Summary
- Final Fantasy saved Square from bankruptcy with its massive success in Japan, solidifying its place in the industry.
- Dead or Alive innovated with 3D fighting, following a similar approach to Final Fantasy, and continued to be popular.
- Sonic Frontiers restored faith in Sonic Team, offering a new, ambitious game with deep gameplay and a darker story.
It's no secret that games which perform poorly commercially and critically can have disastrous effects on the developers who made them. Unfortunately, the games industry has seen more than a few companies forced to shut down completely due to a game not reaching the expectations that had been set for it, but on the other hand, there have been other titles which ended up saving the developers from going under. Considering many of these developers knew that these games would be their final shot at making their mark on the industry, a lot of them feel like true passion projects which go above and beyond to provide a fun experience for players to jump into.
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In fact, many of these games tend to be seen as the best in their respective series, and are fondly remembered by players for allowing these franchises to continue on after they released. Below are among the biggest examples of games which managed to save their developers from fading into obscurity, which are all ranked based on their overall quality and fun factor.
7 Final Fantasy
Square's Final Desperate Attempt To Win Over An Audience
Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Edition
- Released
- December 18, 1987
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Square
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PSP
While the title Final Fantasy usually relates to the characters within the games who are desperately trying to save the world from destruction, it also refers to the situation Square was in back in the late 80s. With Square on the brink of bankruptcy, and iconic developer Hironobu Sakaguchi spearheading one final project, Final Fantasy was the developer's last attempt to win over a sizable audience, and it goes without saying that the legendary RPG turned out to be a massive success, at least in Japan.
The immense popularity of Dragon Quest at the time had allowed Final Fantasy to stand out as an exciting alternative, and though the gameplay can seem a little basic by today's standards, it's still credited for ushering in many staple RPG mechanics which we see today. Luckily for Square, Final Fantasy did well enough to continue on, with there now being 16 mainline entries and a plethora of spin-offs for players to enjoy.
6 Dead Or Alive
Toei Took A Risk And Created A Highly Innovative 3D Fighter
Dead or Alive
- Released
- November 26, 1996
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- Arcade, PS1, Sega Saturn, Xbox (Original)
The creation of the first Dead or Alive actually follows a very similar story to the original Final Fantasy. Tecmo, who are known today as Koei Tecmo, were facing deep financial struggles in the 90s, with many of their niche arcade and dating simulator games failing to take off. In one final ditch attempt to create something that could reach the masses, Tecmo took a page out of Sega's book and decided to create their own 3D fighting game.
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It's important to note that Sega's 3D Virtual Fighter was truly groundbreaking in the fighting game genre, considering everything before that game had been restricted to a 2D side-scrolling format. As a result, Tecmo made the clever decision to jump on this trend, allowing Dead or Alive to stand out as an innovator which has gone on to enjoy a very celebrated legacy, with the series remaining popular even today.
5 Sonic Frontiers
After Several Disappointing Entries, Sonic Team Came Back Swinging
Sonic Frontiers
- Released
- November 8, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Sonic fans will be well aware that the mid-2000s to the 2010s mark a pretty rough period for the franchise. With games like Sonic Boom, Sonic Forces and the infamous Sonic 06 all being regarded as disappointing by many fans, it became clear in the 2020s that if Sonic Team didn't come out with another smash hit, their days in the industry would be numbered. With reports coming out that Frontiers would be their last attempt at restoring faith in the fan base, many people were eager to see what exactly they would cook up for their latest entry.
Thankfully, Sonic Frontiers is an excellent game which manages to incorporate elements of the classic entries while also doing something completely new. With giant open areas to explore at a blistering speed alongside the short but enjoyable Cyberspace Levels, Sonic Frontiers features a ton of content to keep players engaged from beginning to end. It also seems like Sonic Team decided to get a little more ambitious and dark with the story this time around, and it certainly paid off considering how many people connected with it. Fans only need to listen to the track named One Way Dream to get an idea of how the developers were feeling when creating what very well could have been their final Sonic game.
4 Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Morrowind Ensured Bethesda Wasn't Out For The Count
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Released
- May 1, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox (Original)
While it may be hard to believe these days, there was once a time when Bethesda was close to shutting down for good due to the mixed reception they had received from their games, specifically Dagerfall. Though Dagerfall was far from a bad game, it also launched with a ton of technical issues and bugs, which ultimately caused many fans to question whether Bethesda could truly be called the leaders of the RPG genre, considering it felt like they were beginning to lag behind some of their competition.
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Bethesda themselves have admitted that if Morrowind didn't perform well, it's very unlikely that the Elder Scrolls or even the developers as a whole would have been able to continue. The game's gorgeous open world, satisfying skill progression system, and variety of interesting NPC characters all came together to create a game that felt truly immersive and fun to play. It's hard to think of a world where games like Oblivion and especially Skyrim never existed, but this would have become a reality if Morrowind hadn't resonated with players as much as it did.
3 Fire Emblem Awakening
Intelligent Systems Made Awakening More Accessible To Bring In More Players
Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Released
- February 4, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems, Nintendo SPD
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Strategy
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
Fire Emblem has always been a rather unique first-party Nintendo franchise. While it's nowhere near as popular as the likes of Mario or Zelda, it still has an extremely passionate fan base that always shows up anytime a new entry is released. The obscurity of Fire Emblem ended up being more of a detriment than a blessing in the early 2000s, though, as the brutal difficulty of the games made it very hard for newcomers to jump into the series.
This primarily applies to the permadeath system, which meant any units killed in combat would be out of the game for good, and considering the games were already hard enough, even a simple mistake would result in someone losing their life. Intelligence Systems were told that if Awakening didn't sell well, then they would no longer be able to continue making games under the Nintendo brand, which is why they went all out when developing this game. With the option to choose between turning permadeath on or off, alongside a brand-new partner system where units can team up on the battlefield to help one another, it ensured the difficulty was still there, while also making the game much more accessible, helping it reach the mainstream and ensuring Fire Emblem would continue on for many years to come.
2 Persona 3
Persona 3 Brought The Unique RPG Franchise To Mainstream Attention
Persona 3
- Released
- July 13, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
Atlus's endless creativity as developers has often been a big reason why their modern RPGs are so beloved by fans of the genre, but this didn't always work in their favor. Before Persona became a household name, Atlus was releasing dark, gritty, and challenging dungeon crawlers, such as the Digital Devil Saga duology, which did a poor job at drawing in new fans. With the first two Persona games only receiving moderate popularity in Japan, director Katsura Hashino has admitted that Atlus was most likely going to disappear if Persona 3 didn't perform well enough.
Of course, the rest is history, as while many people credit Persona 4 for ushering this franchise into the mainstream, it was really Persona 3 that started off this trend. Persona 3's mix between being a regular High School student in the day and traversing dungeons with party members at night created a unique dynamic that hadn't really been seen before. Despite the vibrant and stylish aesthetic, it also featured an incredibly emotional story that resonated with many people who played it. Considering the game was remade in 2024, it's clear Atlus holds a lot of admiration for this iconic JRPG, especially considering it was literally the game that allowed them to continue their journey in the industry.
1 Nier Automata
Yoko Taro And His Weird And Wonderful Game Put Platinum Games Back In The Spotlight
NieR: Automata
- Released
- March 7, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Though it wasn't made clear when Nier Automata was first released, the lead developer of Platinum Games, Hideaki Kamiya, has since revealed that the developers weren't exactly in the best spot during that specific period. With the incredibly ambitious Scalebound being canceled in 2017, alongside the character action genre taking a sudden dip in popularity, Nier Automata came out at just the right time to breathe new life into Platinum Games by providing what many consider one of the best action games ever made.
The hack-and-slash gameplay of Nier Automata is a ton of fun, especially thanks to the wide selection of skills and abilities that 2B can learn throughout a playthrough. What really elevates the game to a whole new level though, is its story. The game's plot incorporates many fascinating philosophical ideas and concepts into its storyline, and when fused with the general quirkiness of developer Yoko Taro, it's no wonder why Nier Automata has become so beloved. Thankfully, the game managed to sell like hotcakes and received a lot of critical success, allowing Platinum to continue making games that would revolutionize the action genre, much to the delight of fans around the world.
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