Newsbrief: Quite out of the blue, Codemasters has released Cannon Fodder 3, a new instalment in the popular war-based action series.
The game is available exclusively via Gamersgate, and features gameplay similar to the original releases, albeit set in the 21st century and with 3D visuals. It also boasts 17 different weapons, boss battles, and an achievements and ranking system.
The original Cannon Fodder was released on a variety of platforms in 1993, while a sequel was released a year later. A number of other Cannon Fodder games have been canceled in the past, including a new instalment meant for the PSP and a 3D updated version of the original game for PlayStation 2.
Cannon Fodder, Sensible Soccer...such great games, I suppose their greatness is their downfall, they were simple and thats what made the gameplay so perfect. After the dissapointing release of the new sensible soccer several years ago, I have accepted what made them great can't be remastered with better visuals, the graphics were just never important and these days appearence is everything.
Their downfall is the fact that the original creators no longer hold the rights. When the founders of Sensible Software sold their company to Codemasters, they sold intellectual assets as well, unfortunately.
I had the pleasure of working with Jon Hare (one of the guys who made Cannon Fodder) on an iPhone/iPad adaptation of Speedball 2 (from the Bitmap Brothers - who, luckily, never sold their IPs to anyone). He's a guy who pays huge attention to detail, and is very, very good at catching just what was important in the original, and what needs to be changed to adapt to new times and platforms. He would do a great job in porting Cannon Fodder, too... but he does not hold the rights.
They're still just IPs. If they aren't violating any trademarks or software patents (...) related to the originals, nothing should prevent these authors and designers from making that new, better game under a different name. Chances are online media and word-of-mouth ("This is by the guy who made [...]!") will let the game reach similar levels of a-priori popularity with those people who actually remember the originals. A silly, perverse concept such as "intellectual property" can't and shouldn't prevent an artist from creating the work he wants to create.
For example, look at the Codemasters/Bohemia Interactive Studios and Operation Flashpoint/Armed Assault thing. Bohemia sold the name to Codemasters, who after the split went on to repurpose the name to a new series of games that has practically nothing to do with the originals. Bohemia continued with the new brand Armed Assault, and I don't think much of their target audience, i.e. the fans of the original Operation Flashpoint, was left confused.
I had the pleasure of working with Jon Hare (one of the guys who made Cannon Fodder) on an iPhone/iPad adaptation of Speedball 2 (from the Bitmap Brothers - who, luckily, never sold their IPs to anyone). He's a guy who pays huge attention to detail, and is very, very good at catching just what was important in the original, and what needs to be changed to adapt to new times and platforms. He would do a great job in porting Cannon Fodder, too... but he does not hold the rights.
For example, look at the Codemasters/Bohemia Interactive Studios and Operation Flashpoint/Armed Assault thing. Bohemia sold the name to Codemasters, who after the split went on to repurpose the name to a new series of games that has practically nothing to do with the originals. Bohemia continued with the new brand Armed Assault, and I don't think much of their target audience, i.e. the fans of the original Operation Flashpoint, was left confused.