New Triple A Trend?

There seems to be a new trend with big publishers releasing a big game that is a mashup of their other previous games. GTA 5 felt like they took a mechanics from Midnight Club, Max Payne, and Red Dead Redemption. Watch Dogs took mechanics from Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, and Far Cry.

What does everyone think of this? Is it a trend? If so, is it good or bad?

Personally I think it's a nice way to keep AAA games viable. They can work on 3 or 4 separate games that are able to be somewhat experimental, and use them to heavily produce a few mechanics. Those games don't need to be huge successes, because they can be subsidized by taking all the best, most finely developed mechanics from each game, and throwing them all together in one huge blockbuster that, while very homogenized, is a showcase of the greatest stuff from publisher.

How many games/studios are actually doing this ?

I know Capcom squeezed Lost Planet 2's Skill System into President Evil 6.

I don't hate big publishers or games all the time, I am petty easygoing on all types of game trends and those who play them. however I believe this trend is only good if it keeps pushing games forward, or corrects issues, not if it makes games all start looking the same.

I think it's bad. It leads to staleness and repetitive gameplay. Ubisoft games all feel the same (the open world games that is)

@mattykovax

Indeed... I like my niches nice and segregated... I have no desire to play a game that tries to do everything to please everyone. Many elements are diametrically opposed so putting them together just ends displeasing everybody...

Basically what I'm trying to say is.... RPG-Hybrids suck donkey balls. :p

@liquidbutter: Well Ubisoft has a lot of companies that work on all their games. Far Cry 4 dev team worked on AC IV for example. You can't really blame a developer for using their experience from other projects and improve on their game. but there aren't other developers that do that now, do they?