10 OLD Video Game Franchises That Will Be Returning
“Mario Kart” series (1992-)
It may seem like “Mario Kart” has been going on forever and we just got a new game a few years ago. Take a step back, though, and you’ll realize that “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” was released in 2017, the Switch’s launch year. Not only that, but this was a port of a 2014 Wii U game. In that sense, we basically haven’t had a new “Mario Kart” game for over a decade. This new title coming to Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be the first new game we have had in eleven years, and that alone is why there is so much hype behind it. “Deluxe” may have topped sales charts on Switch continuously throughout the console’s lifespan, but that combined with the long wait we’ve had between significantly new entries…this new game is going to fly off the shelves!
“Fatal Fury” series (1991-)
For the fighting game community, the return of “Fatal Fury” is an insanely huge deal. After 1999’s “Garou: Mark of the Wolves”, SNK kind of abandoned “Fatal Fury” in favor of other IPs. We saw a seemingly endless ocean of “King of Fighters” games, a few “Samurai Shodown” titles, “Metal Slug”, and more. “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” will be the first game in the franchise in twenty-six long years. However, it is also entering a different world than the one it left in 1999. The world is way more politically charged than ever, and SNK is no longer independent as they were acquired by the Saudi Royal Family via MiSK Foundation in 2022. That said, it’ll be interesting to see how many players, YouTubers, and streamers will let their own beliefs determine whether to support SNK or not given their new owners. “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” releases on April 24, 2025.
“Ninja Gaiden” series (1988-)
After the disaster that was “Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z” in 2014, Koei Tecmo kind of pulled the plug on the franchise for a while. Sure, we got the collection of the “Sigma” versions in 2020, but it felt like “Ninja Gaiden” was done for good. To our surprise, Koei Tecmo kicked 2025 off with a bang! Not only are we getting a new 2D game with “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound”, we’re also getting a new 3D game with “Ninja Gaiden 4”, and it’s being developed by both Team Ninja and PlatinumGames. Both are planned to release sometime in 2025, though no windows have been given at the time of this video. However, “Ninja Gaiden 4” is likely to come out sometime in the Fall while “Ragebound” might be launching in the summer. Those are honestly our best guesses.
“Gex” series (1995-99)
We aren’t quite sure who was begging for Gex to come back, but he is anyway. Controversial gaming retailer Limited Run Games announced plans to distribute physical collections of all three original “Gex” games back in 2024. As to whether or not we’ll receive any in-game extras like artwork or design docs remains to be seen as Limited Run has been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. Nevertheless, if you’ve been eager to play this collection for whatever reason, “Gex Trilogy” is planning to release sometime in Summer 2025.
“Mafia” series (2002-)
The “Mafia” franchise has been dormant for quite a while now. “Mafia III” launched way back in 2016, and it didn’t exactly make a big splash. Both critics and fans found the open world approach to be way too mundane and formulaic, putting a major hamper on the otherwise compelling story. With an unwanted reception like that, some feared that 2K would force Hangar 13 to close its doors. On the contrary, Hangar 13 has been quietly toiling away at a brand new “Mafia” installment, one that returns to a more focused structure similar to the first two games. “Mafia: The Old Country” was finally revealed at The 2024 Game Awards, though no release date has been given at the time of this video. All we know is that it is scheduled for release sometime between July and September 2025.
“Metal Gear” series (1987-)
Though we did get ports of the classic “Metal Gear” games in 2023, the IP has been largely dormant since MGS V in 2015. No, we are not counting “Survive” - that was nowhere close to being a “Metal Gear” game and it never will be. But Konami seems to be making serious efforts in returning to the limelight it once held. The remake of “Silent Hill 2” was a resounding success both critically and commercially, and it has given Konami and “Metal Gear” fans hope for the upcoming “Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater”. Marketing has been weird with how little has been shown, but so far, this new era for Konami hasn’t soiled the company’s reputation just yet. It was a rough start at first, but perhaps “Silent Hill’s” newfound success means the new leaders at Konami know how special their IPs truly are and will treat “Metal Gear” with the same care and attention as Bloober Team did with “Silent Hill 2”.
Various Capcom Classics
On May 16, 2025, we will see the return of several fighting game gems from Capcom history. “Capcom Fighting Collection 2” will serve as a bundle for a litany of forgotten franchises like “Power Stone”, “Plasma Sword”, “Capcom vs. SNK”, and “Rival Schools”. None of these games have seen sequels or even ports within the last twenty years, which is why many fighting game fans see this collection as a huge deal. What has some of them more amped up is how Capcom leadership have talked about wanting to bring back franchises like the ones highlighted here. Indeed, Capcom is in a drastically different position than it was ten to fifteen years ago and have made a worthwhile investment in their own proprietary engine, the malleable RE Engine. So, what could they do with “Rival Schools” or “Power Stone” that they couldn’t do before? We’ll just have to wait and hope this collection shows that public interest is there.
“Shinobi” series (1987-)
Much like Koei Tecmo’s “Ninja Gaiden” series, SEGA has let their own ninja gaming franchise fall by the wayside. The last “Shinobi” game we saw was the 2011 title that was only released on the Nintendo 3DS, which was alright. It was fun, but far from being labeled as one of the best 3DS games. Perhaps the rise of action-heavy games and budget titles is what convinced SEGA to re-evaluate and consider giving some of their older IPs another shot. And so, the publisher is teaming up with developer LizardCube for “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance”. The two companies had previously worked together to bring back “Streets of Rage” for its long-awaited fourth mainline game, and it was met with commercial and critical success. That said, expect “Shinobi” to be the talk of the town when “Art of Vengeance” launches on August 29, 2025.
“Professor Layton” series (2007-17)
“Professor Layton” has been noticeably missing from Nintendo’s portfolio for a long, long time. Yes, we did have “Layton’s Mystery Journey” in 2017, but that was more focused on his daughter. Where is THE Professor Layton, the man, the myth, the legend? The next game was already announced way back in February 2023, but that is all we know about “Professor Layton and the New World of Steam”. What’s more confusing is that developer and publisher Level-5 even confirmed back then that the game would be heading to Switch in 2025. But with the Switch 2 on the horizon, have plans changed? Will this wind up being cross-gen? Plus, the puzzle designer for previous titles, Akira Tago, passed away in 2016. So, just how different is this new game going to be? Lots of questions that need answers.
“Grand Theft Auto” series (1997-)
Though “Grand Theft Auto V” saw several years of printing money thanks to its online mode, it has been an insanely long time since we got a new game. GTA V launched way back in 2013, guys, twelve long years ago! Back then, it quickly became the most profitable piece of entertainment within DAYS, and it has consistently been at the top of sales charts since. This alone is why “GTA VI” is sort of this looming goliath for everyone even if you’re just a casual gamer. We have seen next to nothing about this game, yet it's all anyone wants to talk about. But while customers are prepping their wallets and possibly time off of work, companies are sweating over profits as they all know GTA VI is going to inhale all revenue from any and all competition. Of all the old video game franchises returning in the near-future, this one will be the biggest deal of the bunch.
Which of these classic IPs are you looking forward to revisiting? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!
