'Sequels kill creativity' says David Cage

[Blacksite]

Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls designer David Cage is no fan of sequels. Speaking to the Official PlayStation Magazine, the Quantic Dream boss said the lack of innovation in the game industry today is a result of gamers getting what they pay for.

“Many people want the same and if that’s what you offer them, they will gladly buy it," Cage said. “The result is very simple. Gamers invest money in publishers having no interest in innovation. [Gamers] encourage [publishers] to keep making the same game every Christmas, and everybody’s happy.”

Cage claimed that gamers must vote with their wallets if they want to break the cycle and help spur publishers to greenlight innovative concepts.

“If you’re interested in innovation and believe that games could be more than shooters, then you realise that sequels kill creativity and innovation,” Cage said, noting Beyond: Two Souls will be different. “We don’t give people what they expect. We want to give them something they want without knowing they want it”.

This is not the first time Cage has made an emphatic claim about a lack of innovation in the industry. Last year, the developer called on the industry to "grow up" and claimed games would die without innovation. Cage has also lamented the ubiquity of first-person shooters that glorify violence, noting he would rather see a shooter in the vein of war movies like Platoon or Apocalypse Now that depicts the difficulty of being at war.

via GameSpot.

Not saying he's wrong but just because it's new doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a great experience for gamers (e.g. the overrated Dear Esther). You just need to know where to look. Same goes for shooters.

Spec Ops: The Line is probably the closest the video game industry has gotten to depicting the difficulty of being at war with its mind games.

[Cybertox]

I dont think sequels kill creativity but they limit it.

[ps3freak18]

Yeah I don't completely agree with him here. He isn't entirely wrong in my eyes. I think it all determines how devs go about keeping it fresh. Look at Far Cry 3 for instance. It is a third installment and they completely refined the series. I think it kills creativity if you just go about it basically making the same game with a few extra bells and whistles.

[podsaurus]

I see what he means but like you said Black new doesn't automatically mean better.

I would not have wanted a Heavy Rain 2 because that story is done. New from them in this case is a good idea I think.

I enjoyed God of War 1-3 but with Ascension I'm not interested. I would have preferred that development was moved to something new but that isn't going to happen right now. Ascension is a prequel but I fear this series may be milked for every penny it's worth which is sad to think about. I would happily try new IP's they just need to be made.

[Shingo]

EA and COD is milky , yet sadly they rule and earn alot.

Altough i prefer games like journey, heavy rain, unfinished swan to any other sequel that will come up....

[claud3]

what does he know, he is an sequel off his father and that messed up his creative thinking

[TGO]

I like his games but changing the name, story and characters is not being creative
All his games are the same, they are just unique because no other developer makes games like that.
sequels sometimes push creativity in order to better itself from the original
Though it is rare to see it these days

Sent via Codec

[claud3]

i can mention a few

ZELDA

GTA

ELDERS SCROLL

These are the ones that stick to the same stories but puts actual creative thinking into how they play out. Granted a few features and changes does not make them any different to their past games...

But it helps freshen the series in away

[Sir_Scud]

Not necessarily disagreeing with him, but I love and loathe sequels. If a new IP is established and it's really cool, I will want to see a sequel on it. The problem is, that's all that we get from here on out lol. It least its felt that way this gen, but this gen has been really long.

Games more and more cater to broader audiences and those people are buying those same games year after year. Those same people probably don't even know who David Cage is, I just don't think vote with your wallet works on sequels that sell 5 million or more each release.

Just like movies and music, the popular stuff is popular because it taps into a large audience. Your average consumer might see Spec Ops and Call of Duty on the rack. They probably will stick with what they know.

[AaronSOLDIER]

I agree with him, this has been one of the worst gens IMO and its mainly because everything has had a sequel.

[TGO]

I agree with him, this has been one of the worst gens IMO and its mainly because everything has had a sequel.

I think COD is the worse, then gen alone its nearly catched up with FF

[*goo]

Shock, horror!

Cage says something that benefits pushing his own game.

Whatever next!

[ps3freak18]

Shock, horror!

Cage says something that benefits pushing his own game.

Whatever next!

[Blacksite]

Just like movies and music, the popular stuff is popular because it taps into a large audience. Your average consumer might see Spec Ops and Call of Duty on the rack. They probably will stick with what they know.

Pretty much this.

But if I'm going to be honest, I don't think anyone's going to remember Heavy Rain like they would with Mario, GTA or Halo in the next couple decades.

I can respect David Cage for creating new IPs but there's going to come a point where you actually want to turn one of your projects into an established franchise. And I really wouldn't blame him for doing so.

[ps3freak18]

Pretty much this.

But if I'm going to be honest, I don't think anyone's going to remember Heavy Rain like they would with Mario, GTA or Halo in the next couple decades.

I can respect David Cage for creating new IPs but there's going to come a point where you actually want to turn one of your projects into an established franchise. And I really wouldn't blame him for doing so.

Yeah I respect his choice to branch out and make something out of the norm but it doesn't always pay off. He does talk up the subject a bit too much for my taste. He always says something that singles out most of the industry to make his games look better. But I guess he has to do something to raise awareness of his titles and not just sitting back and hope they sell. Either way I respect the games he makes.

[Soldier 95B]

Cage is a fucking tool. Love HR though.

[ps3freak18]

I loved Indigo Prophecy. One of my favorite games from last gen.

[Equinoqs]

I agree. I've been saying this since the first wave of GTA3 clones came out last gen. While there can be, and are, sequels that innovate here & there, most of them follow the same fan-favored formula with only incremental advances. "Exact same game, only better!" I'm a big Resident Evil & Final Fantasy fan, but no game series should go beyond Part 3, for its own sake.

[Sir_Scud]

Yeah I respect his choice to branch out and make something out of the norm but it doesn't always pay off. He does talk up the subject a bit too much for my taste. He always says something that singles out most of the industry to make his games look better. But I guess he has to do something to raise awareness of his titles and not just sitting back and hope they sell. Either way I respect the games he makes.

Yeah, that's true. He definitely tries to hype up his games and really has to hope for some good word of mouth. I'm not really sold on his games, I found Heavy Rain to be really boring. I do respect him trying to change up the way games are played, but I just had too many issues with HR.

[ps3freak18]

Yeah, that's true. He definitely tries to hype up his games and really has to hope for some good word of mouth. I'm not really sold on his games, I found Heavy Rain to be really boring. I do respect him trying to change up the way games are played, but I just had too many issues with HR.

I agree, HR wasn't a game for everyone. I just liked how you controlled the story for the most part and not the usual linear storyline like most games these days.

[DreDayDetox]

True, but Borderlands 2 was fucking awesome. It actually improved in a lot of areas of the first one, and left some things the same, but refined some mechanics, and also story. So...he's kinda half right, half bullshit. Quite a big ego on him, this isn't Hollywood.

[ps3freak18]

True, but Borderlands 2 was fucking awesome. It actually improved in a lot of areas of the first one, and left some things the same, but refined some mechanics, and also story. So...he's kinda half right, half bullshit. Quite a big ego on him, this isn't Hollywood.

[DreDayDetox]

What, did I shoot myself in the foot with that statement?

[ps3freak18]

What, did I shoot myself in the foot with that statement?

No you're good bro.

[Kopkiwi]

Er. Uncharted 2, GOW 2, Halo 2, Assassins Creed II, Resident Evil 2.

Arguably all better than their earlier games.