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Gameloft: 'Games have one new idea a year'

Published on 12th January 2011 by Joe Martin

Mobile game developer Gameloft has defended itself from accusations of cloning bigger releases.

Gameloft, the French mobile game developer, has defended itself from accusations that it knowingly copies other developers' game concepts by saying that the games industry isn't as innovative as it thinks.

'There is maybe one new idea a year," claimed CEO Michel Guillemot, who also helped found Ubisoft with his brother Yves, in a comment to IGN.

Gameloft's recent releases include the likes of Modern Combat, Shadow Guardian and NOVA - said to be clones of Call of Duty, Uncharted and Halo, respectively.

'The videogame industry has always played around a limited number of themes,' said Guillemot. 'If a type of game is not available, then you should make it. The damaging thing is if you do a bad expression of a good idea.'

Gameloft has also partnered with Ubisoft on several occasions, producing mobile versions of games such as Driver, Prince of Persia and Rayman.

'[Our games] are for people that are not hardcore but want an immersive experience,' says Guillemot, who refers to think of the hardcore/casual divide as a immersive/recreational one. 'We provide high quality games to occasional gamers for their device of choice.

Check out Gameloft's trailer for the recently released Shadow Guardian and see how you think it compares to the likes of Uncharted, then let us know your thoughts in the forums.

11 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

yakyb 12th January 2011, 12:02

would be a godd article / Blog topic actually, what new ideas have come into gaming over the last 10 years

and do a year by year analysis

Dogbert666 12th January 2011, 14:45

The similarity to Uncharted is ridiculous. It it had Nathan Drake's voiced over it, it would basically be PS2 version of Uncharted.

SaNdCrAwLeR 12th January 2011, 15:39

but then again Uncharted is just a male version of Tomb Raider...

oh boy oh boy isn't that fun?

law99 12th January 2011, 16:30

Let's make Lara Croft into a credible action figure; becomes a man. lol. That's innovation for you or I'll eat my hat. So stfu Michel Guillemot from Gameloft. <There is a chance you might think I'm being serious; good luck with that.

mastorofpuppetz 12th January 2011, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaNdCrAwLeR
but then again Uncharted is just a male version of Tomb Raider...

oh boy oh boy isn't that fun?

Total BS. Uncharted is many things, a lot more then tomb Raider ever was or tried to be.

thehippoz 12th January 2011, 19:21

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:GHVpLi9-U68MiM:http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t64/Coyoteesharptongue/more%20pictures/nick_burns.jpg&t=1

saddle popperville

sausages 12th January 2011, 22:04

Game developers have been ripping each other off long before Gameloft even existed.

Cthippo 12th January 2011, 22:22

There are only so many plot lines out there, and the rest is just packaging. It's kind of like playing game mad libs...

A (FPS, RPG) set in (the past, the future, a dystopian future, a fantasy realm) where the player needs to (get an object, travel from A to B, Kill someone, survive, etc) in order to (get revenge, save the human race, restore their family honor, defeat evil, escape from someplace bad)!

The only thing that really varies is what the player has to do or overcome, and the enemies he must confront in the process.

Strategy and puzzle games are a little different, but many of the same elements apply.

LordPyrinc 13th January 2011, 01:17

What can differentiate games is the storyline. Is it immersive? Does it evoke emotional responses by the player? Great story dialogue and cut-scenes can make an otherwise cookie-cutter game a notch above its competition and one that will be remembered. Look at Starcraft II. Sure its a typical RTS and its gameplay is almost identical to its own predecessor Starcraft, but the cut-scenes and player dialog between scenarios really make it a more polished game. Great soundtracks also make a difference. Although as gamers, we don't always notice the background music, if its varied and fits well with the gaming experience, it does contribute to the overall feel of the game.

Javerh 13th January 2011, 09:48

As someone once said ideas are the easy part. The execution is the hard part. The same distinction seems to apply to stealing too. Stealing ideas is okay. Stealing a game is piracy.

ssj12 18th January 2011, 22:26

one new game a year, when you work for a large company you mean. Indies come with dozens of new ideas every year.