Finally, the holiday season is here. For many, that means family, friends and gifts. However, for avid video game players, this means the release of several annualized franchises. An annualized franchise is a term used to refer to a series of products that gets resold once a year. Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed, both of which have seen a new release every year since 2004 and 2009 (respectively), are perfect examples. These games are not only examples of what an annualized franchise is, but also display the pros and cons of the business model.

For several years, Call of Duty has been a punchline of many jokes due to its inability to evolve game to game. This criticism is not entirely unfounded. While the series is unrecognizable from its earliest titles, new releases have struggled to differentiate themselves. This problem, while unfortunate, can be easily explained. Video game development, by many accounts, is a difficult and complex process that can take years. Releasing a new title every year is an understandably difficult task that few publishers and developers are even willing to take on. However, a tight deadline is no excuse for rote gameplay. So why do these games continue to succeed? Simply put, annualized franchises are the fast food of video games.

Much like McDonalds or Subway, people don’t buy Call of Duty expecting something revolutionary — they expect consistency. And in the same way that every McNugget is as good as the last, every game is the same quality. This may sound like a criticism, but it truthfully isn’t. Sometimes, a good game is better than no game, and in the strange drought of releases that many gamers currently find themselves in, a new Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed title may be exactly what they want.

New ideas should always be king, but old ones can still serve a purpose. While I’d prefer to say “I’m playing this crazy new game right now!,”I’m fine with another sequel.