ChiefNode

When is original IP "worth" it?

Electronic Arts, a key gamemaker, announced that they are going to make licensing of existing characters ("others" intellectual property) a less prominent part of their strategy in creating games. Why?

Certainly the expense is one issue. But other reasons point to the lifecycle and perhaps tension in the relationship between IP owners & game makers. Movie (or other characters) have a life outside of the existing movie. . in other merchandise, and possibly in sequels. That life is not solely in a game. The character owner is controlling the entire credibility and goodwill of that character. Other merchandisers get it -- you don't create Spiderman with a green suit or something. But games are more "action packed" than other merchandise, of course.

What next, then? I suspect there will always be parties who want to "license" a character for game creation, even given the constraints. There is a built-in market. And perhaps there are more creative outlets for tie-ins without licensing.

posted by Dana Bostrom @ 08:36