I was wondering why he was speaking German since I cant speak a lick of it. *rofl*

Viva la more creativity!

Hasn't it been proven that sequels almost always sell better than an original property?

God, I'm already frothing at the mouth over spore, now I have the words Spore 2 etched into my brain. I'm not sure how to feel about that.

GOD I WANT SPORE!

Sorry, sorry.

Good job associating Will Wright with games he didn't even make. ;) The reason SimCity 4 sucked, Sims 2 has more expansions than Michael Moore's ass, and SimCity 5 will probably alienate every SimCity fan to date is because EA bought Maxis and Will Wright didn't/won't work on those games. Please, don't sully his name with those titles. :(

Video game sequels aren't as bad as movie sequels though. Generally they seek to expand on, improve and update the concept of the original game, rather than just cash in on it.

I wonder if he means just sequels in general of a certain type of sequel....
Are Final Fantasy games sequels? Are Mario games sequels? Are indeed his own Simcity games sequels?

Also, enough chatter Will, bring us Spore and make it not suck! *shakes fist*

@DaveKap: Sully? How many people think Sims 1 or Simcity 1 were the pinnacle of the series? Anyone?

"Will Wright says: There are too many sequels"
"Will Wright says: Koreans seem to enjoy Starcraft"
"Will Wright says: Sky is apparently blue in color"

A decades-old viewpoint devoid of novel insight is what it is, regardless of whether it comes from a bum or from from the mouth of an industry genius.

If people were just JUMPING on origianl titles when they launch instead of complaining about lack of original titles on teh interwebs companies might be more inclined to develope more original stuff. Cause according to sales people want RPG#13 more than they want original adventure 1st edition. And no amount of bitching on the internet seems to change that. Stuff it! and go spend your moneys!

Maybe Will Wright should write a game with a storyline and he'll see why there are sequels.

I only agree with him when it comes to variations of puzzle games, sports games, WWII games, and the oversaturation of franchises like FF and NFS games.

I think he means direct sequels. With final fantasy it's a different story each time. Same name though. D; Though I generally like sequels.

Finish SPORE!

GAME DESIGNER HAS OPINION ABOUT THINGS, STUFF

As good as Will Wright is at designing sims, he's living in a glass house here. Just how many Sim games has he been responsible for?

Frankly, I think it's far better to produce sequels to a story-laden game such as Half Life, Halo, Warcraft, etc. than to stew out multiple iterations of the same premise such as Sim City.

I still can't wait to play Spore, though.

Less interviews, more Spore-making.

God, I can't believe Will Wright actually went out and said it. Has he looked at all the Sims variations hitting store shelves? I don't think he's in any position to criticize sequels in video gaming.

Like SABER_JUSTICE mentioned, game sequels aren't as bad as movie sequels since they almost always expand on the concept of the original title and improve it.

You know, I've always just accepted the video game market as being based on various sequels, I never really thought about it. Will Wright has a point, the industry would be much more interesting if we were constantly given new stories and characters to experience. I'm not saying I don't enjoy sequels to games I like, but sometimes less is a good thing. The same goes for re-releases of old games, its great to play them again, but it shouldn't be a priority.

And how many iterations of The Sims are there?

One sequel for each console is right, 2 is pushing the limits but acceptable, 3 sequels in one console its too much...

I think Will is just jealous that some developers can create more then one installment of game series before he can even finish Spore.

Will Wright, brilliant game designer and erstwhile shit-flinger needs to finish up Spore. Oh, and while I do believe him to be a great designer, who the hell is he to be smack-talking about sequels? This is the guy who made a career of slapping "Sim" on dozens of games covering everything from city-building to being a damn ant.

Oh, and let's not forget the 8,000 Sims expansions. I don't know exactly how many there've been, it all kind of blurs together, I get dizzy and have to sit down after a while.

But the thing about his games is that they are actually creative. I don't want to play a game about killing some Nazis when I already know that it has happened and I have 17 and a half games like that. So Will has a bit of a point there...

Will wasn't responsible for the expansion packs, that was EA wanting to make a profit. This was probably an indirect small jab at EA for making a billion sequels of his games.

Will Wright was definitely not involved in SimCity 4 and Sims 2 (and expansions). The Sims division is not even the same division as Will Wright's division anymore. He has basically been working on Spore for like the past 5 years.

@ErinIsADrunk: lol.

Will Wright's list of games credits to date:
* Spore (TBD)
* The Sims 2 (2004)
* The Urbz: Sims in the City (2004)
* SimCity 4 (2003).
* The Sims Bustin' Out (2003)
* The Sims: Makin' Magic (2003)
* The Sims: Superstar (2003)
* The Sims Online (2002)
* The Sims: Unleashed (2002)
* SimCity 3000 Unlimited (2000)
* SimCity 3000 (1999)
* Marble Drop (1997)
* SimIsle: Missions in the Rainforest (1995)
* SimTown (1995)
* SimCity 2000 Urban Renewal Kit (1994)
* SimCity Classic (1994)
* Empire Deluxe Scenarios (1993)
* SimCity 2000 (Special Edition) (1993)
* SimCity 2000 (1993)
* SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM (1993)
* Sim Safari (1998)
* SimLife (1992)
* RoboSport (1991)
* SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony (1991)
* SimEarth: The Living Planet (1990)
* SimCity (1989)
* SimCity: Terrain Editor (1989)
* Raid on Bungeling Bay (1984)

I'm sure he counts most of those as spin-offs and not sequels and things like Sim City 3000? That's obviously not a 2 or a 3.

Actually, I read something pertaining to movie releases that the tendancy towards sequels reflects the nation's 'living in fear' and thus unwillingness to try new things especially with rising ticket costs (it was in reference to the united states, when the new spider man and shrek, etc. were coming out), and the film producer's are just catering to us.

I'm pretty sure everyone can think of at least one game that didn't get the attention it should've, and another game we've bought sight-unseen because it's a franchise or creator we know (like Will Wright). Games are expensive, both to make and to purchase, so producers and consumers are obviously going to lean towards names that are known. And we're all buying them, so what's the problem?

Actually, there are a lot of developers/designers out there who create an original title, and then are either a) basically forced to make a sequel by their publisher (such as the second Katamari Damacy and possibly the second Guitar Hero) or b) the publisher takes the IP to a new developer to continue pumping out sequels (such as the case with the PSP Katamari Damacy and the upcoming Guitar Hero III). Will has little to do with the countless Sims sequels and expansions, he's been working on Spore. As much as I hate to be trendy by blaming EA, this actually is all EA's doing (Sims is a major cash cow to them, they're going to bleed that franchise dry).

Shut the hell up and finish Spore.

By the time we're all playing Spore 2 our food will come in little dehydrated cubes and we'll all be wearing shiny metallic jump suits as we drive to work in our flying cars.

Rather have a sequel than wait for your ass in fiscal 09 for a new game, which'll make it about a decade since your last one.

Sequals are great. It's difficult to tell a deep, compelling story in one game (or movie), excluding RPGs. Trilogies do seem the best. Everything DOES need an end. Once you get to 4 or 5, that may be a little overkill. Except for fighting games..

They can keep making Sim City's, though. I'm cool with that.

hahahahaha how many games have the word 'Sim" in the title. STFU Will. That being said, i DO agree with him.

Sorry Will, I was too busy playing 'The Sims: How High Can You Count Roman Numerals' edition to read what you had to say.

Will's like a porn director who says "So much girl on girl. Sigh! Why don't people think creatively any more?"

90% of all games are based on rock paper scissors anyway.

business and money above all people

nothing new about that, unfortunately

@twesterm: And in how many of those titles was he simply a "creator of original," "special thanks to," or "executive producer who actually didn't even touch the game"?

Also, I definitely believe SC 1 and Sims 1 were the pinnacles of their respective series. Especially the SNES version of SC 1. How could you not love Bowser trouncing your city?

Good thing expansions aren't sequels... new Sims expansion every friggin week.

@andregalan:
LOL so true.

There are plenty of good original games that never got even a single look at from consumers. Heck, even a "game of the year" game sold poorly because it's original and not a sequel (poor Clover). It's just that sequel nowadays is the ONLY way to do things. People started to trust "brands" rather than "try new things" like back in the older days (which strangely enough pretty much created the brands in the first place).

Hello, Pot? Hi. This is Kettle. You're black.

Stop doing interviews!!! and get to work!!!!! I NEED SPORE NOW!

Look at it this way: We're now at a crossroads, where game companies no longer have to rely on sequels for a continuous cash stream.

There doesn't have to be a Spore 2 - there can just be a seemingly-infinite number of downloadable content upgrades to Spore 1. Design with DLC in mind, and the game changes.

Admittedly, nobody's done it yet... but it can't be far off. Even the move towards episodic content can be seen as nothing more than a trend away from 'sequels' and towards DLC, even if it's not piecemeal.

What he's saying doesn't sound extremely forward thinking, but it doesn't mean he's not necessarily right; we could indeed be looking at a reduction in sequels in the coming years, as companies steer more resources into DLC and away from annual releases.

I agree with the ongoing theme of shut up and finish your own damn original title and show the industry that way. If actions speak louder then words, then cash will make a lot more points for his argument. Until then he's just coming of as whining and angering people. (How many people read this and went 'Shut it and finish'?)

And while EA probably was the driving force behind
'The Sims: The superfluous give us your damned money expansion part three', Or 'Sim city X-2: same old city but with better fire effects!' I am sure Mr. Wright wasn't complaining when he got paid royalty checks from it.

(No I am not entirely sure how it works, but it's his concept, and I am sure he got paid for it, copy write laws being what they are.)

I agree! I HATE when a company tries to milk a signle idea to death. Not like Will Wright. Not like Will Wright at all. He only releases an idea once, like with:

o The Sims: Livin' Large
o The Sims: House Party
o The Sims: Hot Date
o The Sims: Vacation
o The Sims: Unleashed
o The Sims: Superstar
o The Sims: Makin' Magic
o The Sims 2: University
o The Sims 2: Nightlife
o The Sims 2: Open For Business
o The Sims 2: Pets
o The Sims 2: Seasons
o The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
o The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff
o The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
o The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
o The Sims 2: Celebration Stuff
o The Sims 2: Special DVD Edition
o The Sims 2: Deluxe
o The Sims Life Stories
o The Sims Pet Stories
o The Sims Castaway Stories
o The Sims Online

(Thankyou Wikipedia.)

(P.S. He didn't *really* do anything hypocritical, or even say that he hates sequels. Just that alot are really bad. But still, I couldn't resist that one.)

The last sentence translates to something like "the good games are overshadowed by all the bad games," not "lots of bad games are coming out because of this."

Anyway, Pachter had this right. Gamers want unique new games, but publishers want financial stabilitiy and the ability to forecast sales. You can forecast sales for THPS X, but you can't forecast sales for Okami. Thus, games like Okami are a huge risk for publishers.

And what exactly is he doing in that picture??

I find it kind of funny, maybe kind of sad how he looks like someone who dresses up as a nerd on Halloween, except, that's how he actually looks every day.

Don't believe him? Put Halo one next to Halo 2 and just play the first 30 minutes of each. If that doesn't make you a believer that sequels generally don't deliver then keep spending your money.

Operative tense being the present, Luke.

@AlcoholicZombie:

sequels and movie based games aren't the problem. crappy sequels and movie based games are the problem.

look at gta4... it looks absolutely incredible, and it's a sequel.

mgs4? kz2 hopefully?

i guess anyone who says 'sequels are bad' instantly dons the mantle of intellectualism right now... but let's be real.

some of the very very best games in the industry are sequels...

to add... most gamers don't want unique games... we forum monkeys are a minority... who are the buying consumers? moms and dads on christmas day, that's who, and the little kids they buy games for only want games based off ip's they love, or titles like gta 3 that get ass loads of media, and are thus validated for purchase.

when you say 'gamers' are you talking about the 1% of the gaming population who actually reads a review before making a decision on buying a game?

the industry can't survive on just us. the key is making good sequels, good movie game tie ins, and good ip games, not banning them all together, if you did that, the industry would collapse.

So, aside from being internet witty, you guys do see that its not so much sequels that are bad, but too many of them.

A few sequels = good
A glut of sequels at the expense of new ideas = bad

Frankly, I think add-ons, like the majority of Sims release products, are great. You take the original idea, and add to it. Same with World of Warcraft. I'm still playing, not because there's content form the start of the whole thing that I haven't done, but because there's always new stuff being added on (mostly at no lump additional cost.

"Ja, das ist in der Tat eine schlechte Entwicklung. Man setzt lieber auf Nummer sicher, als kreativ zu sein. Noch scheint das zu funktionieren. Nur wie lange noch? Zudem gibt es einfach zu viele Spiele auf dem Markt. Viele tolle Spiele gehen dadurch schlichtweg unter."

that doesn't sound like spore development to me

I'm less concerned about the sequels, and more concerned about the 20XX's

A game is a series when it gets into a 2,3,4...7 ect instances.

It is a franchise when it gets into the '03, '04, '05 ect

Franchises are the dangerous one. For when a series only makes a few minor changes and rehashes the same old crap and people but it, it sends a bad message to the industry. And a worst message that we accept this.

Seriously, with the wave of upgrades in the internet gaming. Expect expansions packs before we start seeing final fantasy 2013.

but not if EA has it's way >.>

Assuming we ever get to play Spore 1 of course.

@Iceman_B:
that is something I was wondering... I mean FF X-2 was a sequal, but most are entirely new worlds and don't really fit with the whole sequal idea except for the name... which could be anything. Even games like Sim City and Civiliation are not really sequals so much as they are remakes for a next generation of technology. That's what I think anyway...

"Don't believe him? Put Halo one next to Halo 2 and just play the first 30 minutes of each. If that doesn't make you a believer that sequels generally don't deliver then keep spending your money."

What a horrible example. The first 30 minutes of Halo 2 really beats the tar out of the same portion of H1.

@RedShell: The entirety of Halo 2 is crap compared to any portion of Halo.

With the way Spore is coming along it would seems as though he doesn't like games being made ever.