It’s amazing that some video game franchises are still alive after getting started in the 80s. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and so many others are still thriving to this day. Unfortunately, not every franchise can be like Mario, and after a while, they start to fade from memory. There can be many reasons why franchises disappear.
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One bad game, or a slew of unremarkable games, could have the publisher back away. Even a good game with high praise can be a bad thing if it doesn’t sell well. For all of these reasons and more, the following franchises may in fact be dead, all thanks to a single game. For now, at least.
Bloody Roar 4
Roar All You Like, Konami Can’t Hear
Bloody Roar 4
- Released
- November 11, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Hudson Soft, Eighting
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2
The 90s and 2000s were the peak decades for fighting game franchises, as there was a wide range of options to choose from. Bloody Roar 4 was released in 2004 in North America exclusively on PS2, which did not receive stellar reviews. Despite this, work had begun on a sequel at Hudson Soft before the project was canceled, around the time Konami acquired Hudson Soft in 2012 and absorbed all of its IP.
Morgan Haro, one of the leads on Blood Roar, wrote about his experiences with the canceled game. Konami’s decision to cancel the game couldn’t have been an accident, given the franchise’s posture at that point in 2012, but Konami still owns the rights to have another developer make a game if it wanted.
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow
The Father Of Final Fantasy Says No
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow
- Released
- May 18, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- everyone 10+
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
After Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square Enix, he created his own company to try and make new RPGs as spiritual successors to his Final Fantasy franchise. Blue Dragon was his first effort, an Xbox 360 exclusive, that reviewed well and sold decently. This led to an anime adaptation and two spin-off DS games. Blue Dragon Plus was an RTS, and Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow was an action RPG. While neither was bad, they also weren’t highly decorated games, leading to no more titles after this brief influx of Blue Dragon content.
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Recently, in an interview with Bloomberg, Sakaguchi told them he has no interest in bringing back Blue Dragon to the modern era, which may tie back to the DS games flopping. Technically, the first game can at least be played thanks to backwards compatibility on Xbox hardware, but it doesn’t seem like Sakaguchi cares about making sequels or ports.
Dead Space (2023)
May Be Dead In More Than Name
Dead Space
- Released
- January 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated M for Mature for Blood and Gore, Strong Language, and Intense Violence.
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Dead Space’s 2023 remake was met with tremendous praise as a return to form for the franchise. Dead Space 3 was released in 2013, leaving a giant gap between entries. Unfortunately, while critics and fans loved the remake, it did not sell as well as EA had hoped. Behind the scenes, a remake of the second game was in the planning stages and was then canceled.
Also, a pitch for Dead Space 4 came across EA’s desk, which they also rejected, having no interest in the series. Granted, this is a recent development, but given other recent cancellations and restructurings within EA, it’s probably safe to assume they really do want to distance themselves from the Dead Space brand for a while. Fans may have to wait another ten years, so it just goes to show that even successful games can lead to the downfall of a franchise, which is wild to think about.
"Decent" is an understatement for the Dead Space remake, as it is fantastic.
Genji: Days Of The Blade
No Need For Two Samurai
Genji: Days of the Blade
- Released
- November 11, 2006
- Developer(s)
- game republic
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action, Hack and Slash
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3
Game Republic Inc. Was formed in 2003, and their first video game was Genji: Dawn of the Samurai in 2005 for the PS2. For a late-era PS2 game, it received good reviews, which then led to the team making a launch game for the PS3 called Genji: Days of the Blade. Anyone with a savvy knowledge of E3 knows this is the game that became infamous for “giant enemy crabs,” which then became a meme. Unfortunately, Genji: Days of the Blade didn’t defy this meme because it was not well-received. That said, the game is a fine PS3 hack-and-slash romp anbd better than its reputation, although it is not as good as its predecessor.
Game Republic Inc. Continued working on games throughout 2011 without many bangers, although there were some more hidden gems like Folklore. Eventually, Game Republic Inc. Did close, and even though Sony owns Genji, they probably don’t want to incite any more crab memes. They already have the Ghost of franchise, so they don’t need two samurai franchises.
The Godfather 2
An Offer EA Refused
The Godfather II
- Released
- April 7, 2009
- ESRB
- mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- EA Redwood Shores
The Godfather is a legendary film trilogy, and in the 2000s, many classic '70s and '80s films were being adapted into video games. Also, Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequels were huge on the PS2, so it only made sense for EA to internally make The Godfather as a potential killer to GTA. While not an astounding success, the reviews were good enough to warrant a sequel.
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Unfortunately, sales and reviews of the game were not as great as those of the previous entry. EA flat-out said they are no longer interested in making games based on The Godfather in 2006, which is a shame since they only had to make one more game to complete the trilogy. Like most game-to-film adaptations, the films are always going to be superior.
Just Cause 4
Cause And Effect
Just Cause 4
- Released
- December 4, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
Just Cause 4 had a pretty rough launch thanks to some glitches and bugs. Patches eventually coarse-corrected the game, but sometimes the damage is already done, and it cannot be fixed, given the reviews. According to the game’s publisher, Square Enix, it did not meet sales expectations when it was released in 2018.
Beyond this game, the franchise was going to remain alive between Just Cause Mobile, which was shown off several times, and, apparently, Just Cause 5 was being developed behind the scenes. Both have now been canceled, and on top of that, Avalanche Studios, the franchise lead developer, also had its side project, Contraband, canceled. It’s not looking good for Avalanche Studios right now.
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