At a pivotal juncture for video game development, marked by ballooning budgets and a pronounced aversion to risk, a prominent voice within the industry is issuing a clarion call for change. Ben Starr, the acclaimed voice behind Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI and Verso in the upcoming Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, has publicly urged studios to shift their focus from revisiting the past to forging new intellectual properties. His commentary, delivered during a panel at Emerald City Comic-Con, strikes at the heart of a modern dilemma: the industry’s preference for safe sequels and remasters over original creation. This article delves into Starr’s arguments, the economic realities driving the current trend, and the potential pathways forward for innovative storytelling in gaming.
The Voice of Change: Ben Starr’s Industry Critique
Ben Starr has rapidly become one of the most recognizable voices in gaming, lending his talent to two of the most anticipated titles in recent years. It is from this position of being deeply embedded in both a legendary franchise and a promising new IP that he offers his critique. During the Expedition 33 panel, Starr expressed a love for classic series like Legacy of Kain, even voicing a desire to be part of a potential revival. However, he quickly pivoted to a more pressing point. “We should be building new IPs, not always looking back to the past,” Starr asserted. He emphasized his personal desire to originate new characters that players can grow to adore, rather than solely stepping into pre-established roles, no matter how beloved.
His argument extends beyond personal preference. Starr pointed to the success of the Resident Evil franchise as an example of an established IP that continues to thrive, yet he stressed that the creative energy should be matched by investment in fresh concepts like Sandfall Interactive’s Expedition 33. This stance frames the issue not as a rejection of legacy titles, but as a plea for balance and a forward-looking vision that ensures the medium continues to evolve and surprise its audience.
The Economic Reality: Why Studios Play It Safe
Starr’s appeal, while resonant with many players and developers, confronts a formidable economic barrier. The video game industry has entered an era of astronomical development costs for AAA titles, with budgets regularly soaring into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In this high-stakes environment, the financial risk of launching a completely new intellectual property is immense. A commercial failure can be catastrophic for a studio, potentially leading to layoffs, studio closures, and significant shareholder losses.
Consequently, the safer bet for publishers and developers is to focus on sequels, prequels, remasters, and reboots within already-established franchises. These projects benefit from built-in brand recognition, a dedicated fanbase, and proven gameplay formulas, which significantly de-risk marketing and development. This trend is not born out of a lack of creativity but is a rational, if conservative, response to market pressures. The result, however, is a landscape often perceived as stagnating, where innovation is sidelined in favor of financial security.
The Indie Solution and Mid-Tier Revival
If the blockbuster segment of the industry is increasingly risk-averse, where does innovation flourish? Starr himself hinted at the solution: lower-budget creative indie titles. The independent development scene has long been the lifeblood of original ideas in gaming, responsible for birthing genres and delivering experiences that AAA studios would never greenlight. Titles from indie studios often achieve remarkable success precisely because of their novelty and creative daring.
Furthermore, there is a growing argument for the resurgence of the “AA” or mid-tier game—projects with respectable budgets and polish that are not forced to chase the unrealistic sales figures of a AAA tentpole release. These games can serve as an ideal testing ground for new IPs, allowing studios to build worlds and franchises that can later be expanded upon. Expedition 33 itself may fit into this category, representing a significant investment in a new universe without the untenable budget of a flagship franchise entry.
The Player Perspective: Craving New Worlds
The audience’s role in this cycle is critical. While sales data consistently shows strong performance for sequels and remasters, there is a vocal and growing segment of the player base that echoes Starr’s sentiment. Many gamers express fatigue with endless iterations of the same franchises and yearn for the excitement of discovering a completely new world, narrative, and cast of characters. The discussion that arises around titles like Expedition 33 is often charged with the palpable excitement of the unknown.
This creates a paradoxical market signal. Players buy familiar franchises in massive numbers, reinforcing the studios’ strategies, while simultaneously lamenting the lack of originality. Breaking this cycle requires a degree of courage from both sides: studios to champion and properly market new ideas, and players to actively support and purchase original IPs at launch, providing the commercial proof that new ventures can be viable.
Looking Ahead: The Future of IP Creation
The path forward for the gaming industry likely lies in a diversified approach. The health of the ecosystem depends on a mix of legacy franchises, which provide stability, and a steady stream of new intellectual properties, which drive the art form forward. Encouraging this balance may involve structural changes, such as publishers dedicating specific budgets or labels to original IP development, insulated from the extreme profit expectations of their flagship series.
Additionally, the success of new AA and indie titles must be celebrated and analyzed not just as isolated hits, but as blueprints for sustainable originality. When a game like Expedition 33 finds success, it should serve as a case study for the entire industry, demonstrating that compelling characters and innovative worlds can carve out their own space in a crowded market. Voice actors like Ben Starr, who champion these projects, play a vital role in bridging the gap between developer intent and audience awareness.
The dialogue initiated by Ben Starr is a necessary one for an industry at a crossroads. While the economic imperatives favoring sequels and remasters are undeniable, an over-reliance on the past threatens the creative vitality that defines gaming as a medium. The call to build new IPs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a call to invest in the future, to give voice actors, developers, and writers the canvas to create the next generation of iconic characters and worlds. Ultimately, the industry’s legacy will be judged not only by how well it preserved its classics, but by the courage it showed in building something new for players to discover and cherish.
