When it comes to game franchises, the latest release can either make or break them; propelling the series into a new boom of fandom, or burying it into the oblivion from the weight of bad reviews or bad sales.
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When a beloved franchise hasn’t released a game in a while, it adds more pressure on the studio to ensure it is a success. For example, if we take the recentTony Hawkgame leak, if the game is good then it will revive the series and undoubtedly we’ll see more sequels sooner rather than later. But if the game bombs, it’ll probably be the end of the franchise, at least for a considerable time, if not forever. Here we take a look at five games that revived their franchises, and five that killed them.
10Revived: Dragon Age: Inquisition
TheDragon Ageseries wasn’t at its best after the release ofDragon Age 2, which received mixed reviews and was criticized for its linear maps and recycling of environments. The franchise was arguably at a tipping point and the next installment would either save it or kill it.
Fortunately,Dragon Age: Inquisitionturned out to be the savior that Bioware needed and the game was a massive success, winning numerous awards and breathing a new lease of life into the series in 2014. Fans are now left desperately awaiting news for the next game,Dragon Age 4,of which we know very little at present.
9Killed: Duke Nukem Forever
The firstDuke Nukemgame launched in 1991, allowing players to step into the role of the title character, Duke, and securing a foothold in the hearts of fans. The franchise began to steadily grow but hit a snag with the planned release of its fourth main title,Duke Nukem Forever. Though announced in 1997, the game was delayed for over a decade and didn’t release until 2011.
Unfortunately, the game didn’t benefit from all that extra development time, andDuke Nukem Foreverwas critically panned and received horrendous reviews. We’ve seen nothing of Duke since, which is completely understandable since he ruined his franchise forever.
8Revived: Fire Emblem Awakening
TheFire Emblemfranchise began in 1990, providing fans with a new type of fantasy tactical role-playing game and quickly became a hit series with numerous titles to its name.
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Fire Emblem’s first game to launch onto the Nintendo 3DS wasFire Emblem Awakeningand it was met with critical acclaim, winning numerous awards and receiving rave reviews. In interviews after the release, some of the developers admitted that if the game hadn’t sold well it may have very well been the last in the series. Fortunately,Fire Emblem Awakeningwas a massive success and has been applauded for revitalizing the franchise.
7Killed: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Bioware’sMass EffectisDragon Age’s space-age sibling and was just as popular with fans. After the success ofDragon Age: Inquisition, players were hoping thatMass Effect: Andromedawould be of the same caliber when it released in 2017. Regrettably, that wasn’t the case andMass Effect: Andromedareceived mixed reviews and was criticized for its many bugs, some of which were game-breaking, and its dull plotline.
Andromedadidn’t manage to maintain the same likability of its predecessors and despite selling well, was not considered a success in the eyes of fans and critics. It’s possible thatAndromedahas permanently killed theMass Effectseries, or perhaps Bioware will dig deep and make another sequel, providing one last hurrah to hopefully revive the franchise. Fans certainly won’t be as quick to buy afterAndromeda.
6Revived: Wolfenstein: The New Order
Wolfensteinis a first-person shooter game that released in 2009 and introduced fans to the character of William “B.J.” Blazkowicz. The game received average reviews and the franchise went quiet until the release ofWolfenstein: The New Orderin 2014.The New Orderreceived positive reviews and was nominated for many awards, as well as winning a number of those awards.
The success ofThe New Orderprompted a revival in the franchise, leading to the release of the stand-alone expansionWolfenstein: The Old Bloodlater the same year, before being followed by sequelsWolfenstein II: The New Colossusin 2017 andWolfenstein: Youngbloodin 2019.
5Killed: Fallout 76
Falloutis a massive franchise with a large fan following, so when Bethesda announced it would be releasing an online RPG addition to the series, despite some misgivings about the change in format, fans were still eager to get hands-on withFallout 76.
However,Fallout 76received negative reviews on release and was riddled with issues and controversies, suchas the issue with the low-quality bags in the collector’s edition. Opinions of the game have greatly improved since the release of theWastelandersexpansion, but undoubtedly the damage has been done. Should Bethesda launch anotherFallouttitle in the future, fans won’t be so quick to hand over their money.
4Revived: Assassin’s Creed Origins
Ubisoft releasedAssassin’s Creedin 2007 and the game bloomed into a fan-favorite franchise over the years. While the games have always received good reviews, the long-running series was beginning to become a little stale and whether fans realized it or not, the series needed an injection of fresh blood.
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Fortunately,Assassin’s Creed Originsdelivered on this in 2017, revitalizing the franchise with new gameplay elements and making the action-adventure series more of an RPG. This new RPG element evolved even further with the next game,Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, adding more features such as romance options and filling the RPG hole usually fulfilled by Bioware, but left open by the lackluster release ofMass Effect: Andromeda.
3Killed: Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
Command & Conqueris a series of real-time strategy games, set in a not too distant future when Earth has become contaminated by a substance called Tiberium. The first game released in 1995 and is widely considered to have defined the RTS genre. However, in 2010Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilightreleased and EA decided to mix things up by removing the third faction, the Scrin, from the game and also removed resource gathering and base building. Additionally, the game required a constant internet connection in order to be played.
Tiberian Twilightreceived mixed reviews, with much lower scores than any of its predecessors, likely due to the online limitations and changes in gameplay, bringing to mind the old anecdote, “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Other than a web-browser game and mobile spin-off, we haven’t seen anything more from this once prestigious franchise.
2Revived: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Exreleased in 2000, following protagonist JC Denton in a futuristic setting where nanotechnology is commonplace. The game blended elements of shooters, stealth, and RPG games and it received critical acclaim. Naturally, after such a success a sequel was soon on its way, andDeus Ex: Invisible Warreleased in 2003 but failed to meet expectations.
Fortunately, the franchise didn’t end there and Eidos Montréal released a new sequel,Deus Ex: Human Revolutionin 2011, starring an all-new protagonist named Adam Jensen. This new title managed to live up to the prestige of the original and received positive reviews, becoming the top-selling game for that month.
1Killed: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Unfortunately, it seems theDeus Exfranchise goes through its ups and downs and the 2016 sequel,Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, did not manage to retain the same momentum asDeus Ex: Human Revolution.
Despite still receiving favorable reviews and winning several awards,Mankind Dividedwas noticeably weaker than the last release and despite ending on a cliffhanger, there has been no news about the final installment of this presumed trilogy. Eidos Montréal went on to work onShadow of the Tomb RaiderandMarvel’s Avengers, so it doesn’t look like Adam Jensen will be making a comeback any time soon.
