Addicted to success

The creators of many successful IPs are surprised by their success. Their product, borne from a labor of love, appeals to more people than they thought possible. Sales boom. The creators, whose production team started small, scale up operations to meet demand, and launch sequels, spin-offs, crossover products, etc.

Eventually they reach their commercial ceiling, or they release back-to-back mediocre products. A regression to the mean occurs. The creators face having to scale back down to align with this more realistic demand (i.e., lay people off). Or, they reason, they can fudge the essence of the IP to "broaden the appeal."

Essential to any IP's identity is what it excludes. "Broadening the appeal" is to remove what is distinct and special. John Anderson is more right than he knows. Whatever you like about an over-the-hill IP, subsequent iterations that "broaden the appeal" will, at best, still have that content, but bury it under a bunch of crap. The watered-down product may boost sales, but it doesn't cohere like it used to. The original consumer base splinters and the hardcore enthusiasts check out.

This is how most IPs enter what David V Stewart calls the corporate IP death cycle. Their most creative and productive days behind them, the creators or license holders become more concerned with sustaining the largesse they built up to maximize profits. There's little of the creator left in them, for they've become addicted to success.

If you've been following E3, as Bradford C Walker and T J Marquis have, you may be struck by the lack of diverse offerings from the gaming industry. That's because most creators with a big enough presence to present at E3 are well past the initial expansion supported by a singular, well-executed idea. They have organizations to run, and organizations tend to stifle creativity.

"Where's the next [x]?" is a common refrain you hear in dissident circles yearning for quality entertainment that isn't in its fifth or sixth title. The answer is it's being lovingly crafted by someone you've never heard of in their parents' basement. That's the nature of surprises. You don't see them coming.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments. If you like science fiction, check out my books Seeds of Calamity and Tendrils to the Moon. You can find extended previews for each here and here.