With digital distribution actually happening, including Steam and Greg Costikyan’s Manifesto Games, as well as the casual games downloadable market, one of the imagined futures of the games industry seems to have become quite real.
Another thing that has been discussed incessantly is episodic content, so behold the trailer for Half-Life 2, episode one – each episode apparently priced at $19.95, which I find reasonable enough.
On a tangent, I think it was Gabe Newell who at the GDC talked about how much better the quality of life as a developer was making episodic content. (Couldn’t it be due to do with other factors than the episodicness itself?)
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My name is Jesper Juul, and I am a Ludologist [researcher of the design, meaning, culture, and politics of games]. This is my blog on game research and other important things.
Actually, I’m planning on further developing the world IP for the DS game I’m working on and doing episodic storyworld content with the Storytron in 2007. I think the episodic approach is great, and there hasn’t yet been a title that takes advantage of the time-released content model in the same way that TV shows have, with their spiralling narratives and rabid fan-bases.
Asheron’s Call produced monthly episodic content updates (streaming stories, not expansion packs) since the MMOG began in 1999. There are probably other, older examples. So rare perhaps, but not new. I do think the model is a good one though, both for developers and players, and I like seeing alternative distribution avenues like Steam.
Not to post a plug on your blog, but Telltale Games already has ventured into the realm of episodic content. Currently at our site you can download two episodes of the Bone adventure game series.
So far working on epsodic titles HAS been really great, and I think it has alot to do with the episodic nature of the games. As a designer, because each episode is short you constantly are getting to try out new ideas. If something you wanted to do doesn’t fit in one episode, you can work it into the next one. We also (so far at least) haven’t experienced the multiple month (or year!) long crunch sessions that occur at other companies.
Does no one know of Stardock? It’s been publishing games a la Manifesto for years now. Not that Manifesto should stop because Stardock is already doing it.
Anyways, it’s obvious that it’s time has come.