Market Consideration
From Time Travel Game
Target Market
The average age of gamers is always increasing and games being produced are reflecting the tastes of older players a lot more. While it would be possible to go all out and have a high level of gore and blood in the game it could detract from the main focus of the game, time travel. So while there is a focus on combat in the game it will not be overtly violent with the end result being that it will be more accessible to a wider variety of players.
The game will be aiming for a 15-16+ rating to allow for a reasonable amount of violence to be depicted in combat while not taking it to far. This should mean that it will appeal to both the main target market of the 20+ Young Adult gamer while still being accessible to the teen 15-19 market. Hopefully giving the game a broad appeal.
Competitors
The only major upcoming competition to the Time Travel Game comes from Airtight Games and Portal Designer Kim Swift's Quantum Conundrum. Which sees the players manipulating various dimensions of existence to solve puzzles. (Gameplay Demonstration) Some of these dimensions have time travel properties such as the ability to slow down time. In the grand scheme of things Quantum Conundrum and the Time Travel Game are to very different games. Quantum Conundrum focuses on puzzle solving in a similar way to Portal while the Time Travel Game has its main focus on using time travel in combat with a smaller focus on puzzle solving. These easiest way to combat people dismissing the game as being to similar is to showoff the combat time travel abilities and encounters with other time travellers.
Threats & Opportunities
The other major concern comes from the worry by many gamers and historic evidence that time travel can overcomplicate a game. Previous games that have employed time travel have struggled to sell the concept well or implement it into the game fully. The key is to make the time travel mechanics simple to understand and use without much deep thought required by the players to use them tactically. So a focus on a K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) mentality to the mechanics should help elevate this problem.
The game itself has a good chance of success because in the current market time travel is employed as a minor function in a host of abilities such as in Quantum Conundrum or as a plot device to get things moving. So the game being about time travel in almost every aspect is a major plus point that can and should be exploited in the marketing for the game.
