...Have any of you played Viva Pinata yet? If not, I'd keep your mouth shut. It's by far Rare's best game since Goldeneye. And I remember playing Jetpac when it came out.
At any rate, selling off IPs is a mixed bag. Some IPs are nearly useless to their owners, as they have the resources to put more money into bigger and more profitable franchises. However, as a gamer, I miss quite a few franchises that no longer exist (or aren't supported): Ogre Battle, Chrono, Terrangamia Series (Soul Blazer was one of the best SNES games made), Lufia (console versions), Breath of Fire (haven't heard anything about a new once since Dragon Quarter), and others.
These IPs could easily garner a bit of cash IF a developer put enough time and money in them. However, they are always a mystery, which is why the devs aren't supporting them like they should. They can easily profit off of the various games easily by selling games on franchises that aren't going to get a second life.
However, a new company could easily make a bit of cash using a name, a small dev team, and enough ingenuity to revive a franchise. I honestly believe if Mistwaker bought the Chrono series, and gave it their treatment, we could be looking at a Japan 360 saver in and of itself. Plus more than anything, I'd be the first in line to buy it.
Here's hoping that S-E sells off about 10 IPs to Mistwaker and Namco-Bandai :)
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
