Xboxist

Bungie - A One-Trick Pony?

Some game developers pride themselves on meeting new challenges and delivering new experiences. Others are content with retreading sequel after sequel of a single brand.

After announcing their fifth Bungie-developed Halo game, we wonder if Bungie has maxed out their potential? Of course, when you have a juggernaut of a brand like Halo, one would be foolish to neglect a blue chip in lieu of new, untested intellectual property (IP). But that is not to say that game companies should be conservative with their portfolio. There are no growth, no rewards without risk.

On the contrary, game companies like Epic, Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, and Insomniac have leveraged the success of former franchises into the next, and in some cases kept both franchises alive on a rotating schedule.

Epic made their name with Unreal and yet successfully timed the launch of new IP along with the 360 launch -- namely Gears of War, which has since gone on to rival the success of Unreal and may have penetrated further into society's gaming and mainstream consciousness than ever did its predecessor -- all on the merits of continued innovation [Note: there has been talk of a Gears movie adaptation]. Even so, Epic remains devoted to Unreal, which remains a viable product for them.

Sucker Punch made a trio of beloved Sly Cooper games and recently launched another critical and commercial hit with Infamous. Naughty Dog gained notoriety with Crash Bandicoot, then Jak and Daxter, and now Uncharted.

Alongside Naughty Dog, Insomniac is perhaps one of the most accomplished developers and their creativity seems evergreen. They cornered the PlayStation with their mascot Spyro games, transitioned to the PS2 with their Ratchet and Clank series, and forged ahead with Resistance at the launch of PS3. Now Insomniac trades off releases between Ratchet and Resistance, satisfying new and old fans alike. Rare with its venerable stable of classic IPs, continues to set benchmarks higher with new IP like Viva Pinata and Kameo and even reinvented beloved IPs, like with Bango-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

With so many examples of great game developers who've time and again successfully launched new franchises, it begs the question why Bungie can't seem to gather the courage to step out from their comfort zone and give gamers a new experience, even if in between Halo releases. From this standpoint, it's fair to ask whether or not Bungie is indeed a one-trick pony, with their creativity hanging by a rope.

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