Potentual revenue: selling IP

[Tortanick]

I want to see Darwinia2. but nowhere near as much as I want to see a brand new origonal IV game so I thought: if IV never plans to do sequils why not let companies buy the right to make a sequil? Its free money.

[nfreader]

This is more of an opinion than factual information, but if IV sold the rights to Darwinia, it would be bought by some huge mega-whatever game developer and turned into a giant over bearing monstrosity. This is not IV's philosophy. As you may (or may not have read), Introversion is one of the few smaller game development companies around, without any inside investments.

But hey, times change.

[Stewsburntmonkey]

I serious doubt many big game studios would being willing to by the rights to make a sequel to either Uplink or Darwinia.

[Tortanick]

one would be enough, but the point is that unless I'm mistaken IV don't do sequils. So why not let some giant company make it into a monstrosoty and IV make real games with the royalties.

[Darksun]

Because they don't want to damage the image of the game

[Tortanick]

Are people really that fickle? Star Control 3 hasn't prevented SC2 from being renowned as one of the best would a bad sequil affect how the origonal is viewed?

[Stewsburntmonkey]

one would be enough, but the point is that unless I'm mistaken IV don't do sequils. So why not let some giant company make it into a monstrosoty and IV make real games with the royalties.

Well you probably couldn't sell the rights twice. . .

The thing is, there is no reason for anyone to buy the rights to Darwinia or Uplink. If someone wants to make a hacking game, they will simply make one. There is little if anything gained from adding the name "Uplink" to it. Dawinia is much the same (although the Darwinia universe is unique, it doesn't have enough of a following to make it worth buying).

[Sillytuna]

You'd license the rights, you wouldn't sell them.

Darwinia is a niche game at present and very unlikely to be of interest to a major publisher - this may inspire them to do a similar title however, and then they'd own the IP.

[hitm4n]

Give it 6 months and i doubt this game will be "niche" any more.
And regards sequels damaging the reputation... ? Well, IMO, a classic is a classic. No matter what comes after it.