What if...

[crazydean]

What if old publishers re-published their old games on the original hardware. Say, Dracula X was re-made exactly as it was, brand new, and sold by the owner on their website. Wouldn't it be worth it to Konami, Capcom, etc. to do that? There are many old games that sold a lot of copies but are still going for big bucks.

People who want the actual game and are willing to pay over $100 for a game, would buy a brand new, authorized copy, right? You could claim that they wouldn't be able to sell many copies, but many $50-$200 games have never been in short supply.

[CrackTiger]

What if Konami sold the TTi version of Magocal Chase NEW!/Sealed/L@@K for only $1000 a copy?

[esadajr]

they don't wanna do anything if it won't make gazillions

[PukeSter]

So you want a 20 year newer reprint of Dracula X?

Those already exist, but I know we can't mention that T guy here.

Also since this is a matter of collectibility, deep down you know this still wouldn't be the real thing.

[PukeSter]

Also that's why they resell their old games on the virtual console, even certain obscure games. To appeal to that demographic of gamers and to make more money.

[NecroPhile]

People will pay $100+ for games when they're relatively rare and hard to find, but they're not going to pay that for new copies that flood the market.  If it's just as pricey, many peeps would rather get an original.

Let's say they could sell 5000 new copies a year: at $50 each they'd gross a measly $250,000.  That ain't much to a company with annual revenue over $100 million, especially not when they'd have to pay people to recreate the packaging art, marketing, distribution, etc.

[NightWolve]

Too controversial a subject not to be in Fighting Street ? ;)

[Psycho Punch]

If only they would license their reproduction rights to smaller, guerrilla style companies. They literally have nothing to lose with it, and they would maintain interest in their abandoned IPs, improve their company image and pocket some change money.

[crazydean]

People will pay $100+ for games when they're relatively rare and hard to find, but they're not going to pay that for new copies that flood the market.  If it's just as pricey, many peeps would rather get an original.

Let's say they could sell 5000 new copies a year: at $50 each they'd gross a measly $250,000.  That ain't much to a company with annual revenue over $100 million, especially not when they'd have to pay people to recreate the packaging art, marketing, distribution, etc.

But the work is already done. There are very little development costs. The game is made, all they have to do is put it back into production and offer it up for sale. It seems like a better idea than gambling on a new game by investing millions and hoping that it sells.

[johnnykonami]

I think even if some company (let's say Konami, haha - as if) wanted to re-release games, they would need to have the go ahead from the console manufacturer as well.  Not sure who owns the rights anymore for the PCE/TG-16, is it NEC still?  But it would be a clear cut case I think if you wanted to produce say, new official Super Nintendo cartridges or something like that.  Nintendo would certainly hand out a cease and desist if they didn't sanction it.  There's just to many palms to be greased along the way.  Don't get me wrong, I would love it too - so many great games deserve reprints, but I think now that digital distribution exists, I don't think producing a physical copy for a retired console is as lucrative or even possible for them.

[esteban]

If only they would license their reproduction rights to smaller, guerrilla style companies. They literally have nothing to lose with it, and they would maintain interest in their abandoned IPs, improve their company image and pocket some change money.

Unless the new product and distribution is handled perfectly, the IP holder would have to deal with a blemished brand image.

As someone pointed out, it's not worth damaging a major brand for a few measly dollars (these mega-corporations  would rather damage their brand by producing multi-million dollar pieces of trash...for every blockbuster game, how many duds are released?).

However, if a small company established itself as an excellent "boutique publisher" that always delivered an excellent product and service...I could see major IP-holders giving it a chance (major music labels used to have speciality labels for specialty music...genres of music with niche audiences).

However, I have to stress that the IP holder will HAVE to earn a profit that warrants the investment of time/energy/legal/management/etc.

I don't know if the combined sales of *several* popular games would produce enough profit to offset costs of an IP holder...

[NecroPhile]

But the work is already done. There are very little development costs. The game is made, all they have to do is put it back into production and offer it up for sale. It seems like a better idea than gambling on a new game by investing millions and hoping that it sells.

For the sake of argument, I'll concede that they can just buy a copy at hard off, send it to a pressing house, and ask for 10,000 copies.  It doesn't matter, for it'd be a very small part of their overhead anyway; the point is that a quarter million dollar payout simply isn't worth it.

[LostFlunky]

If only they would license their reproduction rights to smaller, guerrilla style companies. They literally have nothing to lose with it, and they would maintain interest in their abandoned IPs, improve their company image and pocket some change money.

I don't get why this isn't happening... It happens in music (vinyl and CD remasters) and seems to work well.   

Even at a $20 price point it would still provide the same amount of per unit profit as PSN, XBL and VC to the IP holder... and I am CERTAIN that many legacy titles could be priced higher than that.

[majors]

Green label "greatest hits" re-releases? At least they would not be collectard bait...no one want's "best of's" in their collection, total gamer copies...but who are the gamers that would want that now? Only Nintendo age rabid fanboys with aspirations of pokemon-like collect-them-all dreams pay money for retro, and they want og stuffs. Anyone getting into obey now will just play it on their computer.

[VenomMacbeth]

I would be all over this.  "Best-of" or not, having a licensed copy of a game to play is satisfying enough.

[Jason_dicarlo85]

I would also be over this.. Don't care of they put a greatest hits or rerelease on it... Still would be fantastic to be able to pick up and play harder to find releases

[Opethian]