Square Enix invites devs to pitch ideas for Gex, Fear Effect and Anachronox
But is it worth their while?
Square Enix has invited developers to pitch ideas for new games based on the Gex, Fear Effect and Anachronox franchises.
The company said it's not necessarily looking for straight-up sequels to those games. Rather, it wants to see different takes on those universes.
"What would Gex look like in a side-scrolling adventure, or a turn-based strategy?" the company said. "So feel free to mash up genres, and get creative."
It's part of Collective, a program Square Enix launched in November 2013 to partner with developers for crowdfunding efforts.
It works like this: once Square Enix greenlights an idea it puts it out to the community to let them vote and provide feedback. After 28 days of this the company decides whether or not to proceed.
It's then onto crowdfunding, which is sure to raise eyebrows given developers will work with Square Enix, a multi-million pound video game publisher, on its established intellectual property.
Square Enix justified this by saying it will still be the responsibility of the independent developer to build the game, and insisted the developer "will still be the key beneficiary of its success".
However, Square Enix will still take five per cent of net crowdfunds raised, assuming the initial target is reached, and a distribution fee of 10 per cent net sales revenue to sell the game, and it will charge a 10 per cent license fee for the use of the IP. Phew!
"And, obviously, we'll have more involvement in the direction of development," Square Enix said, "because let's face it, we want to make sure the game that's released is the game that's promised."
Square Enix said the developer will still keep 80 per cent of the net revenue from sales of the game, "and who knows, maybe we'll be interested in licensing a sequel as well?
"It's a pretty good deal".
Collective has run for a year now, partnering with a number of independent developers, such as Crackdown 2 studio Ruffian's Game of Glens. But that project was shelved after it suffered at Collective's polls.
While 36 original game ideas have been published by Collective, just three have so far been successfully Kickstarted: Sand Sailor Studio's Black The Fall, Kitfox Games' Moon Hunters, and, most recently, point-and-click adventure Goetia from French developer Sushee.
Perhaps it's best to employ a wait and see approach following this latest news, then. Maybe Anachronox creator Tom Hall fancies a pitch?