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. This conclusion is based on an analysis of over 200 remakes and remasters launched since 2012, focusing on their sales performance. The data reveals 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 advancements in hardware and software enable significant improvements and resolution of issues present in the original games. Historically, developers have preferred to remake games that are 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 in 2022 and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir in 2016. The report advises developers to carefully consider whether a remake of a game under a decade old offers sufficient value to justify a full game purchase price, taking into account factors such as the original game's relevance, genre, modern competitors, and new technologies. Conversely, remaking a game over two decades old risks lower competitiveness against modern counterparts and being perceived as a retro game, which may struggle to compete with newer titles featuring contemporary gameplay. The study also examined remasters, finding that the majority of successful remasters are released within five years of the original game. This is largely due to remasters that coincide with new console generations, allowing developers to enhance visuals from relatively recent games. This was evident with the transition to PS4 and Xbox One, which saw strong sales for remasters of Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Last of Us. The report notes that most of these remasters were released in 2014 to maximize accessibility and coverage while the original titles were still relevant in the market. Analysis showed that during this hardware refresh cycle, remasters of more recent games performed better on average than remasters of older games, as the outdated gameplay in older remasters struggled to compete with more modern titles.