History FranchiseZombie / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Creator/ScottCawthon initially attempted to close out the series with ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'', which ended on a rather conclusive note with [[spoiler:the location being destroyed, the BigBad William Afton being crushed inside his own animatronic suit before [[KillItWithFire being set on fire]], and his victims passing on to the afterlife]]. This was followed up by no less than ''three'' {{Series Fauxnale}}s, [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the last of which]] ended with [[spoiler:an EverybodyDiesEnding where both William's son Michael and his ex-coworker Henry [[HeroicSacrifice kill themselves to take William down with them]]]]. And yet new games continued to be released after that; Cawthon's retirement from game development in 2021 wasn't enough to prevent the release of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''.

* ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' went dormant after the third game, which was released in 2004. After the second game, the lead developer, Chris Sawyer, handed control of the IP to Creator/{{Atari}}. In 2012, Atari decided to dust off the franchise and release a number of mediocre to very poor games under its name, including a stripped-down 3DS spinoff, two separate microtransaction-heavy {{Freemium}} mobile games (the first one, the confusingly titled ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon 4 Mobile'', initially had a ''price tag''), a match-3 mobile game, and a VR rail shooter for some reason. The most infamous releases of the series are ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon World'', a game that jumped between three development teams and was rushed to release a day before its (much better recieved) competitor, ''VideoGame/PlanetCoaster'', [[ObviousBeta with predictable results]], and ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon Adventures'', an investor-driven title for the Nintendo Switch where Atari directly asked people to invest in the development of the game in exchange for a share of its sales, with the end product being an extremely low-effort port of a mobile game that was a port of ''World'', with no indication if any of the investors got their money's worth. The only positively received releases were ports of the first three games, and with such a terrible track record of new games, it seems that Atari is only using the series name as a shameless CashCowFranchise.

{{Franchise Zombie}}s in VideoGames.

* Both ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' were created as mascot platformers for the original [=PlayStation=] by friend developers Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games. Both then split off from Universal Interactive Studios for different reasons (Naughty Dog's contract with Universal ran out, while Insomniac was unhappy with the limitations of Spyro's character designs and walked off on their own) and moved on to different styles of games (''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' and ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank''), leaving their old mascots to their owner (Universal, but eventually Creator/{{Activision}} as a result of several corporate acquisitions and mergers) who then ran both of them into the ground with a wide variety of games of variable quality, with the ''Crash'' series eventually undergoing a long hiatus and Spyro being retooled as part of the ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise. However, both series were given a total {{revival}} in the late-2010's, with remakes and new games that were beloved by critics and fans alike, and sold extremely well.
* Creator/InsomniacGames would later have a case with a franchise that never left their hands, ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'', which is often said to have peaked with ''[[Videogame/RatchetAndClankACrackInTime A Crack in Time]]'', and [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dont-get-cocky-the-secrets-of-ratchet-and-clanks-15-year-survival a retrospective]] downright has director Brian Allgeier saying Insomniac wanted to end the series there. But Sony pressured them to continue as the games remained popular, and the following sequels, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assult]]'', were disliked by fans as they had noticeably weaker stories and were DenserAndWackier in tone, focusing on [[UnexpectedGameplayChange gimmicks instead of the usual third-person shooter]] gameplay, and [[ArtEvolution redesigning most of the main cast]].
* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' was released in 2004 for the PC, [=PS2=], and Xbox, without any input from series creator Al Lowe; he criticizes the game on his website. The sequel, ''[[VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryBoxOfficeBust Box Office Bust]]'' (at which point the franchise wasn't owned by Activision anymore because it didn't print money), was even more critically panned.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' is not only considered the original series' peak, it was also the last time the three figureheads of the series --character designer Naoto Ohshima, series director/game planner Hirokazu Yasuhara, and programmer/producer Yuji Naka-- all worked together on a Sonic game; afterward, the Sonic Team development studio shifted their focus toward making original titles afterwards for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. Sega, unwilling to retire their cash cow, initially tried to continue the ''Sonic'' franchise without them to no success; most infamously with Sega Technical Institute's[[note]]Who made ''VideoGame/ComixZone'' for the Genesis[[/note]] ''VideoGame/SonicXtreme''--the series' intended VideoGame3DLeap for the Saturn [[{{Vaporware}} that ultimately never made it to shelves]]. Sega eventually moved Sonic Team back onto the series for good to produce ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a proper 3D debut for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast that was overseen by both Naka and Ohshima; though the following years saw Ohshima, Yasuhara, and Naka's departures from the franchise and Sega altogether. The series sticks around as one of Sega's few remaining [[CashCowFranchise cash cows]], but it has had wild ups and downs since then. (Notably, the best-received game in the series since the series' 1990s heyday, ''VideoGame/SonicMania''; is a MegamixGame of the original titles that was also ''not'' internally developed by the eponymous studio.)
* ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' was never supposed to have a sequel, [[WriterRevolt according to the creator of the original game]]. The sequel lampshades this by essentially making the plot about the King of All Cosmos gaining tons of fans due to the success of the first game and deciding to solve their various problems to become even more popular.

Things came to a head during the development of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV''; upon which Konami announced that Kojima would be leaving the company for good after the game's release, while also saying they wished to make further ''Metal Gear'' games. Kojima's response was to create a controversial moment in the final chapter that both altered the original game's canon and also denied fans the epic finale they had been clamoring for. It's also a symbolic representation of how ''Metal Gear'' had a fair chance of continuing past its Kojima finale, but that you'd have to settle for something less than Kojima. Unintentionally symbolic is that the first (and to date, only) ''Metal Gear'' title after Kojima's departure is a [[VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive spinoff title about zombies]].
** Kojima didn't intend to make a sequel for the original ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'', but a coworker who developed ''VideoGame/SnakesRevenge'' met him on a train and convinced him to make a real one. According to Kojima, by the time they reached their stop, he'd already had the entire plot of the canonical ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear 2|SolidSnake}}'' mapped out in his head.
* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': Sony and Singletrac split up after ''Twisted Metal 2'', resulting in Sony owning the ''Twisted Metal'' name but Singletrac owning the engine. As a result, Sony had NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, and the third and fourth games received [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks relatively poor reviews]]. Luckily, former Singletrac employees founded Incog Inc. (and later Eat Sleep Play) and Sony handed them back the series from ''Twisted Metal Black'' onwards.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': Rumors suggest the franchise was only intended to consist of two games, but scheduling issues forced Creator/{{Bungie}} to release the original ''Halo 2'' in a semi-complete state (only about 3/4 done). Then ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was billed as the GrandFinale of the series, but was followed by the GaidenGame ''[[VideoGame/Halo3ODST ODST]]'' and the prequel ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' (plus the RTS spin-off ''VideoGame/HaloWars'', a DolledUpInstallment made by another studio, [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-27-halo-wars-bungie-saw-it-as-whoring-out-franchise-says-ensemble-founder to Bungie's disapproval]]). Bungie jumped ship and left the series with Microsoft subsidiary Creator/ThreeFourThreeIndustries, who then [[TrilogyCreep started a new "saga" of FPS games]] with ''VideoGame/Halo4''. Guess the fight wasn't quite finished yet, huh? That the IP was not only given to a company created for the express purpose of creating new ''Halo'' games, but is even named after a character in the series, has inevitably led to people claiming that they are little more than a "franchise farm" for the series.
* ''VideoGame/StarControl'': The original developers had long since moved on to other projects, and they actually retained rights to all the creative content apart from the name "Star Control". The publisher wanted another game out in the series, even if it lacked any familiar content tying it to the previous games. In the end, the developers gave in, figuring it was the lesser evil. The game was actually made by completely different people, though. Oh, and there was a novel too, which most people prefer to forget about.

* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' is interesting, as it became a zombie but was able to remain competitive with its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/RockBand''. After Harmonix and Activision parted ways following ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'', the series' reins were given to ''Tony Hawk'' developer Neversoft (whose first entry was ''Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock''), and Harmonix moved on to MTV Games in order to begin producing the ''Rock Band'' series. ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Rock Band'' would remain DuelingGames for three years until 2010, when ''Warriors of Rock'' finally saw Activision shelve any future projects in the series... for five years, until they announced ''Guitar Hero Live'' in order to compete with Harmonix's ''Rock Band 4''.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were intended to be the final games, declaring that "once we entered the twenty-first century, it would be time for me to do something else entirely." Additionally, the majority of Gold and Silver's production took place before the rest of the franchise preceding it had been released outside of Japan; Game Freak consequently didn't know if the games would be successful internationally, thus the Gen II games were made to function as a finale just in case. [[CashCowFranchise Oodles of cash]] must have changed their minds, as the series proved to be everything ''but'' a fad and has been going strong ever since.
* ''VideoGame/{{Worms}} Armageddon'' was going to be the last in the series during its development and was also the last to involve the series creator Andy Davidson, who departed due to CreativeDifferences[[note]]Although he would temporarily return in 2012, just in time for the release of ''Revolution''[[/note]]. ''Armageddon'' was extremely successful and is still the most well-acclaimed entry, so the series would eventually continue with the release of ''World Party'', followed by more games down the line.
* Various interviews from developers at Creator/CoreDesign have shown that the first four ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games were genuine attempts to improve on each entry, whether they could be considered successful or not; however, the [[ItWasHisSled "Lara dies"]] twist at the end of ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' was a serious attempt to either finish the series or buy time for a next-gen debut. But then they were talked into developing ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'', a game where Lara's closest friends reminisce about Lara's previously unseen adventures, as an easy moneygrab; and being distracted by that may have played a small part in the failure of ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness Angel of Darkness]]''. Of course, the franchise managed to recover after Crystal Dynamics [[ContinuityReboot rebooted]] it.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' was originally a side project featuring completely original characters, but Sakurai's boss Creator/SatoruIwata suggested that he put Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters in the game. The game became an international hit, but Sakurai felt that more could be done with the game, so the sequel ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' was developed with a much larger budget. Shortly after the completion of ''Melee'' as well as ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'' (as Sakurai is also the creator of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' video game series), he left HAL to form his own studio, Sora Ltd., stating that he was dissatisfied with the "sequel process" at HAL and the gaming industry in general. Despite this, he ended up making two more ''Smash'' games while at Sora. He later came out and said that every ''Smash'' game past [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64 the original]] was developed under the expectation that he wouldn't make any more ''Smash'' games, and that he had no desire to make any more past ''Smash 4''. Per the last request from Iwata to him, [[FlipFlopOfGod he then made]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', and later stated that he would keep working on the series for as long as Nintendo wanted him to. (And, considering it's one of the company's biggest {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s, it's hard to imagine they ever wouldn't.) Sakurai is also [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld no longer involved]] in the creation of newer ''Kirby'' games. Note that though ''Kirby'' is technically a franchise zombie, many of the newer ''Kirby'' games are considered [[MyRealDaddy as good as or even better than the older games]] to longtime fans of the series.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Creator/ScottCawthon initially attempted to close out the series with ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'', which ended on a rather conclusive note with [[spoiler:the location being destroyed, the BigBad William Afton being crushed inside his own animatronic suit before [[KillItWithFire being set on fire]], and his victims passing on to the afterlife]]. This was followed up by no less than ''three'' {{Series Fauxnale}}s, [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the last of which]] ended with [[spoiler:an EverybodyDiesEnding where both William's son Michael and his ex-coworker Henry [[HeroicSacrifice kill themselves to take William down with them]]]]. And yet new games continued to be released after that; Cawthon's retirement from game development in 2021 wasn't enough to prevent the release of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''.

** Kojima didn't intend to make a sequel for the original ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'', but a coworker who developed ''VideoGame/SnakesRevenge'' convinced him to make a real one. According to Kojima, by the time they reached their stop, he'd already had the entire plot of the canonical ''Metal Gear 2'' mapped out in his head.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' was originally a side project featuring completely original characters, but Sakurai's boss Creator/SatoruIwata suggested that he put Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters in the game. The game became an international hit, but Sakurai felt that more could be done with the game, so the sequel ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' was developed with a much larger budget. Shortly after the completion of ''Melee'' as well as ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'' (as Sakurai is also the creator of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' video game series), he left HAL to form his own studio, Sora Ltd., stating that he was dissatisfied with the "sequel process" at HAL and the gaming industry in general. Despite this, he ended up making two more ''Smash'' games while at Sora. He later came out and said that every ''Smash'' game past [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64 the original]] was developed under the expectation that he wouldn't make any more ''Smash'' games, and that he had no desire to make any more past ''Smash 4''. [[FlipFlopOfGod He then made]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', and later stated that he would keep working on the series for as long as Nintendo wanted him to. (And, considering it's one of the company's biggest {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s, it's hard to imagine they ever wouldn't.) Sakurai is also [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld no longer involved]] in the creation of newer ''Kirby'' games. Note that though ''Kirby'' is technically a franchise zombie, many of the newer ''Kirby'' games are considered [[MyRealDaddy as good as or even better than the older games]] to longtime fans of the series.

* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' was released in 2004 for the PC, [=PS2=], and Xbox, without any input from series creator Al Lowe; he criticizes the game on his website. The sequel, ''Box Office Bust'' (at which point the franchise wasn't owned by Activision anymore because it didn't print money), was even more critically panned.

* Upon its release in 1995, ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' turned out as the biggest success for developer Team 17, [[CashCowFranchise and they've been riding it to this day]]: little of their production since hasn't been related to the ''Worms'' franchise, which currently has over 20 titles between the main series, expansions and spin-offs on various platforms. Unfortunately, most if not all of the games after the earlier ones (''especially'' [[VideoGame3DLeap the 3D ones]]) weren't as good -- even 2012's ''Worms Revolution'', which was intended as a return to form. It is telling that ''Worms Armageddon'' is still considered the best game in the series, despite releasing at the TurnOfTheMillennium.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' entered this state after Creator/ElectronicArts disbanded Creator/WestwoodStudios [[CreatorKiller following the underperformance]] of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'', as despite the initial developers being gone, EA continued to make games in-house via their Los Angeles office -- until that got shut down as well and [[FranchiseKiller took the franchise with them]]. While ''Command & Conquer'' eventually got revived with the mobile ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRivals'' and the VideoGameRemake ''Command & Conquer Remastered'' helmed by former Westwood programmers, it is clear that the franchise has lasted way longer than what Westwood expected.

** The ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series [[SeriesFauxnale was supposed to end]] with ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX5 X5]]'', and then progress to the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series in the future. However, the series continued without Creator/KeijiInafune's knowledge into ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX6 X6]]'', and his only input afterwards was ''[[VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX Maverick Hunter X]]'' and minor designer's advice regarding [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 Axl]]. [[note]]In fact, it got to the point that when Capcom proposed ''[[VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission Command Mission]]'', he adamantly refused.[[/note]] This was somewhat difficult plot-wise, as ''X5'' ended with Zero [[spoiler:dead. In fairness, ''Mega Man Zero'' would have had to answer that particular red flag itself to even be a thing, but WordOfGod states Inafune had to alter at least some of his initial plans to accomodate ''X6'']]. ''X6'' then ended with him in the capsule not supposed to be opened until ''Mega Man Zero'' making his [[ContinuitySnarl appearances in the next two games awkward]]. Players were then told to think of the scene in ''X6'' as a [[DistantFinale bonus ending for the series]], rather than something happening directly after the game.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series were each supposed to end after three games each, but ''Battle Network'' lasted for three more games, and ''Zero'' for one more. You can see that the endings of the third game of each series were meant as the end of each. ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero4 Zero 4]]'' manages to work with this due to the BigBad still being around at the end of ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero3 Zero 3]]'', so the final game was dedicated to solving that little hiccup and setting up the next SequelSeries to prevent this from happening again.
* Both ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' were the products of friend developers Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games, as mascot platformers for the original [=PlayStation=]. Both then split off from Universal Interactive Studios for different reasons (Naughty Dog's contract with Universal ran out, while Insomniac was unpleased with the limitations of Spyro's character designs and walked off on their own) and moved onto different styles of games (''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' and ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank''), leaving their old mascots to their owner (Universal, but eventually Creator/{{Activision}} as a result of several corporate acquisitions and mergers) who then ran both of them into the ground with a wide variety of games of variable quality, with the ''Crash'' series eventually undergoing a long hiatus and Spyro being retooled into a part of the ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise. However, both series were given a total {{revival}} in the late-2010's, with remakes and new games that were beloved by critics and fans alike, and sold extremely well.
* Creator/InsomniacGames would later have a case with a franchise that never left their hands, ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'', which is often said to have peaked with ''[[Videogame/RatchetAndClankACrackInTime A Crack in Time]]'', and [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dont-get-cocky-the-secrets-of-ratchet-and-clanks-15-year-survival a retrospective]] downright has director Brian Allgeier saying Insomniac wanted to end the series there. But Sony pressured them to continue as the games remained popular, and the following sequels, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assult]]'', were disliked by fans as they noticeably had weaker stories and were DenserAndWackier in tone, focusing on [[UnexpectedGameplayChange gimmicks instead of the usual third-person shooter]] gameplay, and [[ArtEvolution redesigning most of the main cast]].
* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' has become this as a result of ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'', released in 2004 for the PC, [=PS2=], and Xbox. It was created without any input from series creator Al Lowe and he criticizes the game on his website. The sequel, ''Box Office Bust'' (at which point the franchise isn't in the property of Activision anymore because it didn't print money), has received even further drubbing from critics.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' became this after the [[UsefulNotes/The16bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 16-bit era]]. ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', besides also being regarded as the original series' highest peak, was also the last time the three figureheads of the series --character designer Naoto Ohshima, series director/game planner Hirokazu Yasuhara, and programmer/producer Yuji Naka-- all worked together on a Sonic game; with the Sonic Team development studio changing their focus towards making original titles afterwards for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. Sega, not willing to retire their cash cow, initially tried to continue the ''Sonic'' franchise without them to no success; most infamously with Sega Technical Institute's[[note]]Who made ''VideoGame/ComixZone'' for the Genesis[[/note]] ''VideoGame/SonicXtreme''--the series' intended VideoGame3DLeap for the Saturn [[{{Vaporware}} that ultimately never made it to shelves]]. Sega eventually re-assigned Sonic Team back onto the series for good to produce ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a proper 3D debut for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast that was overseen by both Naka and Ohshima; though the following years saw Ohshima, Yasuhara, and Naka's eventual departures from the franchise and Sega altogether. The series sticks around as it is one of Sega's few remaining [[CashCowFranchise cash cows]], but it has had wild ups and downs since then. (Notably, the best received game in the series since the series' 1990s heydey, ''VideoGame/SonicMania''; is a MegamixGame of the original titles that's also ''not'' internally developed by the studio namesake.)
* ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' was never supposed to have a sequel, [[WriterRevolt according to the creator of the original game]]. The sequel lampshades this by essentially making the plot about the King Of All Cosmos gaining tons of fans due to the success of the first game and deciding to solve their various problems to become even more popular.

** Creator/HideoKojima originally didn't intend to direct any ''Metal Gear'' sequels beyond ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', but due to the immense success of the game, he was pressured by his superiors to direct ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'', which featured a [[GainaxEnding twist ending]] that he never intended to explain away. Afterward, he wrote the basic outline for ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 3|SnakeEater}}'', with the intention of handing it out to another director, but no one was willing to take the job. The same thing happened with ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 4|GunsOfThePatriots}}'': although he had already named a successor, fans demanded that he return to personally direct the game (which included death threats). And as the entry on WriterRevolt for that game shows, he didn't take it nicely.\\
It all boiled over into an acrimonious relationship fallout during the development of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV''; upon which Konami announced that Kojima would be leaving the company for good after that game's release, while also saying they wish to make further ''Metal Gear'' games. Kojima's response was to create a controversial moment in the final chapter that both altered the canon of the original game and was also a cop-out to the epic finale that fans were clamoring for. It's also a symbolic representation of how ''Metal Gear'' had a fair chance of continuing past its Kojima finale, but that you'd have to settle for something less than Kojima. Unintentionally symbolic is that the first (and to date, only) ''Metal Gear'' title after Kojima's departure is a [[VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive spinoff title about zombies]].
** He also didn't intend to make a sequel for the original ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'' but a coworker who developed ''VideoGame/SnakesRevenge'' convinced him to make a real one. According to Kojima, by the time they reached their stop, he'd already had the entire plot of the canonical ''Metal Gear 2'' mapped out in his head.
* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' was briefly this. Sony and Singletrac split up after ''Twisted Metal 2'', resulting in Sony owning the ''Twisted Metal'' name but Singletrac owning the engine. As a result, Sony had NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup, and the third and fourth games received [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks relatively poor reviews]]. Luckily, former Singletrac employees founded Incog Inc. (and later Eat Sleep Play) and Sony handed them back the series from ''Twisted Metal Black'' onwards.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': Rumors suggest the franchise was only intended to consist of two games, but scheduling issues forced Creator/{{Bungie}} to release the original ''Halo 2'' in a semi-complete state (only about 3/4 done). Then ''VideoGame/Halo3'' was billed as the big finale of the series, but was followed by the GaidenGame ''[[VideoGame/Halo3ODST ODST]]'' and the prequel ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' (plus the RTS spin-off ''VideoGame/HaloWars'', a DolledUpInstallment made by another studio, [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-27-halo-wars-bungie-saw-it-as-whoring-out-franchise-says-ensemble-founder to Bungie's disapproval]]). Bungie jumped ship and left the series with Microsoft subsidiary Creator/ThreeFourThreeIndustries' hands who then [[TrilogyCreep started a new "saga" of FPS games]] with ''VideoGame/Halo4''. Guess the fight wasn't quite finished yet, huh? That the IP was not only given to a company that was set up for the express purpose of creating new ''Halo'' games, but is even named after a character in the series, has inevitably lead to claims from people that they are little more then a "franchise farm" for the series.
* ''VideoGame/StarControl'' had a brief go at this. The original developers had long since moved on to other projects, and they actually retained rights to all the creative content apart from the name "Star Control". The publisher wanted another game out in the series, even if it lacked any familiar content that would tie it in with the previous games. In the end, the developers gave in, figuring that it was the lesser evil for the series. The game was actually made by completely different people, though. Oh, and there was a novel too, which most people prefer to forget about.
* Creator/YoshioSakamoto initially didn't see ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' going past 1994's ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', thinking the games up to that point formed a neat, self-contained trilogy. The franchise would eventually continue however, with both ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' releasing in 2002, and new games have come out at a steady pace ever since. These games were all fairly well-received (''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce Federation Force]]'' notwithstanding), and ''Metroid Prime'' specifically is hailed by most as a worthy successor to ''Super'' and one of the greatest games of all-time.
* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' is an interesting example as it turned into a zombie but was able to remain competitive with its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/RockBand'', as well. After Harmonix and Activision parted ways following ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'', the series reins were given to ''Tony Hawk'' developer Neversoft (whose first entry was ''Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'') and Harmonix moved on to MTV Games in order to begin producing the ''Rock Band'' series. ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Rock Band'' would remain DuelingGames for three years until 2010, when ''Warriors of Rock'' finally saw Activision shelve any future projects in the series... for five years until they announced ''Guitar Hero Live'' in order to compete with Harmonix's ''Rock Band 4''.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were intended to be the final games, and declared that "once we entered the twenty-first century, it would be time for me to do something else entirely." Additionally, the majority of Gold and Silver's production took place before the rest of the franchise preceding it had been released outside of Japan; Game Freak consequently didn't know if the games would be successful internationally, thus the Gen II games were made to function as a finale just in case. [[CashCowFranchise Oodles of cash]] must have changed his mind, as the series proved to be everything but a fad, and has continued on since with no signs of stopping.
* Upon its release in 1995, ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' turned out as the biggest success for developer Team 17, [[CashCowFranchise which keeps riding on it to this day]]: little of their production since hasn't been related to the ''Worms'' franchise, which has currently overly 20 titles between main episodes, expansions and spin-offs on various platforms. Unfortunately, most if not all the episodes after the earlier ones (''especially'' [[VideoGame3DLeap the 3D ones]]) haven't been as good, not even 2012's ''Worms Revolution'' which was intended as a return to form. It is telling that ''Worms Armageddon'' is still considered the best episode despite releasing at the TurnOfTheMillennium.
* Various interviews from developers at Creator/CoreDesign have shown that the first four ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games were genuine attempts to improve on each entry, whether they could be considered to have succeeded or not; however, the [[ItWasHisSled "Lara dies"]] twist at the end of ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' was a serious attempt to either finish the series or buy time for a next-gen debut. But then they were talked into developing ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'', a game where Lara's closest friends reminisce about Lara's previously unseen adventures, as an easy moneygrab; and being distracted by that quite possibly had a small part in the failure of ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness Angel of Darkness]]''. Of course, it managed to recover after the franchise moved over to Crystal Dynamics' hands and [[ContinuityReboot rebooted]].
* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series eventually became this for Creator/MasahiroSakurai. Originally a side project featuring completely original characters, Sakurai's boss Creator/SatoruIwata suggested that he put Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters into the game. The game became an international hit, but Sakurai felt that more could be done with the game, so the sequel ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' was developed with a much more lavish budget (despite being developed in 13 months). Shortly after the completion of ''Melee'' as well as ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'', given that Sakurai is also the creator of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' video game series, he departed from HAL to form his own studio, Sora Ltd. stating that he was dissatisfied with the "sequel process" at HAL and the gaming industry in general. Eventually, though, he made two more ''Smash'' games while at Sora in spite of this. He later came out and said that every ''Smash'' game past [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64 the original]] was developed under the expectation that he wouldn't make any more ''Smash'' games, and that he no longer has any desire to make any more past ''Smash 4''. [[FlipFlopOfGod He then made]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', and later stated that he would keep working on the series for as long as Nintendo wanted him to. (And, considering it's one of the company's biggest {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s, it's hard to imagine they ever wouldn't.) Sakurai is also [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld no longer involved]] in the creation of newer ''Kirby'' games. Note that though ''Kirby'' is technically a franchise zombie, it lacks all the negative aspects of Franchise Zombie as many of the newer ''Kirby'' games are [[MyRealDaddy as good or better than the older games]] to longtime fans of the series.
* ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' went dormant after the third game, which was released in 2004. After the second game, the lead developer, Chris Sawyer, handed control of the IP to Creator/{{Atari}}. In 2012, Atari decided to dust off the franchise and release a number of below average to very poor games under its name. Among these title included a 3DS spinoff with stripped down features, two separate microtransaction-heavy {{Freemium}} mobile games (the first one, the confusingly titled ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon 4 Mobile'', ''initially had a price tag''), a match-3 mobile game, and a VR rail shooter for some reason. The most infamous releases of the series are ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon World'', a game which jumped between three development teams and was rushed to release a day before its (much more well-recieved) competitor, ''VideoGame/PlanetCoaster'', [[ObviousBeta with predictable results]], and ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon Adventures'', an investor-driven title for the Nintendo Switch where Atari directly asked people to invest in the development of the game for an opportunity to receive a share of its sales, with the end product being an extremely low-effort port of a mobile game that was a port of ''World'', with no indication if any of the investors got their money's worth. The only releases that were met with positive reception were ports of the first three games, and with such a terrible track record of new games, it seems that Atari is only using the series name as a shameless CashCowFranchise.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Creator/ScottCawthon initially attempted to put the series to a close with ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'', which ended on a rather conclusive note with [[spoiler:the location being rendered defunct, the BigBad William Afton being crushed inside his own animatronic suit before [[KillItWithFire being set on fire]], and his victims being exorcised]]. This was followed up by no less than ''three'' {{Series Fauxnale}}s, [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the last of which]] ended with [[spoiler:an EverybodyDiesEnding involving both William's son Michael and his ex-coworker Henry [[HeroicSacrifice killing themselves to take William down with them]]]]. And yet new games continued to be released after that; Cawthon's retirement from game development in 2021 wasn't enough to prevent the release of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Creator/ScottCawthon initially attempted to put the series to a close with ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'', which ended on a rather conclusive note with [[spoiler:the location being rendered defunct, the BigBad William Afton being crushed inside his own animatronic suit before [[KillItWithFire being set on fire]], and his victims being exorcised]]. This was followed up by no less than ''three'' {{Series Fauxnale}}s, [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the last of which]] ended with [[spoiler:an EveryoneDiesEnding involving both William's son Michael and his ex-coworker Henry [[HeroicSacrifice kill themselves to take William down with them]]]]. And yet new games continued to be released after that; Cawthon's retirement from game development in 2021 wasn't enough to prevent the release of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''.

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Creator/ScottCawthon initially attempted to put the series to a close with ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'', which ended on a rather conclusive note with [[spoiler:the location being rendered defunct, the BigBad William Afton being crushed inside his own animatronic suit before [[KillItWithFire being set on fire]], and his victims being exorcised]]. This was followed up by no less than ''three'' {{Series Fauxnale}}s, [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator the last of which]] ended with [[spoiler:an EveryoneDiesEnding involving both William's son Michael and his ex-coworker Henry [[HeroicSacrifice kill themselves to take William down with them]]]]. And yet new games continued to be released after that; Cawthon's retirement from game development in 2021 wasn't enough to prevent the release of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''.

%%* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' has been a zombie since EA disbanded Westwood.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were intended to be the final games, and declared that "once we entered the twenty-first century, it would be time for me to do something else entirely." [[CashCowFranchise Oodles of cash]] must have changed his mind, as the series proved to be everything but a fad, and has continued on since with no signs of stopping.

** As of 2015,

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' became this after the [[UsefulNotes/The16bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 16-bit era]]. After the series hit its peak with ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', Sonic Team, burned out on their namesake series, focused on making original titles. Meanwhile, Sega, not willing to retire their cash cow, tried to continue the ''Sonic'' franchise without them to no success. After Sega Technical Institute's[[note]]Who made ''VideoGame/ComixZone'' for the Genesis[[/note]] ''VideoGame/SonicXtreme'' -- Sonic's intended VideoGame3DLeap on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn -- [[{{Vaporware}} failed to make it to shelves]], Sega finally got Sonic Team back to give the series [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure a proper 3D title]] for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. Even then, ''Sonic Adventure'' (which had Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima on board) was the last game with any of Sonic's creators working directly on a ''Sonic'' game. Ohshima left Sega after ''Sonic Adventure'' finished development in 1998 to form Creator/{{Artoon}} for unknown reasons. Yasuhara didn't participate in ''Sonic Adventure'' because he had quit Sonic Team after ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', ultimately leaving Sega for Creator/NaughtyDog in 2002. Naka himself left Sega in 2006 to form Prope as he was tired of [[KickedUpstairs being stuck with (executive) producer roles]] for original [=IPs=] made by Sonic Team. The series sticks around as it is one of Sega's few remaining [[CashCowFranchise cash cows]], but it has had wild ups and downs since then. (Notably, the best received game in the series, ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', was not made by Sonic Team but is essentially a FanRemake compilation of the previous games of the series.)

** Creator/HideoKojima originally didn't intend to direct any ''Metal Gear'' sequels beyond ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', but due to the immense success of the game, he was pressured by his superiors to direct ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'', which featured a [[GainaxEnding twist ending]] that he never intended to explain away. Afterward, he wrote the basic outline for ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 3|SnakeEater}}'', with the intention of handing it out to another director, but no one was willing to take the job. The same thing happened with ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 4|GunsOfThePatriots}}'': although he had already named a successor, fans demanded that he return to personally direct the game (which included death threats). And as the entry on WriterRevolt for that game shows, he didn't take it nicely. And the series is ''still going on''.

** As of 2015, Konami announced that Kojima would be leaving the company for good after ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'', yet they say they wish to make further ''Metal Gear'' games. Kojima's response was to create a controversial moment in the final chapter that both altered the canon of the original game and was also a cop-out to the epic finale that fans were clamoring for. It's also a symbolic representation of how ''Metal Gear'' had a fair chance of continuing past its Kojima finale, but that you'd have to settle for something less than Kojima. Unintentionally symbolic is that the first ''Metal Gear'' title after Kojima's departure is a [[VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive spinoff title about zombies]].

* Both ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon'' were the products of friend developers Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games, as mascot platformers for the original [=PlayStation=]. Both then split off from Universal Interactive Studios for different reasons (Naughty Dog's contract with Universal ran out, while Insomniac was unpleased with the limitations of Spyro's character designs and walked off on their own) and moved onto different styles of games (''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' and ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank''), leaving their old mascots to their owner (Universal, but eventually Creator/{{Activision}} as a result of several corporate acquisitions and mergers) who then ran both of them into the ground with a wide variety of games of variable quality, with the ''Crash'' series eventually undergoing a long hiatus and Spyro being retooled into a part of the ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise. However, both series were given a total {{revival}} in the late-2010's, with remakes and new games that were beloved by critics and fans alike, and sold extremely well.

* Insomniac would later have a case with a franchise that never left their hands, ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'', which is often said to have peaked with ''[[Videogame/RatchetAndClankACrckInTime A Crack in Time]]'', and [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dont-get-cocky-the-secrets-of-ratchet-and-clanks-15-year-survival a retrospective]] downright has director Brian Allgeier saying Creator/InsomniacGames wanted to end the series there. But Sony pressured them to continue as the games remained popular, and the following sequels, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assult]]'', were disliked by fans as they noticeably had weaker stories and were DenserAndWackier in tone, focusing on [[UnexpectedGameplayChange gimmicks instead of the usual third-person shooter]] gameplay, and [[ArtEvolution redesigning most of the main cast]].

* Creator/GunpeiYokoi intended for ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' to end with ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' in order to have a neat, contained trilogy. After his death, the franchise was revived in 2002 with ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', and new games have come out at a steady pace ever since. These games were all fairly well-received (other than ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce Federation Force]]''). ''Metroid Prime'' specifically was hailed by most as a worthy successor to ''Super'', with some going as far as naming it as one of the greatest games of all time.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara stated that ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were intended to be the final games, and declared that "once we entered the twenty-first century, it would be time for me to do something else entirely." [[CashCowFranchise Oodles of cash]] must have changed his mind, as the series has continued since with no signs of stopping.

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' started to show signs of this after ''A Crack in Time'', which is regarded as one of the best games in the franchise, released. The following sequels, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assult]]'', were disliked by fans as they noticeably had weaker stories and were DenserAndWackier in tone, focusing on [[UnexpectedGameplayChange gimmicks instead of the usual third-person shooter]] gameplay, and [[ArtEvolution redesigning most of the main cast]].

* Upon its release in 1995, ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' turned out as the biggest success for developer Team 17, [[CashCowFranchise which keeps riding on it to this day]]: little of their production since hasn't been related to the ''Worms'' franchise, which has currently overly 20 titles between main episodes, expansions and spin-offs on various platforms. Unfortunately, most if not all the episodes after the earlier ones (''especially'' [[PolygonCeiling the 3D ones]]) haven't been as good, not even 2012's ''Worms Revolution'' which was intended as a return to form. It is telling that ''Worms Armageddon'' is still considered the best episode despite releasing at the TurnOfTheMillennium.