F.E.A.R. Sequel Becomes Project Origin
Due out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Project Origin will follow the events of the original F.E.A.R. The game is not to be confused with Vivendi's planned F.E.A.R. sequel, which can not use the characters from Monolith's 2005 shooter.
"Project Origin is the name we can stand behind since it was picked by the gaming community, and this game marks a new beginning for the franchise," said Samantha Ryan of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "With the consoles and the PC, we're dedicated to add a new game dynamic to the universe and build upon what the players loved about the original game."
-
PenicillinX57
replyThe way this worked out for both Monolith and Vivendi is just mind-bogglingly ridiculous. I can see why Vivendi would want to sell a game called "FEAR 2", but with it not actually being FEAR 2, it's just going to confuse and anger customers.
And Monolith--why bother sticking with the FEAR universe if you can't use the name to sell it? It's not like the story is that interesting...
Oh well, it will be interesting to see how this pans out for both parties. Hopefully it will just prove that corporate shenanigans like this aren't worth it.-
-
-
I don't get this at all. So there are now two different sequels, each with their own storyline? How does this work? Someone needs to just give it up.
-
How will they know which sequel to buy? As has been pointed out, FEAR 2 is going to have the most brand recognition. Monolith will probably say something like "From the creators of FEAR" on the Project Origin box, but that's about all they can say (if even that). Problem is, whoever negotiated the IP ownership (and left out the IP name) failed. And in the end, Vivendi won out. It takes a lot of money to establish and market a new IP, and the name of the IP is the most recognizable component.
-
Who cares?
Hopefully both titles will do more than capitalize on the FEAR 2 or Project: Origin title and actually have some great gameplay.
And besides, my understanding is that FEAR 2 is really just the constant stream of standalone expansion titles that have been released under Vivendi/Sierra - correct me if I am wrong please.-
Vivendi cares, because they don't have to pay the money to foster adoption of a new IP.
Monolith cares because they have to rebrand their gameplay.
And yes, hopefully they both have great gameplay.
-
-
-
-
-
"corporate shennanigans" ???
It's Monolith's (developer -- not the greedy, money-grubbin, dirt nappin, hoe-bag publisher aka Vivendi) choice to name a title however they want. Storyline wise, it's a horror shooter. And I enjoyed playing through it. The AI is still the probably the best to date on the PC. -
-
[deleted]
-
I've personally always been frustrated with the utter lack of imagination in titling sequels. Who on earth thought that sticking a number on the end of something would be a good idea? It's putting marketing ahead of artistic merit. There are other ways to let people know that something is a successor to a prior title.
Sequel names ought to be related, but distinct from the original. It's that sort of failure to define the product on its own merits - not just in title, but in practically everything else - that causes most sequels to suck.
That said, Project Origin is a terrible name and says nothing at all about the game. -
Yes, because the people who saw the first Star Wars were angry and confused when Empire Strikes Back came out and wasn't titled "Star Wars 2: Electric Boogaloo." They managed to find their way to it, as well as the follow-up, Return of the Jedi, so I'm pretty sure they'll be able to make the connection here.
You greatly underestimate the average intelligence of the PC gamer.
And while the story may have been just a few rungs above cliche in the original, the above average graphics, AI, and the scare tactics they used were what set it apart from the crowd.
I'm not confused or angered by their decision to use a different name for their sequel. I'm actually encouraged that they're not just slapping a two on the end of the previous title and expecting it to ship like some developers.
-
