Will Remastered Games Become More Popular On Consoles?‏

Remastered games are starting to crop a lot more, ever since the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One became commercially available. This can range from the original Resident Evil (1996) to The Last of Us (2013), all coming with graphics improvements, better performance and reworks to individual characters.

Even with the early success of The Last of Us remastered edition for PS4, is there any future to these remasters and will more studios look to their old IP to keep quarterly revenues?

Remastering For The Next Generation

The difference between the Xbox One and Xbox 360 or PS4 and PS3 is quite significant, compared to the past generation. This should allow new video game genres like MMOs and shared world games to come to PS4 and Xbox One, where in the past they have been restricted to PC.

It might also allow games from previous generations to come back, with a new coat of paint. Remastered versions of games have never been a huge deal, but it looks like more companies want to add better in-game engines, redesign the look and the feel of the game and re-publish it.

The success of these games could already be set for the publisher. For something like The Last of Us, this is just a way for PS4 players to try out one of the best games of 2013, but for something like the original Resident Evil, you have already grabbed the audience, simply from people wanting that nostalgic experience.

This could open up games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and any other old favorite to a rework, if the publisher knows there is an interest in the video game and a market to sell it. The amount of work needed to remaster the game is minimal compared to a new IP, making it a lot less burdensome.

What game would you like to see remastered?