The gaming industry is one that is full of uncertainty. Audience opinions are always changing, and so too is the hardware used to play many of the newest video games. These changes can even occurduring the development process of a new title. Therefore, it is a miracle that any new game finds success at all, especially since one wrong move or small change to an established franchise could see the series come to an abrupt end in a highly negative way.
Then there are the franchises that have existed for decades. Not all the biggest gaming franchises have rested on their laurels, though. The gaming industry is full of stories where a franchise took a big risk, and it paid off for the better.
By now, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise is known as a series that will change the protagonist and the environment with each new release. So far, the franchise has explored Ancient Egypt, and the French Revolution, and even taken players out to sea on a pirate adventure. However, there was a time in the series' history when it appeared that the games' had settled on a main protagonist.
Assassin’s Creed 2was released in 2009, and it took players away from Altair and the Middle East region from the first game and introduced players to Ezio Auditore and his troubles in Renaissance Italy. Ezio was an instantly likable main character, and he appeared in two more spin-off games beforeAssassin’s Creed 3was released.
At the time, players grew familiar with Ezio, and it seemed that the franchise would continue to succeed if they stayed in this time period. However, Ubisoft releasedAssassin’s Creed 3with a new protagonist, called Connor, and the player had to fight during the American Civil War. It was a successful move, one that has resulted in the franchise being worth around $311 million.
ThePokemonfranchise was established in 1996, and it became known as a series of video games that would continue to expand by introducing players to a new region and new Pokemon in every sequel. The previous Pokemon could still be caught, but they understandably got less of a spotlight in the newer games. That was until Generation Five was introduced in 2010.
Pokemon: Black and Whitekept allthe gameplay hallmarks of the previous games in the series,but only the new one-hundred and fifty-six Pokemon could be caught and battled in this new region. As a result, many fans could not play using their favorite Pokemon in a risky move that put all the attention on the new Pokedex.
It was an unpopular move, but one that still resulted in the series' continued success. Game Freak even capitalized on this decision by releasingPokemon: Black 2 and White 2,which were remakes of the same generation that had all the previous Pokemon included.
The Legend of Zeldaseries has been around since 1986. As such, the series has endured through five different console generations. Making theZeldagames relatable to new gamers may seem like an easy task, but the developers have had to makea few big decisionsin their time.
The Legend of Zelda debuted as a top-down and 2D fantasy puzzle game. It may seem dated by today’s standards, but it is this version of the series that fans fell in love with. Therefore, it was a big risk when the franchise was converted into 3D inOcarina of Timefor the Nintendo 64. The core gameplay remained largely the same, and this game is often regarded as one of the generation’s best.
That is why the developers of the series were happy to make another risky change when the Nintendo Switch was released.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildturned the series into a fully open-world adventure with new combat mechanics, a risk that earned the company $31.5 million by 2023.
One of the biggest online video game series in history is theCall of Dutyfranchise. However, this FPS with high-tech weaponry first existed as a very different series. In fact, the first threeCall of Dutygames wereall single-player storiesthat were set in World War 2. This time period was synonymous with the games, which is why some fans were confused about why the franchise was jumping forward to modern times inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The fourth game in theCall of Dutyseries played very much the same as the previous entries, but it was odd seeing some of the advanced weaponry available in this new title. However, the jump in time seemed to fit the franchise, mostly due to the high influx of online gamers at the time. Now, the franchise is still a huge hit, one that has strayed far from its WW2 roots but is far more successful.
At the end of the 90s, PC gaming had been taken over by home consoles, and it didn’t seem like anyone could compete with the PlayStation. Sony’s console was already in its second iteration and was selling like wildfire. Therefore, it was seen as an unnecessary risk for Microsoft to release a competing console, especially one that had an in-built hard drive.
However, the computer company persevered and released itsfirst console withHalo: Combat Evolvedas a new launch title. It is hard to imagine the gaming landscape today without the Xbox series, andHalohas gone on to be hugely successful in its own right, being one of the first video game series to adopt and influence online gaming.
The confusion surrounding theWarcraftseries is one that the public struggles with. Whenever the name of this fantasy series is mentioned, most people assume that players are referring to the massively successful MMO,World of Warcraft, and not the series of RTS games that proceeded this juggernaut.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis one of the most well-known and high-selling console games of all time. To date, Bethesda has sold over $60 million copies of the game, but there was a time when it was unlikely that the series would get past its second installment.
The first two games inThe Elder Scrollsseries were niche, dungeon explorer PC games that were set in a fantasy world. These games did well, but they were hardly a success worthy of making the franchise a household name. As a result, Bethesda found themselves nearing bankruptcy.
Instead of rolling over and conceding defeat, though, the company put all their remaining assets at the risk of developing a third game. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindwas beloved by fans and new gamers alike, and its existence ensured that Bethesda would continue as a company.
