The Playstation

What makes a game sell?  Is it the development team, the marketing, or the attachment of a recognizable series name?  Sometimes, even all that isn’t enough—and sometimes, a hit can come out of nowhere.  I check in with a few popular series and try to find out what’s next.

• BioShock: Take-Two admitted that the sequel to their original smash-hit FPS didn’t move as many copies as they expected, but was still a success for the franchise.  Speaking from experience, a too-short single-player campaign and a disappointing multiplayer feature could have hindered sales.  Still, there are big things in the water for the sci-fi series, which follows the events of a civil war in a utopian underwater city called Rapture.  A film is currently in preproduction.
• Final Fantasy: Game director Tetsuya Nomura has announced that the script for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is now complete.  The game takes place in the same universe as Final Fantasy XIII, a world a lot like ours but with a science-fiction slant.  Nomura has said that the game will incorporate third-person shooter aspects, and will even have some blood, as opposed to earlier games.  Unlike FFXIII, Versus is currently PS3-exclusive.
• Red Faction: In an interesting move, THQ will be releasing a Playstation Network/Xbox Live downloadable game in the series, hoping to drum up excitement for the launch of Red Faction: Armageddon.  No details about the downloadable title have been released, but VP of Core Games Danny Bilson has indicated that this will be a trend for other series, including Saint’s Row.  In addition, a comic book series should be on the way as well.

As a last note, Rockstar’s western Red Dead Redemption was an unexpected success.  Rockstar has already achieved amazing success with its Grand Theft Auto series.  This could be the start of another bright chapter in the developer’s career.