6 Decent Games That Are Remembered As Franchise Killers

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As a longtime gamer, it’s incredible to me that franchises like *Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest,* and *Final Fantasy* started way back in the 80s and are *still* going strong! It makes you realize not every series can have that kind of staying power, and sadly, a lot of them eventually get forgotten. There are all sorts of reasons why that happens, but it’s a shame to see a favorite series disappear.

A single poorly received game, or a series of mediocre ones, could cause a publisher to lose interest. Even if a game gets good reviews, it won’t survive if sales are low. Because of these factors, several popular game franchises might be finished – at least for now – all due to one disappointing installment.

Bloody Roar 4

Roar All You Like, Konami Can’t Hear

The 1990s and early 2000s were a golden age for fighting games, with many different series available. *Bloody Roar 4* came out in North America in 2004, but it wasn’t very well-received. Even so, Hudson Soft had started developing a fifth game before the project was canceled. This happened around 2012 when Konami bought Hudson Soft and took over all of its game properties.

Morgan Haro, a key figure on the *Blood Roar* project, recently shared his thoughts on the game’s cancellation. While Konami’s decision in 2012 didn’t seem random considering the franchise’s state, they still hold the rights to let another studio develop a new *Blood Roar* game if they choose.

Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow

The Father Of Final Fantasy Says No

When Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square Enix, he founded a new company hoping to create RPGs similar to his popular *Final Fantasy* series. His first project, *Blue Dragon*, was a game for the Xbox 360 that received good reviews and moderate sales. Its success led to an anime series and two spin-off games for the Nintendo DS. *Blue Dragon Plus* was a strategy game, while *Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow* was an action RPG. Although both were decent games, they didn’t achieve widespread acclaim, and no further *Blue Dragon* titles were released after this initial burst of content.

In a recent Bloomberg interview, Hironobu Sakaguchi explained he doesn’t plan to revive the *Blue Dragon* series. This reluctance may stem from the disappointing performance of the games on the Nintendo DS. While the original *Blue Dragon* is playable on Xbox due to backwards compatibility, Sakaguchi doesn’t appear interested in creating new installments or re-releasing older ones.

Dead Space (2023)

May Be Dead In More Than Name

The 2023 remake of *Dead Space* was highly praised and seen as a strong return for the series. The last main installment, *Dead Space 3*, came out in 2013, leaving a long wait for fans. Despite the positive reception to the remake, sales didn’t meet EA’s expectations. Plans for a remake of the second game were even underway, but ultimately canceled.

EA also turned down a proposal for *Dead Space 4*, showing they’re no longer interested in the series. While this is recent, combined with other cancellations and changes at EA, it suggests they want to move away from the *Dead Space* franchise for the foreseeable future. Fans might not see another game for a decade, which is surprising considering how well the series originally did – it really highlights how even popular games can sometimes lead to a franchise ending, which is quite unexpected.

“Decent” is an understatement for the Dead Space remake, as it is fantastic.

Genji: Days Of The Blade

No Need For Two Samurai

Game Republic was founded in 2003 and quickly made a name for themselves with *Genji: Dawn of the Samurai* on the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game was well-received, leading them to develop a launch title for the PS3, *Genji: Days of the Blade*. This game became famous – and somewhat infamous – at E3 for a humorous demonstration featuring “giant enemy crabs,” which quickly became a popular internet meme. Unfortunately, *Genji: Days of the Blade* didn’t live up to the hype and received poor reviews. Despite its reputation, it’s a solid hack-and-slash game on the PS3 and arguably better than people remember, though not quite as good as the original *Genji* title.

Game Republic continued to develop games in 2011, though they didn’t release any major hits, aside from lesser-known titles like *Folklore*. The company eventually closed down, and while Sony owns the rights to *Genji*, they likely don’t want to revive the game and spark further internet jokes about its unique combat. Sony already has the successful *Ghost of Tsushima* franchise, so they probably don’t need another samurai-themed series.

The Godfather 2

An Offer EA Refused

The Godfather is a famous movie series, and around the early 2000s, a lot of popular films from the 1970s and 80s were being turned into video games. With Grand Theft Auto 3 and its follow-ups being incredibly successful on the PlayStation 2, Electronic Arts decided to create a Godfather game internally, hoping it would compete with GTA. Although it wasn’t a massive hit, the game received positive reviews, leading to a sequel.

The game didn’t perform as well in sales or reviews compared to the first one. Electronic Arts announced they wouldn’t be making any more *Godfather* games after 2006, which was disappointing because they were just one game short of finishing the planned trilogy. As is often the case with games based on movies, the films themselves were considered better.

Just Cause 4

Cause And Effect

The launch of *Just Cause 4* was troubled by a number of technical issues and bugs. While updates later fixed many of these problems, the initial negative impressions impacted reviews and ultimately, sales. Square Enix, the game’s publisher, reported that it didn’t sell as well as they had hoped when it released in 2018.

The future of the *Just Cause* series looked promising with both *Just Cause Mobile* and a new installment, *Just Cause 5*, in development. However, both of these projects have now been canceled. Adding to the difficulties, Avalanche Studios, the main developer behind *Just Cause*, also had their separate game, *Contraband*, canceled. This is a tough time for the studio.

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2025-09-20 05:35