What the Success of The Last of Us Has to Teach Us About the Current State of the Industry

While the success of such a great game may have seem pre-determined, that’s pretty far from the truth. In reality, The Last of Us is a unique entrant into the world of Triple-A gaming for several reasons, and its resounding success has a few things to teach us about the state of the industry today.

[Ezz2013]

that new IPs can get amazing scores and sell amazing numbers if they are pretty amazing games

[ArchangelMike]

@Ezz2103

It's a great article, and points out that it's more that just about being a great game. Arguably, It is first about being a great studio and developer.

Then giving that studio/developer the freedom, and resources to develop the IP, without the intrusion and interference of the marketing suits and Publisher's bigwigs.

It is this quality that is rare in today's multimillion AAA blockbuster gaming landscape.

[Ult iMate]

Agree with Ezz2013. I remember the Red Dead Redemption was the new IP too. It also had a deep dramatic plot and was overall an amazing game. And also sold very well.

[mixelon]

Red Dead Redemption was a sequel. The original has a bit of a cult following, and it did okay.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

[Miss_Vixen]

That if developers are willing to take the risk and tries a new IP, the results can really payoff. As the testament of TLOU sales & reception, furthers solidifies that the game industry is far from a dying breed despite what same critics may say.

[Kraftwerk]

Name one critic that says the video game industry is dying. It's an ever growing multi-billion dollar industry. Doesn't take a business analyst to figure that one out.

[No_Limit]

That is why I am so glad new IPs like Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive, and the Orders:1886 are being made.

[lonewolfjedi]

hopefully publishers take note if you have a good dev team and have faith in them. let the devs have some creative freedom and create new ips.

[beatled]

6 million copies worldwide is GREAT for a new ip

if they make a part 2 with ps4, psv and ps3 releases it should easily topple that and get near 10 million as well as move a lot of systems both old and new

[Phils_Libra]

Good article, but to me it ignored the importance of story and character writing in games. Many gamers (myself included) are always looking for better stories and character design in the games we play, and The Last of Us is another shining example of this while also delivering excellent exploration, stealth, and combat mechanics to boot. Other game series such as Half-Life, Mass Effect, and GTA have done well in pulling this off, but after playing The Last of Us, it truly felt the bar had been raised a bit in these areas. I truly hope more video game producers are paying close attention.

[iceman06]

The success of TLOU proves that TRUST is a very important factor when a studio releases a new IP. It's a very calculated and welcomed risk to put out a brand new IP. So, it takes a development studio with a proven track record to sell it to the public. It ALSO proves that many other studios are resting on their laurels while they could be pushing the industry to a new level. The industry can only live on rehashes, reboots, and sequels for so long. At some point, there needs to be some new blood infused into it. I welcome any new and refreshing IP, even if it's not entirely innovative (whatever that means...so subjective!) However, I am less likely to doubt the excellence of one that is made by a studio that has produced proven content time and time again. Naughty Dog and TLOU has put the industry on notice by saying that it could be SO MUCH better than what it is currently. IF your willing to take well calculated risks.