The cost of developing a video game from scratch is enormous. When the economy is healthy, taking a risk on a new franchise isn’t such a bad thing. It gives game developers an opportunity to try something unique and start new franchises that can later be milked for years, but when the economy is fraught with uncertainty like it is right now, developers are forced to take fewer risks and release sequels that not only cut down on development costs, but usually turn a nice profit, since gamers are more willing to spend their money on game play and characters they already know and love.

That’s exactly why the upcoming release calendar is overloaded with sequels, new takes on old ideas, and Wii games. Developers realize that just because 2008 was a watershed year for gaming, 2009 may not be. So the only way to ensure success is to create games that will appeal to gamers who want to head back into their favorite franchise’s world, but there’s a problem with that. Sure, Call of Duty 4 was better than its predecessors and even Gears of War 2 was perhaps better than the first game, but they aren’t the norm (consider Call of Duty: World at War and Halo 2).

Based on NPD numbers from prior years, gamers buy more sequels than new properties, and developers know that. Blame the economy or blame consumers, but like it or not, you’ll be seeing a slew of sequels and third-party Wii games during 2009.

Source: CNET