One of the biggest surprises during opening night of Gamescom 2020 was the new Sam and Max game, This Time It's Virtual. The LucasArts games based on the comic strips were popular in the '90s, but the crime-fighting duo hadn't gotten a new series entry in a decade. They join another classic series, Medal of Honor, in being recently revived in an unexpected way.
Sam, the Irish Wolfhound detective, and his sidekick Max were a beloved pair in the '80s and '90s, but the duo's fame started to dwindle in the 21st Century. Their last game, Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse, was an episodic Telltale video game that performed modestly. Like Medal of Honor, the World War 2-inspired FPS series, Sam and Max is getting an unexpected revival, and fans should be excited.
Like the Sam and Max games, Medal of Honor was another series that found fame in the '90s but then under-performed going into the 2010s. The last Medal of Honor games were unfortunate Call of Duty clones that were met with poor reviews and poorer sales. The classic FPS franchise is getting revived this year thanks to Respawn Entertainment, but its newest entry, Above and Beyond, is finding new life by being completely exclusive to VR. Sam and Max: This Time It's Virtual, is taking a likewise approach when it tentatively releases in 2021. So, what is it about VR that breathes new life into classic franchises? There are actually a few factors to consider.
Why Classic Video Games Are Moving To VR
Series like Sam and Max and Medal of Honor fell out of development for a reason. Consumers just didn't like what they were being sold, so these beloved classics (whether through mismanagement or some other means) simply fell by the wayside. By moving to VR, however, they avoid competing with the kinds of games that essentially put them out of business in the 2010s. Not only that, but nostalgic video games with brand recognition apparently do well in VR, with Star Wars: Vader Immortal being a recent example.
Despite cutting edge technology, VR still hasn't changed the gaming industry the way some insiders believed it would. In this way, VR benefits from having established series like Medal of Honor and Sam and Max join its platform. It's important to also realize how heavily nostalgia factors into the equation. According to Statista, data shows that most people playing games in VR are in the 25-34 year old demographic. These are the people who remember games like Medal of Honor and Sam and Max the best. They played these games as kids and will be eager to play the revivals using the latest VR.
It's always great seeing classic video games being revived. For some of these franchises, like Sam and Max and Medal of Honor, VR seems to be the most secure route. It appeals to the right demographic and functions as a symbiotic relationship between game, player, and platform.