Best time to remake a video game? Between 10 and 20 years later
The best time to remake a video game is when it's between 11 and 20 years old, according to data from IDG Consulting and Virtuos.
The data comes from a White Paper discussing the opportunities and challenges associated with remasters and remakes, and it looked at over 200 remakes and remasters released since 2012 and how well they sold. In terms of remakes, games released between 11 and 15 years after their original performed best, followed shortly by games released between 16 and 20 years ago.
Out of the remakes released between 11 and 15 years ago after their initial release, 70% of them have gone on to sell over two million copies, while that number rises to 80% for games based on 16 to 20-year-old titles. By contrast, just 32% of remakes from games 21 to 25 years old have reached two million units.
"Remakes find success when key hardware and software developments allow meaningful additions and resolution of pain points in the original games," the report stated.
"Historically, developers have preferred to remake games over a decade old, with only 4% of remakes in our dataset having a time gap of 0-5 years between original and remake."
In terms of remakes released under ten years after release, just two have exceeded two million units: The Last of Us Part 1 in 2022 and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir in 2016.
The reported advised: "When looking to remake a game under a decade old, developers should determine if their remakes will present a sufficient value-add for players, justifying a full game purchase price. Factors to be considered include how well the original game holds up in current times, relevance of the genre, modern competitors, and new available technologies."
"Conversely, remaking a game over two decades old carries the risk of facing lower competitiveness against modern counterparts and being positioned as a retro game—a niche category. While these games excel in appealing to nostalgia and retro gaming enthusiasts, they might struggle to compete with newer titles
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
