Optimal Time for Video Game Remakes: 10-20 Years After Initial Release

According to a study by IDG Consulting and Strategic Game Consulting, the ideal time to remake a video game is between 10 and 20 years after its initial release. The research analyzed over 200 remakes and remasters released since 2012, focusing on their sales performance. The data indicates that remakes of games released between 11 and 15 years prior tend to perform best, closely followed by those released between 16 and 20 years ago. Notably, 70% of remakes from games 11-15 years old have sold over two million copies, while 80% of remakes from 16-20 year old titles have achieved the same milestone. In contrast, only 32% of remakes from games 21-25 years old have reached two million units sold. The report highlights that remakes are successful when they can address the original game's shortcomings and incorporate meaningful additions, often facilitated by advancements in hardware and software. Historically, developers have preferred to remake games over a decade old, with only 4% of remakes in the dataset having a time gap of 0-5 years between the original and the remake. For remakes released under ten years after the original, only two have exceeded two million units sold: The Last of Us Part 1 and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir. The report advises developers to carefully consider the value proposition of remaking a game under a decade old, taking into account factors such as the original game's relevance, genre, and modern competitors. Conversely, remaking a game over two decades old carries the risk of facing lower competitiveness and being perceived as a retro game. The study also examined remasters, finding that the majority of successful ones are released under five years after the initial game. This is largely due to remasters that coincide with new console generations, enabling developers to upgrade visuals from relatively recent games. The report notes that remasters released during hardware refresh cycles tend to perform better when they are based on more recent games, as older remasters often struggle to compete with modern titles.