Crossing the road didnt go precisely as he expected it to. The trucks were
moving faster than he thought, there were too many alligators, and he never saw
that car coming. Frogger, known for his work in the Frogger classic arcade game,
wasnt crippled in that accident back in 1981, at least not physically. Hes been
held back for years by self-doubt, never as big a hit as Pac-Man or those pesky
Super Mario Bros. He tried to get a role in Activision Blizzard s (NASDAQ: ATVI
) Call of Duty , but he got passed over for characters with opposable thumbs. A
few years back, Frogger figured hed change direction, give up the video game
ghost and go get his MBA. Now, on his 30th birthday, things are turning around.
Froggers back on the scene, connecting with the kids via a new game sold in
Apple s (NASDAQ: AAPL ) App Store. Everythings going to be different now.
Heartwarming return aside, the release of a new edition of Konami Corp. s (NYSE:
KNM ) Frogger series on the App Store to celebrate the games 30th anniversary
demonstrates just how much the game industry has changed in recent years. Even
five years ago, this sort of brand would see its anniversary used to leverage a
fleet of retail products, $40 retail games for Sony s (NYSE: SNE ) PlayStation 2
or Microsoft s (NASDAQ: MSFT ) original Xbox system. Now it would be impossible
for Konami to make money on a disc-based retail game of Frogger ; its too
insubstantial as a game and too unfamiliar to young players to capture the crowd
still buying games for Nintendo s (PINK: NTDOY ) machines. The $1.99 Frogger
Decades in the App Store is perfect, though. It was undoubtedly cheap to make
and its the sort of flotsam that iPhone owners will happily download and amuse
themselves with when they have a few idle minutes. It ultimately will be
interesting to see how well this game performs alongside perpetual hits like
Rovios Angry Birds . Leveraging classic brands is the oldest marketing strategy
in the book just look at the number of television and movie remakes from the
past year alone. Video games have especially exploited audience nostalgia.
Nintendos New Super Mario Bros. Wii , a game released in 2009 but modeled after
a game made in 1985, has sold more than 22 million copies. While classic brands
have sold decently on mobile devices, they havent seen nearly the success of
newer titles like the aforementioned Angry Birds or others like Electronic Arts
(NASDAQ: ERTS ) subsidiary PopCaps Bejeweled . A perfect example is Segas Sonic
the Hedgehog 4 . Released at the end of 2010, the company developed the game
the first numerical sequel to the classic series since 1994 for Apples iPhone
first and other platforms like the Nintendo Wii second. It failed to break into
the App Stores top 10. The bottom line is that new intellectual property tends
to sing on mobile platforms. Thats good news for businesses heavily invested in
the industry, as well as investors following companies like Zynga and Rovio who
stand to go public in the next year. Its also great news for creativity. Any
sign that original work is more profitable than rehashes and nostalgia cash-ins
is a good sign indeed. As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a
position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at
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