I was recently pondering the notion that episodic game content may become the "norm" as digital distribution catches on. I realize the marketing condiderations in episodic content, as well as the <hopefully> increased productivity of design teams cranking out small content every 3-6 months on a solid tech base (instead of one large release every 3 years). But are there consequences? Let's say I release 3 new episodes of my title, after having previously released the first 3 episodes. Some food for thought: - Will newcomers to the "franchise" need to play the first 3 episodes for the sake of following the story? - Similarly, if newcomers jump right in on the 2nd batch of content, will the game/story writing need to accommodate this? (The old serials typically used a "previously on" intro for new episodes -- easy for 12 minute cliffhangers, but could be difficult for a 4-6 hour gaming session that spans several episodes) - Will they be required to purchase previous episodes to have access to current episodes? (Would this promote sales or steer newcomers away?) I'm excited to see where "episodic" gaming takes us into the future, but I'm curious how the approach used for television shows/serials can work with gaming content. [Edited by - Razorguts on April 23, 2006 3:22:34 PM]