Who can say no to this handsome man?
This IP deserves new life!
So for those on the back of the class, Buzz was a Sony-exclusive series from 2005 to 2010. The games were quiz show games, where players would use special Buzz-controllers to answer questions asked in the game during different types of game show rounds. You get points during the rounds, and then the final round decides who wins.
And the games were seriously a lot of fun. The few years I owned Buzz games, we always played them at gatherings with friends and family. There were quite a lot of questions in each game, so they didn't usually became repetitive.
However, the series has been dead since 2010. I understand why – this series was originally given the Guitar Hero treatment. In just five years, Sony released 17 Buzz games (Dozen regular games, few for PSP and few party minigames that were aimed at very young children). That amount of saturation would kill any IP. The games also required the use of the Buzz controllers. Buying a game that comes with four plastic controllers raised the price.
Ah yes, just what we need, more plastic peripheals.
But now in 2021, it's high time to revive this IP.
Quiz-party games are all the craze now. Jackbox games are really popular, and for a good reason: these types of games are fun! And most of all, they are lot more accessible, than what Buzz was in terms of accessories needed. There's also Buzz type games released on systems like the Switch, so there's no reason for Sony not to try as well.
If Buzz were to be revived, the controllers would need to be dropped. Instead turn users smartphones into buzzer controllers with same button layout if needed. You could also make the way players connect to the game work the same way as it does in Jackbox, connect from separate website. That way you could do easy Twitch-streaming fun.
Secondly, do not oversaturate the market with bunch of games again. Just release one Buzz-game for PS5, and then keep supporting it by releasing new question-packs as updates. These updates should be preferably free. You could also give players the option to create their own questions and share them to other players. This was already possible with PS3 Buzz games.
Don't be afraid Sony, give Buzz some love!
