10 Video Game Franchises RUINED by a SINGLE Game

10 Video Game Franchises Ruined By A Single Game

We’ve all, unfortunately, been there: seen an abysmal new entry tarnish the reputation of an otherwise beloved series. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re looking at video game franchises that were ruined by a single release, and have yet to recover.

“Dead Rising” Series (2006-16)

What should have been a glorious return for original hero Frank West was not only a disappointment to his legacy, but the so-far final entry in a once-promising series. Plenty of diehard fans everywhere were disappointed in the drastically different tone and characterization of Frank in “Dead Rising 4.” As far as gameplay, it felt the same, but simplified and shallow. Key features from older games were missing, like the timer and the Psychopath bosses, which were replaced with the far-less-enjoyable Maniacs. With an unhappy fanbase and disappointing sales, Capcom decided to cancel a planned sequel and shut down its Vancouver studio. And unlike the hordes we used to love mowing down, the franchise has yet to return from the dead.

“Red Faction” Series (2001-11)

There was a time in the 2000s, you could get full, awesome, environmental destruction action with the “Red Faction” series. Too many descriptors? Well, it was true. While there was still some of that in the fourth game, 2011’s “Armageddon,” the developers threw out the sandbox structure and made things far more linear. This took away from the player freedom that went hand-in-hand with the destructible environments to begin with. It wasn’t really what fans wanted, which led to low sales and to publisher THQ halting the series. The franchise rights transferred to Deep Silver in 2020, but nothing has come of it. “Armageddon” served as an all-too-appropriate title, since it completely destroyed the series.

“Command & Conquer” Series (1995-2018)

EA has contributed more than a few bodies to the graveyard of dead franchises. But the strategy genre truly lost a giant when the publisher released “Tiberian Twilight” in 2010. Although it was far from the first game to be released after EA took over, it did too much damage to the IP. The removal of certain features, forced internet connection through DRM, a lackluster campaign with repetitive mission hooks; it was all a mess. And it managed to annoy players both old and new, on a variety of levels, a wide spread that was almost impressive. Beyond a mobile game in 2018, and a remaster of the first two games in 2020, “Command & Conquer” died with “Tiberian Twilight.”

“Marvel vs. Capcom” Series (1996-2017)

“Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” is a completely serviceable fighter. But therein lies a huge part of the problem. The series it belongs to has a legacy of massive rosters, that blend the iconic with the utterly bizarre. More importantly, the franchise’s vibrant personality was missing. Everything about “Infinite,” from its look to its line-up, felt so stale and corporate compared to everything that came before, and fans could feel it. One of the most stylish fighters ever had lost all of its sauce. It sold much worse than Capcom was anticipating, and beyond a collection in 2024, the franchise has stayed gone. But hey…you guys excited for “Marvel Tokon?”

“Dino Crisis” Series (1999-2003)

Often looked back on fondly in the annals of Capcom’s long history, “Dino Crisis” is a series a lot of players actively, vocally request to see return. It went out on an infamously sour note, with “Dino Crisis 3” in 2003. Set on a space station, it lacked personality, going more generic sci-fi than survival horror. What really hurt it, and what it is sadly most remembered for, is its god awful camera, of which you had no control over. The series stayed dormant until the “Dino Crisis Bundle” with the first two games (wise choice) in 2025. Capcom is actually well aware of the fervent desire for a “Dino Crisis” revival. But as for now, the third entry ruined its potential.

“SimCity” Series (1989-2014)

“SimCity” is the godfather of all simulation titles, and used to be one of the most respected franchises in its genre. And the ruin that befell it is also linked to one of the most disastrous launches in gaming history. The 2013 reboot was plagued by widespread technical issues. Players worldwide had issues connecting to servers, or were booted mid-session, and would lose hours of progress. Of course, all these issues stemmed from EA’s mandatory internet connection, even when it wasn’t necessary. It was a disaster, not helped by poor Sim AI and the removal of some features of older games. It stopped “SimCity” in its tracks, with only an already-planned mobile game releasing the following year. And the year after that, developer Maxis Emeryville closed down.

“Duke Nukem” Series (1991-2011)

Admittedly, it’s hard to argue there was anything left for “Duke Nukem Forever” to ruin, since it spent 14 years in development. But rather than a comeback that brought it back from the brink, it was a big enough bomb to make sure we wouldn’t hear from the franchise ever again. The most common and accurate word to describe “Forever,” was ‘dated.’ From its jokes to its controls to its gameplay, it all felt like much too little, far too late. It didn’t meet sales expectations. And these days, its legacy consists of one of the most troubled development periods in gaming history and its inability to meet even the lowest expectations.

“Medal of Honor” Series (1999-2020)

With warfare of the modern era becoming a popular trend, EA followed suit with a reboot for “Medal of Honor” in 2010, which led to a sequel and the series’ deathblow in 2012. “Warfighter” looked nice, but there wasn’t much else positive to say about it. There were a ton of glitches, the campaign’s plotline was bafflingly inconsistent, and the gameplay itself never rose above adequate. What followed was the unfortunate yet expected; low review scores, disappointing sales, and the closing of developer Danger Close Games. The series was also shelved indefinitely. The series did receive a VR entry in 2020. But other than that, EA hasn’t seen a reason to try and bring it back.

“Crackdown” Series (2007-19)

“Crackdown” was far from the highest rated series by the release of the third game. Then again, it didn’t get that far without being at least kind of fun. The problem was Microsoft built “Crackdown 3” up like something none of us had ever seen, with incredible use of the Xbox One’s cloud software and the ability to destroy literally everything in your environment. Then it went through a few delays, and when people finally got their hands on it, they found it was a generic shooter that offered nothing more than base-level enjoyment. As an Xbox exclusive, the game didn’t have much room for growth, either. “Crackdown 3” came and went, and the series has stayed quiet ever since.

“Saints Row” Series (2006-22)

For a while there, “Saints Row” filled a nice role of being an even-more-absurd “Grand Theft Auto,” which is saying something. And then came the 2022 reboot. A lot of fans could tell it wasn’t for them from the announcement, as neither the characters nor tone felt like the series they loved. Hands on, things weren’t better. Most had their suspicions confirmed, in that the writing was a huge step down with cringey dialogue delivered by unlikable characters. Worse, especially at launch, was the overabundance of technical issues, halting any small amount of enjoyment you could be having. Even when those were fixed with patches, you were still left with mediocre gameplay that hadn’t evolved past previous entries. Needless to say, it fell below sales expectations. And the following year, developer Volition was closed by its parent company, Embracer Group.

Sadly, these are far from the only games to ruin their franchises. Let us know which ones hurt you the most in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!