5 Video Game Franchises That Died This Decade (& 5 That Came Back To Life)

With the large amounts of video games releasing today, both from indie developers and AAA studios, not every game is destined to be a hit. Bad timing, underbaked mechanics, or unfulfilled promises can all result in a forgotten series.

Due to the highly-publicized fallout between Hideo Kojima and Konami, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain came out in a brutally unfinished state. One can see where work stopped on the title’s story and it was rushed out to mar

Similar to Diablo 4 , the Overwatch 2 reveal trailer plays out like a short TV episode or movie, more so than a traditional hype trailer. The Overwatch 2 Zero Hour cinematic features Winston, Tracer, and Info Mei going on a mission in Paris after Winston’s Overwatch Recall initiative. The three of them attempt to fight Null Sector robots, but they eventually become overwhel

Not only did this trailer event give fans a first look at gameplay, but Naughty Dog and PlayStation finally showed off Joel in the game. The beloved character has aged to look a fair bit more like a grandfather than he did in the last entry. However, it is a bit strange that Ellie simply happens across him in the wasteland, and many fans are still speculating that he is just a figment of her imagination. The Last of Us Part 2 is supposed to be larger than many thought possible, which is an exciting possibility and the trailer definitely teases that massive world that players are going to expl

A third title was created as recent as 2017, but that title pulled away from the massive battles of the first and the tactical gameplay of the second, resulting in no fans being satisfied. As far as most are concerned, the last true Dawn of War title was the second game, with its last expansion releasing in 2011. Few RTS titles could combine epic spectacle with casual RTS gameplay the way Relic did with Dawn of War .

The Rabbids kind of kicked Rayman out of his own franchise for a while, and the last true Rayman game before the Wii party game, Rayman 3 , didn’t live up to its predecessors. 2011 saw a return to form, however, with Rayman: Origins . The 2D side-scrolling platformer brought back all the charm, difficulty, and engaging gameplay from the character’s debut. Origins and its sequel are often seen as two of the best in the genre from the past ten ye

From Software’s next game is rumored to be titled Great Rune, and comes as a result of a collaboration with A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R. R. Martin. It’s rumored to feature three different playable characters set in the backdrop of a 100-year civil war, and recently discovered game files of Sekiro suggest Great Rune is a legitimate rumor . From Software is allegedly announcing this game at E3 2019, but if so and to what extent is currently in the

The official E3 2019 Twitter account recently confirmed that the writers and producers of The Simpsons will be hosting an E3 coliseum panel, naturally leading to speculation that a new Simpsons game will be revealed . Indeed, it’s hard to imagine what else this panel could be for, but until there is actual confirmation, this should be taken with a grain of salt (which goes for many of the games on this list as we

Not even the most avid fans could defend it. Not only did it signal an end to the franchise for the foreseeable future, but it was also the beginning of the studio’s descent into mediocrity. We’re hoping with all out hearts for BioWare to get back on their f

Blizzard revealed Diablo 4 with a very lengthy cinematic that puts the spotlight on the game’s main villains and the return to a dark, gothic-inspired tone. In the cinematic trailer, fans witness the villain Lilith summoned, complete with Satantic horns and what appears to be a huge (and disgusting) cape made out of human s

Resident Evil 8 is said to be in development, so instead of another remake, it’s not out of the question that Capcom’s announcement could be the sequel instead of another remake. Resident Evil 3 Remake, Resident Evil 8 , and Dino Crisis all being at E3 2019 would be a jaw-dropping move, but it seems much likelier that only one of these will come out on

Fiction’s most famous secret agent has made undeniable contributions to the medium. GoldenEye 007 on the N64 revolutionized the first-person shooter and local multiplayer games. After the 1997 masterpiece, a steady stream of releases came through until 2012 when 007 Legends stopped it all in its tracks. The compilation of famous playable set pieces throughout the franchise was panned as one of the worst first-person shooters in recent memory. Since then, not even murmurs of a new game have popped up. Given the character’s relationship to the medium, he deserves a glorious ret

Silent Hill 2 from 2001 stands as one of the greatest horror games ever made and pushed the medium forward with its nuanced story about guilt, trauma, and lust. The next entry was a worthy successor, though the series never again reached the second game’s artistic heights. Things looked up in 2014 when Silent Hills was announced through the enigmatic demo P.T. The title, a collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, was tragically canceled by Konami due to their drastic business restructuring. It doesn’t look like a proper Silent Hill follow up will come anytime soon. At least Kojima moved on to release Death Stranding , one of the year’s most unique AAA tit