How about version 1.5?

We have noticed a new trend in board gaming - maybe a somewhat disturbing one. 🤔
I am dubbing it the ‘Version 1.5 Syndrome’: new standalone games getting released that are very much like their predecessor, but with some minor or major adjustments. (Keep in mind I don’t mean remasters, but games that are meant to exist next to the other game.)

Some examples are GWT: Argentina or GWT: New Zealand, Age of Innovation, Terra Nova, and more recently Everdell Farshore, Pirates of Maracaibo and Dune Imperium: Uprising. They are all very similar to their original counterparts, with some new take on the existing systems. I am not sure how to feel about this. 😶

Games like this make me feel like a designer couldn’t choose which mechanic to use, so they decide to release all versions. A good example are the tile laying games Cottage Garden, Indian Summer and Spring Meadow, that all look very similar at a glance.
Or perhaps it’s easier to sell a new standalone game, than selling a 3rd expansion to an older game.

I mean we love Great Western Trail: Argentina. It is a great game, possibly better than the original, but I still don’t think it really makes sense to own both (except if you are a collector). You will prefer either the original or the new one, but they won’t feel like different games when you play.

There is a case to be made for things like Terra Nova: it introduces a lighter, more digestible version of the heavy euro Terra Mystica, so less experienced gamers can also get a taste of the greatness. 👍 Horizons of Spirit Island is also a more budget friendly version of Spirit Island, so it can reach a much wider audience.

Of course there are many details not known about some of these new announcements, so I might have to take some of my words back, and still, I am curious to try out many of these games, as we are big fans of GWT, Maracaibo, Dune Imperium and Everdell.

❓ What are your thoughts on this?
❓ Is it good? Is it bad? Is it… complicated? 😄
❓ Is it just a means to get you to buy a game again?
❓ Is it a good way to introduce new mechanics without completely muddling up an existing game with too many additional mechanics and expansions?