BrynS noticed that Firing Squad has published an article highlighting game series that desperately need sequels. Wing Commander makes the list as one of their most desired titles. They highlight the need for new games in a handful of contemporary series such as Ultima, C&C Red Alert and Mech Warrior. Even Freespace gets a mention, although they note that the rights for that franchise are in a particularly awkward state. Despite the back-handed compliments littered throughout the piece, we have to mostly agree with their list of games.
Wing Commander: Origin’s space combat-sim series is one that even non-gamers may know of, thanks unfortunately to the awful movie adaptation that was ironically directed by the game’s creator Chris Roberts. That shouldn’t take away from the game series, however, which mixed in a deep (for games, anyway) storyline with some fast paced space action gameplay. There were several games in the series released by Origin in the 1990’s and were some of the first games to use live actors for cut scenes (yep, Mark Hamill as Christopher Blair was an acting powerhouse)
It’s been a long time since the last game in the series, Wing Commander: Prophecy, was released in 1997 but we still think that Electronic Arts (the owners of all the former Origin properties) would get a lot of mileage out of a new game, especially if they get a top notch development team to handle it. The name recognition alone would help sales.
Odds For Revival: Unlikely. We hate to say it but space sims, once a huge gaming draw, are now down to something of a niche market for the indie developer set. We still think a new Wing Commander series would work well but for now it doesn’t look like Electronic Arts would be interested in reviving this franchise anytime soon
The results for the first quarter of EA's 2007 Fiscal Year have just been announced. Net revenue rose 13% to $413 million, but there was an overall loss of $81 million, which is worse than the same quarter last year. This is a result of the considerable support Electronic Arts has pledged for the upcoming Playstation 3 and Wii systems versus limited revenue from the XBox 360 and Playstation 2 platforms. While PS2 may soon be on the decline, XBox 360 sales will be ramping up. EA is already the top publisher for the XBox 360 in North America and Europe. Revenue for games released on cell phones also exploded from $1 million a year ago to $33 million in the quarter just ended. Overall Fiscal Year estimates still project $2.8 to $3.0 billion in sales with some $2.4 billion in cash or equivalents on hand for various activities.
"We're pleased to be the leading publisher on the Xbox 360," said Larry Probst, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We are on schedule with strong support for the launch of PlayStation 3 and we have increased our development efforts for the Nintendo DS and Wii."
"We look forward to our slate of fall launches and the excitement surrounding next-generation software," said Warren Jenson, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. "While the risks of this technology transition remain very real -- our franchises are well-positioned for the opportunities ahead."
Follow or Contact Us