5 Great Franchises That Sales Killed

"Great games don’t always directly result in great sales. Unfortunately this sad fact is one that many developers have to live with and it often leads to them taking less and less risks because it could result in job loss and franchises being put out to pasture." - Velox

[Captain Qwark 9]

darksiders, too human, banjo kazoozie nuts and bolts, halo wars, lost odessy and i agree on mirrors edge and kingdom. damn shame none of these got sequels. they werent perfect and in some cases ( too human ) needed a lot of work but i seen the potential

[grailly]

ensemble was closed before halo:wars launched, so I'm not really sure the sales affected anything

[Captain Qwark 9]

true as that may be, had the sales chart been set on fire by it they still would have had a sequel even if someone else did it. that didnt happen so here we are, no more halo wars which imo, is the best rts ever on a console

[Zeusprototype]

@captain, really? i personaly thought the supremem commanders and commands= and conquers smashed it

[MaxXAttaxX]

I don't think it was sales that ruined Nuts and Bolts.

[Gazondaily]

Nuts and Bolts is a brilliant game. Really innovative and actually a lot of fun to play.

[Typical-Guy]

I totally agree about Too Human, it had potential but Silicon Knight blew it....

As for Halo Wars, I'd die for another game.

[ToZanarkand86]

Shenmue...
Biggest tragedy in the history of the world.

[Urusernamesucks]

Ahh Halo Wars, i cant stop playing that game up to this day. I got that "ready for the sequel" achievement, but it never came :,(

[SilentNegotiator]

Banjo-Kazooie:N&B failed because it sucked. Microsoft decided that they needed to force XBL into the IP, and it thus became a vehicle game with wonky physics instead of the very much suggested platformer of its initial unveiling ( https://www.youtube.com/wat... - See all of those cars? No? You see jiggies, honeycombs, and music notes? Interesting!).

I'm glad BK:N&B failed miserably.

[Gazondaily]

You're glad it failed miserably? Are you a gamer or just a keyboard warrior more concerned about the politics behind the industry?

And I don't know what you're on about but Banjo-Kazooie:N&B certainly didn't suck. It was a brilliant game that was really innovative.

"See all of those cars? No? You see jiggies, honeycombs, and music notes? Interesting!). "

What's so interesting about a brief intro trailer not of the game but showing a return of the franchise?

Everyone gives stick to RARE (or MS) for the Kinect games but VIVA PINATA and Nuts and Bolts are great examples of the developers providing something innovative and different.

[SilentNegotiator]

I prefer that bad games fail so that the industry does not make more them. That's how capitalism works, junior. And a bad game that does something "different" is still a bad game.

[Gazondaily]

Oh how righteous of you to wish for failure for a game that YOU didn't enjoy but others did. Whilst N&B may have suffered from problems, it wasn't a bad game and certainly never 'sucked' as you so eloquently put it.

Ah never mind, I suspect that any attempts by me to instill some understanding in you will be fruitless.

[EditorAtGNG]

Not to nitpick here but Mirror's Edge, Too Human and Halo Wars cannot be considered a franchise. Maybe a beginning of one if there was a sequel but since there was not...

[knifefight]

This is why those "Heh, I don't work for (company name) so I don't care about sales" comments are completely off the mark. If something doesn't sell well, kiss future prospects goodbye =/ It doesn't always reflect the quality of the game, no, but when I like something, I also like to see it sell well.

[Captain Qwark 9]

agreed! sales are important, as much as games can be "art" they are also a business too. too many people fail to see that

[Why o why]

Yeah but sales were used as fanboy fodder. Like a game had to sell halo or gran turismo numbers to be considered good or successful. People weren't caring about the wellbeing of the devs/studios when they were saying x didn't sell. It was just more bs.

If a game turns a profit then its all good and a success in my eyes. Its unfortunate for those which don't so sales do matter but not in the context some were spewing.

[franko]

Kids today. Playing only retarded cod.

[Captain Qwark 9]

im not crazy about COD myself but they are solid games every year. don't like it don't play it, no need to waste your time or others bashing it or the people who only play it though

[ILive]

I think he is right about cod in a way. It sells millions every year where some games struggle to get to a million. It is not about liking cod or not. It has had both negative and postive impact on the industry. But its mostly negative, though.

[Zeusprototype]

@ilive fully agree with you, theres a generation of gamers who think cod is the be all and end all of FPS'S or wargames. Dont get me wrong i love the games but its causes gamers to be ignorant.

[tubers]

Yeah.. specially that "kid" down the block I know who only plays cod on xbox.. the rest of his life so far; med student with a smoking hot blonde gf.

[ApolloTheBoss]

I wouldn't count Mirror's Edge out just yet. Anyone remember when Ben Cousins said DICE was making Mirrors Edge 2 last year?

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Mirror's Edge 2 will happen, and when it does, it will sell well...that is, unless they do something to ruin it. The first game was very good. It just needed some options, variation, a little more/better gun play, etc.

Of that list though, ME2 is the game I want most.

[FrostyZipper]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but wasn't Mirror's Edge 2 confirmed a while ago? IIRC development's on hold, but not cancelled.

[DavePSU]

I think it depends what school of thought you want to go with. EA obviously canned the game in February of 2011. However, in May of 2012, some resumes showed they had worked on Mirror's Edge 2 in some capacity. Whether or not this was pre-EA Canning the game or post-EA canning the game is up for debate.

In November, it was rumored that Mirror's Edge 2 was absolutely in development at DICE, but nothing was confirmed or announced regarding the game.

If anything is going to happen, it'll probably be at E3, but as far as "facts" are concerned, EA did can the project in 2011.

[thawind]

I really want to see another Heavenly Sword please Sony.

[kevinsheeks]

Yesss my goodness please follow up that ending still lingers in my head it felt so unfinished -.-

i wish the right games would sale not dissing games like cod i like it but i hate to see creative franchises die for more of the same -.-

[CanadianTurtle]

Resistance.

I still can't believe Dead Island sold more than R3. Dead Island is one of the worst games I've played this gen

[Zeusprototype]

How was it? please back up that comment.

[CanadianTurtle]

I have excellent connection and the game still lagged up. The controls were clunky and the combat system was very bland because it was mostly melee attacks, and hours of monotone hack n' slash gameplay. Yes you did get guns but the bullets weren't as common. Again, the monotonous combat system didn't help either.

Graphics looked very buggy and washed out. Game looked plain ugly at many points. I don't know why that is, but maybe it could have been because I was playing the PS3 version.

Oh and did I mention that the over-usage of zombies in video games is getting a teeny bit tiresome?

[Alcohog]

I would rape several chickens in exchange for Mirror's Edge 2.

[Tonester925]

BackBreaker could've been huge!

[Jagsrock]

yep too bad the developers didn't know what to do with their own tech. Instead of making a fun sim type unlicensed game like Allpro football 2k8 that could have competed directly with Madden they decided to make arcadey game with frustrating controls.

[Venoxn4g]

Binary Domain
God Hand
Shadows of the damned

I really hope that sequels will be made one day

[Zizi]

I looooooooooove Mirror's Edge. It is one of the greatest games this decade. It's innovative and fun. :D

[Picnic]

Jet Set Radio.

http://www.thepetitionsite....

[Gazondaily]

Yes this! Sign the petition people!

[Fixlarz]

Bulletstorm? No. Mirror's Edge? Yes. BUT. Dice have said they might have some interest left in the series after they stop cranking out Battlefield games. Unfortunately with BF4 in the horizon it seems less and less likely to happen... :(

[Tdmd]

So those were one-single-game franchises?

[Panthers]

Psyconaughts? (sp) I never played it but I really want to. I hear that was an amazing game.

[wenaldy]

So, does Mirrors Edge regarded as a franchise? smh

[DavePSU]

Franchise: authorization granted by a manufacturing enterprise to a distributor to market the manufacturer's products.

Yes. A lone game is a franchise.

[gobluesamg]

I had an amazing time playing Kingdoms. It was a totally different animal than Skyrim. The combat was way more fluid and engaging. The colors in the world were amazing as well. I really wish they could of had an opportunity for a follow up.

[whamlollypop7]

EA and Kurt Schiling screwed that franchise.

[whamlollypop7]

I have a feeling that Darksiders will get picked up. It sold well but THQ was in murky waters.

[Anomander]

Heck I'll go back two generations and throw out Shadow Man. I always thought that game deserved a follow up! And since Too Human was mentioned we might as well add a Eternal Darkness sequel!

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

Heavenly Sword could have sold more and break even if they would have trophy patched the game. I guess they didn't believe in the game.

I'm pretty sure Sony will put it in the hands of Sony Santa Monica and we'll see a Heavenly Sword 2 on PS4.