I'm not saying it wouldnt possibly work great. It's that the specific people doing all the work, what they have to reference and call back on, all of the experience and the history that makes doing art and design for a new game smoother and more like the assembly line that a sequel tries to be is restricted to that specific vision.
It'd be an investment and a risk to go beyond that. Ideally, it'd be awesome and has potential payoff, but it's scary as a business venture.