Prototype sales justified sequel - Activision

Activision subsidiary Radical Entertainment revealed that Prototype 2 is in development this weekend, and the studio has now promised to deliver "an even bigger and better experience" than the original.

Shape-shifting open-world action game Prototype launched in 2009, and Radical studio head Ken Rosman believes its sales justified a sequel.

"When Prototype surpassed two million units we knew gamers would want a sequel to find out what happens next with Alex Mercer.

[Convas]

Well that's all good and stuff, but let's hope the reviews it got justify a better sequel. You have the opportunity to make it greater than the first, so DO SO.

But then again, who am I kidding, this is Activision we're talking about.

[Ducky]

They publish games. They don't develop them.

I wonder if we'll still play as the rampaging flying squirrel...

[velocitygamer]

I really hope they put a lot of variety in the game. The game got really repetitive after the first half of the game. It will be interesting though if you switch roles in the game here and then. Like at one point, you play as the sergeant, and then you play as Alex Mercer.

[darthv72]

i did not play the first but from the trailer...you are a different person. Are you going after the one that was in the first?

[captain-obvious]

after playing the first one
which felt more of an advertisement billboard than a game
and it was far faaaaaaaaaaaaaar from a decent game

i think im not even interested AT ALL at this one

[Christopher]

inFamous did about 1.75m, Prototype about 2m. Prototype meets the bare minimum requirements for a sequel considering it's multiplatform. And, based on the video we saw, they're not updating the engine much, so likely a smaller dev team resulting in less costs for the sequel. With that in mind, they could make a good profit if sales match that of the first game.

inFamous, on the other hand, will need to at least match but hopefully beat their first game's amount sold considering they're working a lot on the engine. While there's a lot more profit due to it being a Sony IP, only half of that goes back to the development team, the rest goes to Sony as a whole. It's likely they were given more of the profits from Sony's part (as an investment) to make the second game, though.

@juggulator: My point wasn't to make this consolve vs console or anything of that sort. My point was about how much they made in profit from the first game and how that would likely affect them going forward with a new game. I'll update my text a bit to make sure my point is clear, though.

[juggulator]

inFamous isn't multipatform. Prototype is so its only natural that it would sell more.

[darthv72]

"nFamous, on the other hand, will really need to at least match but hopefully beat their first game's amount sold considering they're working a lot on the engine."

That is the general idea of any sequel. It rarely happens though (in movies) but in games there is a greater percentage of success.

Not only that, sometimes people jump to the next version without playing the previous. They may like it so much as to see what the first was like. I have done that myself. Picked up killzone, uncharted, and fable after having played the newer editions.

@jugg..it isnt a platform thing. It's more of a popularity thing. Will people who bought the first be inclined to get the next? Only content and delivery (satisfaction) can determine that.

[Headquarters11]

Looks like the same crappy game as the first. Why make a sequel?

[buckethead_911]

Sure the sales justified a sequel.

Just not enough to not get half of the development team fired, apparently.

[xAlmostPro]

so basically like everything activision, it made money so they'll milk another game out of it lol..

if they were any kind of decent developers/publishers they would have realised the 1st was bad and to use the money on a decent new ip or to raise the budget on better franchises to make improvements instead of giving us the same crap

[rrw]

hmm, anyone want to compare this with infamous 2 here

[Troll_Police]

Funny, I remember a certain group said "Prototype will rape Infamous". LOL. How did that turn out?

[UnSelf]

@rrw

someone did

[visualb]

isn't this game releasing in 2012?

a WHOLE YEAR after infamous 2?

comparisons will be late due...and probably unfair on Prototype...xD

[PraxxtorCruel]

The usual stupid Infamous comment, can't a mod filter anyone from trying to post a comment with the word 'Infamous'. Seriously tired of it, can we just talk about Prototype here. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Please Activision don't make us play as someone else, it has to be Mr. Mercer.

[Soldierone]

Without InFamous there is no Prototype, all there is to it lol. If Sony didn't announce InFamous 2 or give any clue to making a second one at all, Prototype 2 would of never seen the light of day.

[UnSelf]

do u hear urself?

no, read wat u wrote again

[Apotheosize]

You know I kind of agree.

Its funny though, after this comes out Activision will rape half of Radicals staff again. Nice knowing ya guys

[PraxxtorCruel]

But I thought Prototype was in the works even before Infamous 1.

[Lawliet]

I too kinda agree with Soldier one
All these rip-off is just looking to get attention and fame from quality games. Which is also part of the reason why they and media would put up comparisons between them. And the fact is One is brilliantly polish while the other was total crap. It's kinda a way of advertising and well putting the game in spot light. Just as visualb said Dante's Inferno a true example... Believe it or not, there are actually people who bought DE and not GOW3 thought it is better than GOW3! They just don't know what they're missing out..

[palaeomerus]

Ripoffs? What the hell? Rip offs of what?

I hate to break it to you, but inFamous is just another "me too" in the super hero free-roam genre. It and it didn't START anything.

The genre started out with the Spider-Man games that mixed GTA 3 like city with web swinging. Prototype is most like a prior game called Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (which was ALSO done by Radical games), and Hulk:UD came out before inFamous was even started. It was a PS2 Xbox game.

Personally I like both inFamous and Protoype.

But then I can do that because I'm not a brainwashed idiot fanboy trying to make a game sound WAY more important or unique than it actually is in a thread about a competing game.

[visualb]

solider one has a point

like dante's inferno was to counter GOW and MoH was to counter COD, and Guitar hero to counter Rock band, etc...point is

there's always a first that gives birth to others.

Infamous was the first, prototype followed the concept (NOT RIP OFF OR COPIED, just followed the concept)

also, if im not mistaken, it was a set of fanboys that kept comparing prototype to infamous and stating infamous would flop...

actually, the opposite happened, now prototype 2 is forever cursed....

[DaBadGuy]

Yeah. I never understood all the animosity over Prototype and inFamous, just seemed to be since they were both sandbox games where you use powers, they were "ripping off" each other.

Didn't they both just "rip off" Spider-Man 2 anyway?

Spider-Man 2, the movie game not Enter Electro, was one of the best sandbox games I've ever played.

And I'm sure there was a game that preceded Spider-Man 2 that began the 3D sandbox superpower game but Spider-Man 2 is the game I can think of that's closest to inFamous or Prototype and is one of the best.

[visualb]

I agree both borrow a lot from spider man

i'd say what they base off each other is the fact that they create a brand new hero fighting off a conspiracy against them using moral compasses with variable endings.

[palaeomerus]

Sure, inFamous was the first IF you ignore Crackdown, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, a hell of a lot of Spider-Man games, GTA 3, VC, SA, IV, Saint's Row, Mercenaries, Just Cause, and the other games that do pretty much the same thing only earlier. LOL.

And 2 million sales with a 79 avg. on metacritic is a flop? Really? Stupid much? Ignorant fanboys invading Protoype 2 threads to promote inFamous is not evidence of a curse. It's just immature trolling from losers who never even played the game they want to trash.

[hoops]

I would have HIGH HIGH hopes for this game, HOWEVER Activision is involved so you might as well WAIT for the game to hit because if it's anything like some of their "other games" lord help us.

[MGRogue2017]

The first prototype wasnt that good imo

Most people like myself bought it because of all the hype & because of the fact that you could be a total badass who can run up walls & glide all over the place.

Maybe this sequel will be 100% better.. but I'm not holding my breath. I'll most surely check it out though.. for sure.

[Storage]

I agree, form the trailers I was excited. When I tried the game (rented) I was disappointed at how bland and boring it got.

[Storage]

I'm sure Radical was making this game before inFamous 2 was announced. It made a profit for Activision so it's likely that it was going to get a sequel. Plus I don't think Prototypes success depends on inFamous.

[trainsinrdr]

technically if you play as another character he cant also be a prototype

[palaeomerus]

You can have multiple protoypes. A protoype is just something manhufactured for testing and demonstration of features before a final design for full production is adopted.

You can have several protoypes at once including a proof of concept protoype, an initial protoype, a feature-modified protoype, a promotional prototype for showing off at trade shows, a concept-A protpype and a concept-B protoype, a candidate for production prototype, an advanced protoype, etc.

It doesn't mean "unique".

And the first game had three protoypes in it. After all Alex was made from a variant of the stuff produced by Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the source from the experiment in the small town, and the guy he fights against in the end, on the carrier is hybrid of his virus, elizabeth's virus, and the cancer-weapon designed to kill him, all blended together.

[Incipio]

I thoroughly enjoyed Prototype

[EVO-OM3GA]

I'm just glad there is a sequel i just hope they focus more on the character this time as after awhile i think the game lost the plot and it just became about consuming people...

For those saying Infamous this Infamous that, why do you really care the game is a good game it had very little to do with infamous but i suppose people always find away to bring sony up in articles.

Protoype-Spiderman Web of Shadows it is really simple, look at the gameplay, combat, enviroment its basically a R18 version of spiderman.

[MilkMan]

That's funny, cause last time I played this game, it was more like "all dressed up and nowhere to go" type of thing.

You had 1 million powers and the same stupid fools to kill.

Also, once you finished the main missions all you did was fly and pounce around like an idiot, ooh I forgot, you can go back and destroy the same infected bases over and over.

IF that warrants a sequel I have like 2 million other titles that deserve movies NOT games.

Get your head out your asses, stop taking content out for what you hope will be FUTURE DLC and next time give me a complete fucking game.
Idiots.

[Der_Kommandant]

I don't want to play as some new asshole. I Want to play as Alex Mercer

[femshep]

maybe youll get to play as both cause why would they kill the protagonist

[TheOrion]

I have to say I haven't even got around to finishing the first one yet, it just seems to be lacking. I honestly have tried to give this game a chance but something is just off about it.

[wissam]

Infamous 2 will rape this game HARD.

[trainsinrdr]

i think this game will rape itself first

[StitchJones]

Shipped vs. Sold are two different numbers. Activision is smoking crack.

[Moerdigan]

I had watched someone play the first game and that was my first seeing it. Something about the gameplay really put me off. Just wasn't appealing from what I saw.

[femshep]

i enjoyed the first game...infamous not so much but hopefully they don't realse them both at the same time again i don't think ill be able to take the whole "these are two different games but we're still gonna argue about them like there the last games ever being created" thing again that was plain annoying

[DarkFantasy]

man some times things like this suck,knowing every game that sells well is going to get a sequel some i really want some i don't,i would like to see different games we are getting A LOT of sequels this gen.

[jalen247]

I enjoyed what I have played of Prototype. I have not played a lot of it though.

[memphis2]

this is a surprising news. critics gave this game average overall, yet sales was high enough to make a sequel compared to infamous? i guess good work to activision lol.

[Figboy]

Prototype 2 COULD be good.

then i remember that Activision is publishing it.

having worked for them for over 3+ years, i can say they don't give a rats ass about giving the developers the time and BUDGET they need to develop top quality games.

just look at each and every ATVI published game NOT named Call of Duty, and you'll see that same, poorly optimized multi-platform engine spread across all their games.

how many ATVI games actually LOOK like current generation games? they always look and feel a generation behind their competition, with the exception of the CoD franchise.

name me an action/adventure game from Activision that matches games like Assassin's Creed, or Batman: Arkham Asylum.

name me a survival horror game from Activision that matches Dead Space or Silent Hill.

name me a racing game from Activision that matches Need for Speed, or Burnout.

they don't CARE about current generation technology. they care about current generation PROFIT, and the quality of their non-CoD titles proves this without a doubt.

companies like EA and Ubisoft have adopted high end engines and production pipelines. ATVI is still using the same production pipelines they've used for decades.

i've worked at some of the developers at ATVI, and they get NO support from the company. if they say they want a game to be released in 9 months, you better believe that you will ONLY get the budget to release that game in 9 months. you go over that timeline/budget, and you better just start looking for employment elsewhere.

Activision is a cancer on the gaming industry. their poorly produced licensed drivel are an insult to the industry, and Bobby Kotick may be a brilliant businessman, but he doesn't give a shit about producing a portfolio of games that the company can actually be PROUD of.

it's a real shame that the masses gobble up the shit they produce in droves.

you have companies like Clover being shut down left and right, while companies like Activision only get stronger. if it wasn't for the fact that studios like Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Bioware, Team Ico, etc exist, i'd have a bleaker outlook on the gaming industry than i do. those studios will ALWAYS get my support, if anything, than to spit in Activision's face.

[Commodore]

Game sucked so bad....Story was trash, gameplay was trash. Possibly the only game that I truly didn't like.

[djfullshred]

Funny, but this is a game where I played all the way to the annoying end, and I could care less WTF happens to the main character. He was a douchebag.

[Karum]

I followed the original game through development for at least a couple of years, thought it looked amazing but when it actually released I didn't feel compelled to finish the game to be honest.

If the sequel looks to be an improvement I'll be glad to give it a chance....but I really despise giving Activision any money.

[iliimaster]

me i cannot wait... i liekd this game better than infamous and kept my ps3 going for a while i loved the game but i want star wars republic commando 2!!!!!!!!!

[CombineElite]

Prototype sold 2 million? OMG that game sucked and Prototype 2 so far doesn't look any better.

$20 Dollars to make, 2 million units sold.

[ElementX]

The first was a fun bargain bin purchase. I don't see why so many people hate it, all the PS3 fans just compare it to Infamous and say it sucks. I enjoyed both games!

[hazelamy]

hopefully they can make the next one, you know, actually good.

[Corrwin]

PR men are so easy to read.