I think its time we all give up on FMV.

Amen!

And here are some figures to chew on:


The average cost to produce a console game is $3-6 million... PC gaming is around the same. This includes development (both technical and talent) and marketing.

So in order for a game to break even they need to sell at least 60,000 copies. This excludes money gained from assisted finance such as advertising incentives and product placement.

Annual console gaming sales: $6.2 billion (and rising since 1998)
Annual PC gaming sales: $1.1 billion (and declining since 1998)


Most popular genres:

Shooters (War being the most popular theme)
RPGs (like Oblivion and WoW)
RTS (like Age of Empires and Civilisation)
Sports Games (most popular on consoles)
and the Sims series.


With computer generated imagery becoming more and more used in game titles, the CG industry has seen the talent within this field grow very competitive, and more money equals more talent and better results. So thinking that CG is cheap may have been true a few years ago in comparison but it is now one of the most expensive aspects of any production (whether it be gaming or film), because unlike full motion video where more money into the technical aspect does not necessarily mean better quality (as the quality of the work is usually determined by the talent of the director and the actors), better quality CG is achieved by spending more money on more time, and more time means higher detail.

But, it can also be said that in order to keep up with the CG revolution, FMV has to be almost breathtaking, otherwise people will not take it seriously. So you pretty much have to spend more on producing a stellar FMV game, otherwise you will not sway people from CG.


* * *

So in order for the adventure genre and FMV to survive you will need to do the following:


Produce a game which will draws people's attention away from CG titles.

This cannot be done without spending enough money to allow full motion video to break its own boundaries and prove itself as a medium which can produce result which cannot be done on computer... and with modern CG there is pretty much nothing that can't be done... so if you want to wow people you will need to spend money. This means killer quality, compositing, and popular acting talent.

This in turn means more money than your average game production, estimated at around $10 million to produce and market.


Make enough sales to gain a profit:

At $50 a copy, a game which cost $10m to make will need to sell 200,000 copies to only break even. This excludes product placement incentives. 200,000 copies is huge, and even the most respected genres and developers struggle to hit this target with some games. So can we expect a non-popular genre using an outdated format (FMV) to reach such numbers form the first title? If they don't, then they will simply assume there is no market, but the losses and bury the genre even deeper into the grave.


Create enough hype to warrant mass public interest:

This cannot be done through the existing markets because the sales of the top 50 games of 2006 have shown that the market it comfortable with familiar titles and genres, within the 16-24 age range. To create enough interest you have to break free of this demographic and try and saw the interest of a wider range of people.


* * *

So, provided a FMV adventure game can pull off al three of those things we will see the genre reborn. In other words, we need a developer who is willing to spend a LOT of money (we are talking more than any amount anyone has ever spend on a game) to employ a LOT of talent (with groundbreaking technological prowess, and popular acting personalities to gain wider public interest), and market it to appeal to almost every age group, also meaning that it will have to be accessible to these people as well (meaning, it needs to run on computers the demographic you'd market it to would have), considering most people with high end PC are comfortable with current trends... and a profit needs to be made, otherwise nobody will every try it again.


The question is, is someone stupid enough to take that risk? Current adventure titles aren't groundbreaking for a reason.


-Cub. =o)

LYNCH The Old GUY! His words are blasephemous, and his idiocy should be shot down and exposed for what it really is!!!

No, not really. You've just made a point under the "painful, but true" banner.

In order for a mainstream Tex Murphy adventure to even be considered, hey, you know, there has to be some kind of demand. Yes, we keep the faith, and yes, we're very hardcore and adament about seeing a continuation into the life of our favorite P.I.

But let's be serious. We're under 400 people on a message board. There were more names signed to the "public loitering" petition they were passing around downtown. And not only are we only 400, but when you count that more than likely we're a lot less than that, because some people may not even show their faces here anymore, and have moved on, it gets even more depressing.

Yes, A.C. has promised more for us, and I think him to be a very kind hearted man for doing that. But think of it from his perspective. The project he and Chris did, it may have a lot of good memories, and it does have a fan base. And although we're a very intelligent fanbase, we're a very small one. How could a man, in good sense, continue an adventure series when A.) The market for it just doesn't make sense, and B.) he only can see 400 guranteed buys, or less.

I just played The Pandora Directive, having purchased it recently, and as much as I enjoy the nostalgia, there are a lot of things that threw me for the loop. One, the graphics. My god, have times changed. I went from playing Oblivion on the Xbox360, to The Pandora Directive on the PC, and even with all the messing around to make it run fast and smooth, I just ... well, the test of time in the game play is great, but the shell it runs in... I just can't say anymore, without getting shot by the people here.

I still keep the faith. It's a small candle I hold, and believe me, I try everything to get this place exposure. I've contacted numerous magazines, and lobbied to have this website, and the games featured in their "classic" gaming section, but to no avail.

Is FMV dead? Not completely. But in my opinion, who wants it? There are so many better options available now. The old style of the game was 96ish. It's time to move on, if we're to get something new. Something that will draw more than four hundred people to the game. Otherwise, you're asking them to take a chance, for no other reason than to satisfy your own nostalgia.

Yes, I've been drinking.

Yes, I sound depressive.

Yes, I'm sorry.

How much could product placements incentives take away from that 10 million?

Bjyman wrote:How much could product placements incentives take away from that 10 million?

Really! How?

As a follow up to Cub's post, I seem to recall this tidbit. UAKM sold around 400,000 copies; PD somewhat less; Overseer WAY less. My point? What happened to the 400,000 original buyers of UAKM? If we had those people in our corner, well, enough said! Still, where are they today and are they reachable via multi-media marketing? THAT's what scares me!

Cub said that we would have to spend a lot more on FMV to draw people from CG but it isnt like that the other way around. You dont have to have great CG to have a game sell alot. It really only has to be original with fun gameplay and to hit the market at just the right time...yeah this is sounding easy.

So if they went CG with this, graphics wouldnt be the number one concern, as long as they werent so bad that they took away from the gameplay experience.

Cubase wrote:At $50 a copy, a game which cost $10m to make will need to sell 200,000 copies to only break even. This excludes product placement incentives. )

Alex what I'm asking is how much money product placement incentives could bring in.

Also it has been said we have 400. We have gotten way more than that on our petitioning.

freepizza wrote:Cub said that we would have to spend a lot more on FMV to draw people from CG but it isnt like that the other way around. You dont have to have great CG to have a game sell alot. It really only has to be original with fun gameplay and to hit the market at just the right time...yeah this is sounding easy.

So if they went CG with this, graphics wouldnt be the number one concern, as long as they werent so bad that they took away from the gameplay experience.

i know where you are coming from but think about it from this perspective:

CG is already solidified within the industry, seeing as almost all games use it, and so there is room for a vast diversity of quality, ranging from the stellar to the not so stellar. This headway gives people the ability to forgive lesser production values in favour of story.

But, if you were to create a game in utilising FMV to a larger extent you would need to not only have a good sotry, but also prove it's worth. For example, if you were trying to bring a new technology to the table (or in this case, and old technology via a new apporach) you would be attempting to break into an already solidified market. The general consensus would be "what's so good about FMV when CG is doing such an amazing job as it is, and there are more CG games out there that cater to MY specific needs".

Basically in order to break into a CG dominated market you would need to have something which sets your game ahead of the CG crowd, and this means spending money becuase unless you revamp the technology and provide something that is going to drop jaws, people would not bother making the transition.

Yes, there are titles out there with less quality visuals but amazing stories. But considering there is a huge difference in the amount of CG titles versus FMV titles there is far less marginfor error in the FMV realm. If you make a CG game you can be forgiven for not having stellar visuals in favour of story becuase the market can still support itself anyway... but in a market as small as FMV its not as if users can say "well there are plenty of other fish in the sea".

Unfortunately, this is a risk most developers don't want to take, despite the fact that it probably could be done.

-Cub. =o)

Here's my two cents.

FMV in video games is not dead. It kind of slumbered into a dorment state for a while, due to the fact that a lot of the games didn't really know how to use FMV to their advantage. Heck, they could barely do voice acting right! However, with the cheapening cost of video, it is more possible to do it then ever before.

Breif interlude: About the new Command and Conquer...it's two main stars are Michael Ironside and Billy Dee Williams ala Lando Calrissian. Not exactly the biggest stars in the field. Or moderately sized.

The problem is adventure gaming is still quite dormant. However, even that is finding new homes.

It's finding a more cinematic home in games like Indigo Prophecy. Low budget (crap) homes in games like Syberia.

Breif interlude: Before attacking me about Syberia, realize it would make a better graphic novel than a game. The game isn't the fun part. It's the story and the art that make someone want to keep going.

Adventure is even finding a home on the Nintendo DS with titles like Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trace Memory.

There will be a new Tex game, and it won't end up devolving into a multiplier fragfest with alien blasters. Chandler avenue won't look exactly like it used to. The developers will have no choice but to start from scratch and build a new engine from the ground up. Probably would be easier than upgrading an almost decade old engine.

But...to circle this around to the point of the post, FMV can still be done. It doesn't have to be left for dead. Oh by the way, drink water. Perhaps with a splash of lemon juice. Drink it after your jog. You'll feel better! Really!

Let's ask AC himself about FMV.

Agree'd I'd like to know not just what he thinks is possible, but what he would rather do, and what he thinks the market is ready for.

freepizza wrote:I dont think it costs that much to get voice work.

Hey, I'd do voice work in a Tex Murphy game for no charge!
...well, slight charge.

http://www.eliehirschman.com

Shee--it. I'd do voice work, acting, proofreading, collate stuff, fetch coffee, ANY work for NOTHING! And I'd provide my own transportation, hotel and expenses out there. For as long as necessary.



edit to add. Oh yeah, and free massages from a professional.