10 Crucial Improvements The Gaming Industry Must Make In 2015

5. New Intellectual Properties

Have a go at naming a new IP that's coming out next year - something that's not a sequel, a reboot or essentially a rework of something that's gone before. It's pretty hard, right? If your mind isn't consumed by the almighty Dark Knight above, you might be able to make out other vague shapes in view that'll eventually represent 'It's not Gears of War in the past' Order 1886, or 'Max Pay... who?' Quantum Break. Yes that's being derivative for the sake of making a point, but that point still stands. Where are the big original heroes to look forward to, the barest rumbles of which should be felt now as the industry throws out a few feelers to see what's going to work next year? Even Naughty Dog with each subsequent generation have given us Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and the double-whammy of Uncharted and The Last of Us, yet they are struggling to make something new work in a sea of copycat tropes and stilted titles, instead for the first time in their history they're breaking the 'three game rule' to do another Drake-fronted adventure, seemingly just for the sake of it. Obviously U4 looks brilliant in terms of playability, but that spark of originality has most definitely gone out - especially in terms of the big-budget triple-A titles.