published games.
This is not something new. Even in the Super Nintendo generation, we already experienced numerous remakes, just from one generation to the next. But the difference is that now they seem to be more common. More constant. When we watch a Direct from any of the three major companies, it’s like more than half of the time is dedicated to games we already know. To remakes. What is the reason for this? And above all, why does it seem to happen more now than before?
It seems so because it happens. The amount of remakes and remasters that have been coming to the market for the past couple of years is absolutely ridiculous. And you only need to look at the ones announced for 2024 to see that this is only increasing.
Of games released to date, only between January 19 and March 14, 10 high-profile remasters or remakes have been released. From now until June, another six have already been announced. In all of 2024, between the games already released and those with a release date this year, there are already more than 30 remasters and remakes listed for release. A worrying figure, especially considering that many of these games could pass with a port or re-release.
What is the reason for this? The fact that games are becoming more expensive to produce. Their development takes longer, involves more people, and requires more investment. Something that makes most studios prefer not to take any kind of risks. If they can save time and money by redoing something they already know works, they will choose to do that instead of taking a chance on a new project.
Especially because the audience is also a factor. Getting people to spend money on a completely new game is difficult. You have to let them know it exists, learn its name, how to play it, and why they should be interested. This is not the case with a well-known license. And it happens even less when we talk about a game they already know.
With a game that already has a reputation, that is known how to play, what it is about, and even that we like, it is much easier to know that it will sell. Perhaps Final Fantasy 7 Remake or The Last Of Us 2 Remastered are not new games, but they are games that most people know they want to play. If they see them, they know they are interested in them, and they have no problem remembering their existence. All the problems associated with creating a new game evaporate; it is much easier to ensure that the disproportionate current cost of video games will not be a brutal loss for the studio.
Ironically, the best-performing games this year are not remakes or remasters. The big hits of 2024, at the time of writing this article, are Palworld, Content Warning, Helldivers II. Games that have in common their replayability and are more enjoyable when played with friends, but also something else: they are cheaper than the average.
Where most AAA, the most promoted games, are priced between 60 and 80 euros, the big hits of the year are priced between 7 and 40 euros. Prices where people feel more comfortable taking risks, buying something simply because it catches their attention and there is a possibility that it is good.
Something that demonstrates where the key is to break this vicious circle of making everything bigger. More expensive. Reduce the size of the games. Invest less time and less money in games with a smaller perspective and a more reasonable cost. If the industry were to turn towards this, it is very likely that it would not need to make remakes and remasters of everything. Never assume any risk. But as long as that happens, we will have to keep playing the same games over and over again.
