Hey all, I thought i'd just put a thread together as a way to summarise the release timetables of the major gaming series, and the frequency at which the games were released! This list covers mainly console games, but ive included pokemon due to its size, and the blizzard craft games because theyre my personal favorites!

Keep in mind i'm keeping this limited to main iterations, not spin offs or remakes because they make use of worlds, stories and scenarios that have already been created, thus reducing dev time significantly (i.e the GTA4 episodes).

Final Fantasy;

1987 - FFI

1988 - FFII

1990 - FFIII

1991 - FFIV

1992 - FFV

1994 - FFVI

1997 - FFVII

1999 - FFVIII

2000 - FFIX

2001 - FFX

2002 - FFXI

2006 - FFXII

2009 - FFXIII

Average Time Between Releases: 1.8 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 2.6

Releases This Gen: 1

Mario;

1985 - Super Mario Bros.

1988 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (Not lost levels)

1988 - Super Mario Bros. 3

1991 - Super Mario World

1996 - Super Mario 64

2002 - Super Mario Sunshine

2007 - Super Mario Galaxy

2009 - NSBWii

2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2

Average Time Between Releases: 3.3 years

Average Releases Per Generation:  1.6

Releases This Gen: Soon to be 3

Zelda;

1986 - The Legend of Zelda

1987 - The Adventure of Link

1991 - A Link to the Past

1998 - Ocarina of Time

2000 - Majora's Mask

2002 - Wind Waker

2006 - Twilight Princess

2010/11? - Zelda Wii

Average Time Between Releases:  3.4 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 1.5

Releases This Gen: Soon to be 2

GTA;

1997 - Grand Theft Auto

1999 - Grand Theft Auto 2

2001 - Grand Theft Auto 3

2002 - Vice City

2004 - San Andreas

2008 - Grand Theft Auto 4

Average Time Between Releases: 3 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 2

Releases This Gen: 1

Halo;

2001 - Halo CE

2004 - Halo 2

2007 - Halo 3

2009 - ODST

2010 - Halo Reach

Average Time Between Releases: 2.25 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 2.5

Releases This Gen: 3

Gran Tourismo;

1997 - Gran Tourismo 1

1999 - Gran Tourismo 2

2001 - Gran Tourismo 3: A-spec

2004 - Gran Tourismo 4

2010 - Gran Tourismo 5

Average Time Between Releases: 3.75 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 1.7

Releases This Gen: 1

Pokemon;

1996 - Red/Blue

2000 - Gold/Silver

2003 - Ruby/Sapphire

2006 - Diamond/Pearl

2010 - Black/While

Average Time Between Releases: 3.5 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 1.7

Releases This Gen: 2

Resident Evil;

1996 - Resident Evil 1

1998 - Resident Evil 2

1999 - Resident Evil 3

2005 - Resident Evil 4

2009 - Resident Evil 5

Average Time Between Releases: 3.25

Average Releases Per Generation: 1.7

Releases This Gen: 1

Call of Duty;

2003 - Call of Duty 1

2005 - Call of Duty 2

2006 - Call of Duty 3

2007 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

2008 - Call of Duty 5: WaW

2009 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Average Time Between Releases: 1.2 years

Average Releases Per Generation: 3

Releases This Gen: 4

The Craft Games (Warcraft, Starcraft)

1994 - Warcraft I: Orcs and Humans

1996 - Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

1998 - Starcraft

2002 - Warcraft III: Rain of Chaos

2004 - World of Warcraft

2010 - Starcraft II

Average Time Between Releases: 3.2 years

Average Releases Per Generation: Undefinable for PC games.

Releases This Gen: Again undefinable (although Starcraft 2 has been a bloody long time coming)

An Amateur Analysis;

In almost all cases, there is a longer break between games when a new generation starts (the exceptions being the CoD games) and a new platform needs to be worked with. The first game of a generation then often leads to multiple sequels  that generation in quicker succession, which is primarily due to the development of engines and a decresed development cycle due to hardware experience. Notable examples of this include the FF games on PS1, the GTA games on PS2 and of course the CoD games on every platform under the sun. This is only logical as an easy way to justify the creation of an engine and the time/expense involved is to be able to build two or more games from the same tools.

Now the question is, how does this affect the generation we're in and the games that we can expect before the whole thing starts all over again. There are several games that have definate sequels planned based on tools developed earlier. SMG2, FFvXIII, Halo Reach, Pokemon Black/White and a bajillion CoD games are all in the process of being developed using engines that have been previously constructed for that series (leaving Zelda Wii out for now as i imagine theyll create a new engine for it as TP is based on GC). The trends would indicate that we can expect new iterations of GTA, RE and possibly FF as well (aside from XIV).

However I would argue that most games this generation would only see one major sequel this generation, due primarily to an increased development time as the demand for more complex, large scale and above all detailed, games are demanded of fans. This means that most series will only be able to produce one (maybe two) sequels this generation at maximum.

Now there is a problem that arises from noticing this. Game development budgets have continued to rise, and this shows no signs of abating any time soon. As the major studios attempt to outdo eachother in the blockbuster game arena, corresponding marketing budgets have also increased significantly. The increase in development times means that companies are getting less from their engines, and thus their return on investment is decreasing significantly.

I would argue that this isn't sustainable, as it appears that although the gaming industry is growing significantly, costs are growing at a much faster rate, and companies that are struggling to turn profits on the model above as it exists will only find it more difficult to remain in the black (when was the last time EA made a profit?).

So what is going to come of all this? The console manufacturers aside (they generally have the funds to churn out as many blockbusters as they see fit, and nintendo just takes a portion of their money pile/bed), I think that publishers are going to have to have a hard look at their model, and move away from the blockbuster model they have and the rediculous competition it has created in the realm of graphics and hype.The increase in game dev time means that companies no longer have the luxury of being able to have three mainline games a generation anymore without significant investment or the use of multiple development teams working simultaneously (not necesarily a good thing, as these teams would be working on smaller, more secure and profitable side projects).

In all i think the gaming industry is one that will exist for the forseeable future, however i think that many cracks will start appearing soon and game developers will have to rethink the way that they have been doing things.

p.s if you got this far, thanks for reading! (would love to hear your thoughts, arguments & criticisms)

The industry found something to cut the costs...DLC... Almost non nintendo game has DLC now.

Also outsourcing is popular. Ubisoft is doing and did it for Assasins's Creed II. That cut cost and development time..

Good point, but so far the implementation of DLC hasn't saved several publishers from losses, I also think it fosters a lot of resentments from a lot of gamers (DLC on disc).

So while it is a potential solution, I think publishers need to be careful about how they handle DLC and what it actually provides.

I think the most dreaded situation which im afraid may happen in some occasions, is that you buy 9/10ths of the game at retail, but need to pay $10 to get the real ending.

If you're counting 2d and 3d Mario as the same then 'releases this gen' should be soon to be 3.

Thanks for the heads up, edited to account for my lack of ability to count.

Nice topic!

I agree that publishers need to take a hard look at their business model.

You missed over half of the Zelda games. By my count, Zelda Wii will be the sixteenth. We can be fair and call the Oracle games 1 game instead of two, so that makes 15. You're still way off.

I'm well aware of this, I also missed out on several GTA games, a multitude of ff's. This was done one intentionally because the main titles in a series almost always appear on consoles (DQ, NSMB and arguably the zelda games being exceptions).

This was because i was primarily focussing on console engine development and the subsequent dev times, as well as mainline games.

Handhelds are a special case because they're always significantly easier, quicker and cheaper to develop on than their console counterparts at the same time. They're also a prime destination of spin off's.