A series can get derailed for several reasons. Sometimes a game will not sell or review well, prompting the publisher to rethink their organization. Sometimes they may just feel like it’s time for a break from a particular series. No developer wants to get burned out on ideas.
These breaks may not mean these franchises are done forever. They could have small breaks lasting a few years, or they could be put away indefinitely. Some series are currently in limbo even though the fan outcry is alarming. The following looks at a wide variety of examples from all consoles past and present.
8 Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2
Castlevania was doing well for most of its lifetime. There were some ups and downs in the 90s but altogether it was a well-reviewed series even if sales didn’t blow Konami out of the water. Things were going great up until 2014 with the release of Lords of Shadow 2.
The reviews on it were muddling which may be the reason why Konami hasn’t made or sponsored a new game in almost a decade. They have put out two collections which is something, but fans would assuredly like something more substantial on consoles.
7 Crash: Mind Over Mutant
Crash Bandicoot was an icon for the PS1 and PlayStation as a brand during this era. Even though Naughty Dog didn’t make any more games past the PS1, other developers kept the series alive on an almost annual release schedule. Crash: Mind Over Mutant was a 2008 game and it was the last console game until Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy in 2017.
There were two racing games released on phones in-between there but they weren’t anything spectacular. This was a huge gap for the Crash Bandicoot series but now things seem to be back on track.
6 Fallout 76
Fallout is a series, like Metroid, with big gaps in it. There was the PC side before Bethesda took over with Fallout 3. Bethesda switched off between making Fallout games and entries in The Elder Scrolls series almost like clockwork up until Fallout 76 in 2018.
The launch for that was a disaster between the actual game and the controversies surrounding its special editions. Players do seem to enjoy it now, but the momentum certainly died initially which may be why Bethesda decided to branch off and make Starfield.
5 007 Legends
James Bond is a movie franchise first and foremost but it has had video games tie-ins and originals for decades as well. GoldenEye is the gold standard everyone points to but there were quality titles after that as well like Everything or Nothing. The Daniel Craig era of the games was a rough one which ended with 007 Legends in 2012.
That was sort of like a best of Bond collection with Craig reliving certain moments throughout the movie series. It’s one of the worst-reviewed games in the series along with one of the worst-reviewed games of all time according to Metacritic. That will certainly kill a franchise.
4 Metal Gear Survive
The Metal Gear franchise was the brainchild of Hideo Kojima for decades. No matter how many times he said he was done directing the series, he kept pulling himself back in. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was released in 2015 and alongside that Kojima left Konami due to bad blood.
With the mastermind leaving, it seemed all but certain that the series was dead but Konami did release Metal Gear Survive in 2018. That was like the final nail in the coffin for the franchise as it was not received well.
3 Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe
Mortal Kombat was almost an annual franchise and only missed two years between 1992 and 2008. 2008 was the release of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, which was a toned-down spinoff wherein classic characters like Scorpion fought heroes like Batman. Reviews were mixed but generally favorable.
Bloodthirsty fans may not have liked that things took a dip as the last core title was Mortal Kombat: Armageddon in 2006. After that, there was a gap until the lore got rebooted in 2011 with Mortal Kombat and now things seem to be all good with the series.
2 Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil was THE horror series that was released at a steady rate to spook fans. Most mainline games were reviewed well and even the spinoffs that weren’t as good weren’t exactly awful. Things changed in 2012 with Resident Evil 6, a divisive entry in the series.
Things were bleak for the next five years. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 did release in 2015 and did generate some good buzz for a Resident Evil spinoff but right after that Umbrella Corps was released in 2016. It became the worst game in the franchise and also a bad game ranked on Metacritic. The flagship was straightened out in 2017 with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, giving fans a sigh of relief.
1 Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Tomb Raider was another franchise that had a yearly cycle since it was first released in 1996. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness broke the streak in 2003. Its aggregate is in the 50s, which is one of the lowest-reviewed games in the series.
The gap between this and Tomb Raider Legend was not long as that launched in 2006 with high marks in the 80s. The series didn’t have a wild slowdown like some other franchises on here but it is still worth noting as an oddity in an otherwise stellar series for Lara Croft.