We may have days....

Thursday, April 23, 2009
George Lucas figured out a long time ago that the key to profitization wasn't to make a good movie and reap the rewards and cash that that honor bestowed. You could make a LOT more money on merchandising. And so, instead of movies that lent themselves to humor and style and depth, you had movies that led themselves to cool action figure playsets. This removed a lot of the charm of the movies - to make room for more opportunities to sell toys, so we got dead Ewoks (though oddly never an action figure of him) and the greatest killer in the universe (aside from Vader himself) being killed accidentally by a blind man with a stick.

So Lucas is a lost cause. But LucasArts oddly isn't. Which SUCKS, because I'd really love some Grim Fandango action figures.

Tim Schaefer, now at his own DoubleFine productions, never got the recognition he deserved outside a core group of adventure gamers. Even his later platformer Psychonauts, rightly hailed as a masterpiece of the genre, had sales not even approaching its greatness. But at least DoubleFine has the right to do as it pleases with its properties.

Tim. Make action figures. Make a small run, if you have to. Your fans will buy them. As long as you can make even a little profit, it's worth it. Use the money to market your games. Repeat.

I won't consider you a sellout, I promise. Just don't take it too far, and release a Grim Fandango prequel: The Death of Manuel Calavera.

2 comments:

Kári Tulinius said...

I would *love* a Grim Fandango prequel. I don't know what you're talking about. That's pretty much the greatest idea I have ever heard (slight hyperbole).

Pseudonym said...

Ok, ok... I would love one too. Suppose I should have been more clear.

"don't take it too far and release a *sucky, Lucas-esque* Grim Fandango prequel. And if you do, make a special edition with figures in the box. =)"

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