History Sandbox / FranchiseKillerVideoGamesCleanup

* ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'': The poor critical reception of ''Videogame/AloneInTheDark2008'' killed off the series for several years, as even a rerelease on Platform/PlayStation3 to fix some of the bugs from the Platform/{{Xbox 360}} version couldn't save it. It's even worse when you consider that even though the game developers delayed the release of the game for three years to try to stave off the bad publicity generated by Creator/UweBoll's failed [[Film/AloneInTheDark2005 film adaptation]], [[RetCanon some elements from the film still made it into the new game]]. Things got even worse with 2015's ''Alone in the Dark: Illumination'', which by comparison made the 2008 game look like ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', which released ''the very same year''. It was mercilessly panned by critics, with some calling it one of the worst games of all time, and one that could definitely be said to have murdered the troubled franchise once and for all, to the point that the franchise was later bought by Creator/THQNordic from Atari. They finally announced a new entry, [[VideoGame/AloneInTheDark2023 a full reboot of the original game]], in 2022. Time will tell if this revives the series or not.

* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': Once one of the top-tier fighting games, the series hit quite the bump in the road with 2012's ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. From a character standpoint, it removed over a dozen fan-favorite characters and [[ReplacementScrappy replaced less than half of them with less-popular ones]], who either received [[SpotlightStealingSquad too much attention]] (in the case of Sophitia's children) or [[FlatCharacter no development at all]] (Z.W.E.I., Viola, and especially Xiba being notable examples). The quality of the story also suffered greatly due to ExecutiveMeddling (reports state that ''three-quarters'' of the planned story had to be axed [[ChristmasRushed just to get the game out on time to capitalize on the end-of-January market]], with Project Soul's budget and staffing being cut by Namco mid-development), resulting in a pointless 17-year TimeSkip that was admitted to be arbitrary by the game's director Daishi Odashima. Additionally, a story riddled with IncestSubtext, {{Contrived Coincidence}}s, functional immortality for much of the cast, and the majority of the remaining cast's individual story arcs being LeftHanging with no true ending, combined with several gameplay modes and features removed from the last several games, [[ContestedSequel made this game divisive at best]], even for a fanbase that found the [[CharacterCustomization character creator]] (cosmetic-only, as opposed to affecting playstyles as was the case in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'') [[JustHereForGodzilla to be a redeeming factor]]. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', released in October of 2018, [[AuthorsSavingThrow was an attempt]] to WinBackTheCrowd and, [[https://www.dualshockers.com/soulcalibur-6-could-be-last/ according to producer Motohiro Okubo,]] Project Soul's last shot due to the damage incurred from ''V''[='s=] controversial reputation; if ''VI'' didn't succeed, then the whole franchise would vanish, thereby cementing ''V'' as the FranchiseKiller. Fortunately, it seems to be doing rather well so far, having a very solid launch [[note]]the game sold over 400,000 units its first week and had surpassed the 1 million mark in roughly a month's time; compare this to ''V'' taking over three years to scrape by 1.3 million units solid[[/note]], being one of the highest-rated fighters of its generation (an 84 on Metacritic), and getting enough acclaim and attention to be included as part of the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]] lineup.

* ''VideoGame/ActRaiser'': ''[=ActRaiser 2=]'' is an InNameOnly sequel that lacks the original game's popular Sim Mode, and the ungodly SequelDifficultySpike only made things worse. As a consequence, there hadn't been another game in the series since. Things changed when on September 23, 2021, a full remake of the original ''[=ActRaiser=]'' titled ''[=ActRaiser=] Renaissance'' was announced and released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, and mobile devices, igniting hope in the fans of the series.
* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd'': ''Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle'' flopped so badly that Sega ditched the eponymous character as their mascot, and replaced him with Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog. While Alex probably didn't have much of a future as Sega's mascot anyway, since the company wanted a more "hip" audience for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]], his series would probably have survived if ''Enchanted Castle'' had been better received. Instead, he appeared in the DolledUpInstallment ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'' before being relegated to making cameos and occasional playable appearances in the ''VideoGame/SegaSuperstars'' line of crossover games. It would take ''over 30 years'' for Alex to get a new game in 2021's ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX'', a remake of the first game courtesy of publisher Merge Games (having acquired the license from Sega) and developer Jankenteam.
* ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'': The poor critical reception of ''Videogame/AloneInTheDark2008'' killed off the series for several years, as even a rerelease on UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 to fix some of the bugs from the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} version couldn't save it. It's even worse when you consider that even though the game developers delayed the release of the game for three years to try to stave off the bad publicity generated by Creator/UweBoll's failed [[Film/AloneInTheDark2005 film adaptation]], [[RetCanon some elements from the film still made it into the new game]]. Things got even worse with 2015's ''Alone in the Dark: Illumination'', which by comparison made the 2008 game look like ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', which released ''the very same year''. It was mercilessly panned by critics, with some calling it one of the worst games of all time, and one that could definitely be said to have murdered the troubled franchise once and for all, to the point that the franchise was later bought by Creator/THQNordic from Atari. They finally announced a new entry, [[VideoGame/AloneInTheDark2023 a full reboot of the original game]], in 2022. Time will tell if this revives the series or not.
* ''VideoGame/AnotherCenturysEpisode'': Creator/FromSoftware developed the series, which was supposed to end with the third game (actually subtitled ''The Final''). Then they made ''Another Century's Episode R'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3. The game was ripped apart for discarding the series' well-defined control system harkening to From Software's ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' franchise in favor of a clunky new system built around a ton of {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s, as well as a lazily-executed MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover plotline, since ''R'' marks the series debut of several popular anime like ''Anime/CodeGeass'', ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', and ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''. The follow-up, ''Another Century's Episode Portable'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, is an admitted apology that goes back to basics. Later, From Software developed the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'' game, which did well enough for players to refer to it as "the game ''R'' '''should''' have been".

* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'': ''VideoGame/BatenKaitosOrigins'' came out near the end of the [=GameCube=]'s lifespan, four months before the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} launch. Despite improving massively on the flaws of ''VideoGame/BatenKaitosEternalWingsAndTheLostOcean'', it was overlooked due to launching so close to next-gen consoles and didn't sell particularly well, followed by the rumored UsefulNotes/NintendoDS installment getting cancelled, remaining dormant until a remastered rerelease of the games for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023.

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'': The series got a few sequels in the 90s (''Part 2'', ''Junior'', ''Symphony'' & ''Memories''), all of which were well received.[[note]]''Symphony'' in particular is often seen as an EvenBetterSequel to the original game.[[/note]] Then ''[[{{Sequelitis}} Classic Bubble Bobble]]'' was released in 1999, complete with a horrible camera, bad controls and physics & lots of FakeDifficulty. ''Classic'' was ravaged by fans and critics, resulting in the bubble dragons taking a long hibernation as other than a trio of games from 2005-2007 that didn't get much attention and a lot of ports/remakes, the series wouldn't get another major title until the release of ''Bubble Bobble 4 Friends'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo Switch}}; ''20 years'' after the release of ''Classic''.

* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'': By the mid-90s, Creator/IdSoftware was already losing interest in the franchise, especially after Tom Hall left the company in August 1993. However, the 2001 UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor reboot is often pointed at as the final nail in the coffin for the franchise; it received a mixed reception and sold poorly[[note]]By 2009, eight years later, it was estimated that the game had sold only approximately 50,000–60,000 copies since its release[[/note]]. In 2019, Creator/{{Bethesda}} announced a new ''Commander Keen'' game for [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]] in an attempt to revert this, but negative reception led to it being quietly cancelled, leaving the franchise up in the air.

* ''VideoGame/CoolBoarders'': ''Cool Boarders 2001'' is the lowest-grossing entry in its franchise aside from the original game, and the last game released (to date) for the series. It features an infamous SequelDifficultySpike comprised of NintendoHard trick challenges within the tutorial course and first stage, focuses more on realism than any of the prior installments, and got lost in the shuffle during a glut of similarly-themed snowboarding games. Two other attempts to jumpstart the franchise bombed as well - ''Cool Boarders: Code Alien'', an entry released the year before in Japan, never sold well enough to make the jump to North America, and ''Cool Boarders: Burrrn!'' (released as ''[[DivorcedInstallment Rippin' Riders]]'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast) failed to make any impact. It got so bad that a planned sequel to ''2001'', ''Sold Out'', had to be canned in early production, and ever since that event, the series hasn't seen another installment, sending UEP Systems‘ famous art of snowboarding down into limbo.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cruisn}}'': Following Midway's departure from the arcade business, the arcade racing series didn't have much of a future after the release of ''Cruis'n Exotica'', the third and then-final ''Cruis'n'' game made for arcades and ported to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64. Midway nonetheless made attempts to continue the series specifically for game consoles to no success. The first attempt, ''Cruis'n Velocity'' on the GBA, was hardly known and even less remembered. The second attempt several years later, ''Cruis'n'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, became widely recognized as one of the most wretched games released for the platform, and for good reason--it was a [[DolledUpInstallment dolled-up]] PortingDisaster of Midway's ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' arcade game, [[SerialNumbersFiledOff with all references to the film within the game scrubbed out]]. ''Cruis'n'' Wii was met with critical drubbing and abysmal sales[[note]]This can actually be attributed to manufacturing problems that happened at the time of the game's release, though the negative reviews couldn't have helped at all either[[/note]], and escorted the series into hibernation. It would take [[CreatorKiller Midway's bankruptcy]], [[ChannelHop the license to the series reverting to series owner Nintendo]], and ''nine years'' for the series to resurface in ''any'' format with 2017's ''Cruis'n Blast'', a new arcade game licensed out to developer Raw Thrills (who produced the aforementioned ''Fast and Furious'' arcade game).

* ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'': ''Crystal Kingdom Dizzy'' ended up being this for the series of [[UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum Spectrum]] games. A full-priced title with a drop in quality from the previous budget titles, its relative failure meant the planned next game, ''Wonderland Dizzy'' would never be released.

* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'': The first game is great and became a classic, and the sequel is still pretty good (even if it tries a bit too hard to be wacky), but [[ThirdIs3D the third game]] ''Earthworm Jim 3D'', no longer developed by the original creators, is terrible despite the prolonged development period. Frame rate issues, lame "zany" humor and gameplay copied from more famous 3D platformers are just a few of the game's problems. However, the even more terrible Game Boy Color game, ''Menace 2 the Galaxy'', killed the franchise for good; as attempts to get a new game off the ground (in particular, a new installment for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, and a tentatively-titled ''Earthworm Jim 4'') have frequently stalled in development before seeing cancellation.

* ''VideoGame/FireProWrestling'': The series seemingly came to a halt after the release of the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} game, which discards the series' traditional sprite graphics in favor of the Xbox Avatar system, cuts out a ''lot'' of the customization options, and trades the timing-based gameplay for button-mashing brawls. Nothing new was heard of the franchise after [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike's merger with Chunsoft in 2012]] (the same year the Xbox 360 ''FPW'' was released) until 2017, when a new game, ''Fire Pro Wrestling World'', was released on UsefulNotes/Playstation4 and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* ''VideoGame/FrontMission'': ''VideoGame/FrontMissionEvolved'' crashed and burned ''hard'', and its poor ratings and sales more or less ended the future of ''Front Mission'' series for a long time. A new entry in the series, ''VideoGame/LeftAlive'', received a surprise release eight years later, but also turned out to be a critical dud which looked to kill the franchise for good until 2022, when Square Enix announced remakes of the first three games for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}'': It was a fairly decent hack-and-slash arcade-style adventure series, until ''Seven Sorrows'' came along. Developed by Midway's San Diego studio after the former Atari Games had been closed down, it is an ObviousBeta, with a lot of old standby techniques gone (like not being able to shoot potions), and none of the "new features" touted for the game anywhere. Any plans for the franchise after that were effectively shelved until Warner Bros. rebooted the series on PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 a decade later, and while it scored better than their ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' reboot (see below), player and critical reaction was mixed.

* ''VideoGame/GravityRush'': The first installment was a WideOpenSandbox ActionRPG that began life as an intended KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, before later seeing an UpdatedRerelease on the far-more successful UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 when it became clear the handheld was doomed in the West. Both versions did well enough, but its [=PS4=]-only sequel (''VideoGame/GravityRush2'') suffered poor sales due to it coming out in an unusually crowded first quarter of major releases alongside higher-profile games such as ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', and ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', all of which overshadowed it. While the developers had originally expressed plans to make a third installment for the UsefulNotes/Playstation5, a triple-punch combination of Sony shutting down ''2'''s online servers only a year after release, creator Keiichiro Toyama leaving the company in 2020 to create his own studio, and Sony effectively shutting down developer's Japan Studio just months later suggest that it is unlikely we'll see more gravity-manipulating adventures featuring Kat.

* ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'': The 2008 UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} remake of ''Klonoa: Door to Phantomile'' bombed so badly in sales that it not only killed any possibility of the proposed ''Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil'' remake getting greenlit, but put the entire game series on ice, as no new ''Klonoa'' games would be announced or released for 14 years. It did live on as a webcomic on Platform/ShiftyLook for a bit, but then Shifty Look closed down, sealing the coffin on the series until an animated film was announced in October 2016, which was also cancelled in January 2019. In February 2022, a remake of the main two games in the series was announced and released in July of the same year. Time will tell what Klonoa's future will be.
* ''VideoGame/KunioKun'': The Western version of the first game was a surprise hit in Britain, and ''Renegade'' became a {{spinoff}} series. The first two games were beloved by UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum owners, but the third game -- with its bizarre TimeTravel plot, graphics that are monochrome even by the computer's low standards, and gobs of FakeDifficulty resulting from poor controls, missing moves, and strict time limits -- drew an end to the series (though, as it was titled "''Renegade III: The Final Chapter''", they were probably planning to end the series there anyway).

* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'': ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' stumbled into, but ultimately survived its [[VideoGame3DLeap transition into 3D]]. Its follow-up game, ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryBoxOfficeBust'', was put in DevelopmentHell before Sierra's parent company Vivendi Games was merged with Activision to form Creator/ActivisionBlizzard, which led to Sierra's new owner Activision dropping the game completely and selling the entire ''Leisure Suit Larry'' intellectual property to Creator/{{Codemasters}}. Once they decided to completely restart ''Box Office Bust'', the new developers discarded the series' traditional point-and-click formula in favor of an action-adventure game with platforming, shooting and brawling elements. The result is one of the worst-reviewed games to ever appear on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/Xbox360, unintentionally making it [[{{Pun}} the most apt title]] for a failing game. Creator Creator/AlLowe, who hated the changes Sierra made to the series with ''Magna Cum Laude'' (which, along with ''Box Office Bust'', was made without his involvement), [[http://www.allowe.com/games/larry/history-of-larry/box-office-bust.html actually thanked]] Activision for washing his and their hands of "the latest disaster" to hit the series. Larry wouldn't get back on his feet again for several years after that until the releases of ''Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded'', a remake of the original game, and ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryWetDreamsDontDry'' in 2018.

* ''VideoGame/ManaSeries'': The series got hit with this hard after the negative reception of ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMana'', which resulted in the series being stuck in limbo for nearly a decade (barring a few mobile ports of ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' and two spin-offs) and the departure of series creator Koichi Ishii from the company. This all changed in 2016 when the series was revived with a third remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'', followed by a remake of ''Secret of Mana'' in 2018, a CompilationRerelease for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and a high definition remake of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' in 2020.
* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'': The series experienced this with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS VideoGameRemake of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. [=AlphaDream=] made ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey'' for the 3DS rather than the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch due to timing and the desire to retain the dual-screen gameplay, but this may have been a poor decision. While it was critically well-received, a mixture of it releasing far too late in the handheld's lifespan (almost two years after the release of its successor), along with minimal marketing and the original game still being available to play on the system via backwards compatibility, resulted in becoming one of the worst-selling ''Mario'' games of all-time. Not only did this lead to the death of the series, but was one of several factors that led to [[CreatorKiller AlphaDream's bankruptcy]], and the game's failure prompted Nintendo to scrap all plans for supporting the portable with new software past 2019, with the last first-party published 3DS title becoming the already-announced ''Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn''.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' featured one named ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon''. Despite having a few unique chips and legitimately interesting Navis to fight, ''4'' suffered ''strongly'' from being ChristmasRushed, with bugs out the wazoo, a strongly-disliked NewGamePlus mechanic [[FakeLongevity forcing players who wanted to see everything to beat the game three times]], and [[BlindIdiotTranslation the single worst English translation the franchise has ever seen]]. Even when taking the fact that ''3'' was a ToughActToFollow, it's not hard to see why people lost faith in the series after this. Even though ''5'' and ''6'' were much better received, they weren't able to receive quite as much attention as ''3'' and ''4'' did, due mostly to ''4''. ''6'' was somewhat hampered by being released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance as opposed to the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2006 (outside of Japan), when a lot of players had made the swap.

* ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'': The poor reception to the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita sequel ''Road Trip'' due to its lack of online play may have killed the ''[=ModNation=]'' series outright, as nothing else has been released since then and the online servers for the original game were shut down on October 10th, 2018.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher'': ''Monster Rancher EVO'' is thought to have killed the series. The raising mechanics are dumbed down and music minigames are shoehorned in, and the game was received poorly by both fans and critics. Though the death of disc swapping in modern consoles may have been a part of it as well, it was the last console ''Monster Rancher'' game and no new ''Monster Rancher'' games that weren't an {{Allegedly Free Game}} were released since 2010, until an UpdatedRerelease of the first two games came out for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and was released in English in December 2021.

* ''VideoGame/{{MotorStorm}}'': ''[=MotorStorm: Apocalypse=]'' was, by all accounts, a very good game and a solid sequel in what was emerging as a venerable racing franchise, one with a very creative twist on the usual formula at that. There was just one problem: that twist, that the off-road racing would be taking place in a city being destroyed by an earthquake, made the game [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents extremely difficult to market]] in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 10, 2011, which happened just ''six days'' before its planned release. The game saw its release in Japan (and New Zealand, which also suffered a major earthquake in Christchurch in February) [[NoExportForYou canceled outright]], and delays and InvisibleAdvertising in other markets, leading to its understandable failure despite great reviews. Since then, the only new ''[=MotorStorm=]'' game has been an RC spinoff for the [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita Vita]] that was already in production, the franchise having remained dormant since 2012 through no fault of its own.

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'': ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'' effectively put the kibosh on the series for a very long time, all while Creator/IntelligentSystems chose to instead refocus its efforts on ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', which had eventually proven to be far more successful[[note]][[EarnYourHappyEnding Emphasis on eventually]]; ''Fire Emblem'' itself would've met this fate if ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' didn't prove to be the series' BreakthroughHit[[/note]]. ''Days of Ruin'' attempted to breathe some fresh air into the [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun perpetually bright and cheerful]] franchise by transplanting it into a [[DarkerAndEdgier more dismal, post-apocalyptic environment]] and giving it a much heavier emphasis on story, all in an attempt to better appeal to the American fanbase ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff where the series had quickly become more popular]]). However, the reception from both critics and players was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise completely alienated by the premise]], leading to the game absolutely ''tanking'' sales wise (it only sold a measly 430K in the West, and even worse everywhere else), with critical and fan reception being [[SoOkayItsAverage not much better]]. It's because of this commercial failure compounded with the lukewarm reception that the ''Nintendo Wars'' series hasn't seen a new installment for ''15 years.'' However, a remake of the first two games by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies would be released in 2023 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, giving fans hope for a full-on revival, but [[YankTheDogsChain even this wasn't entirely without a hitch]] as [[ScheduleSlip it was originally to release in 2021 and it got delayed by a whole year]] ''[[ScheduleSlip twice]]'' due to a double-whammy of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]] and [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents distancing itself]] from the [[UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}'': While the games never achieved the success of ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', or ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'', they got good reviews and a faithful fandom and became, together with ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'', one of Sony's flagship shooter franchises during UsefulNotes/{{the Seventh Generation|OfConsoleVideoGames}}. That ended in 2012 with the PS Vita GaidenGame ''Resistance: Burning Skies'', which fans and critics saw as a dull retread that was compromised by the Vita's limited hardware. Since then, there have been no new ''Resistance'' games.
* ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'': The series was derailed by two titles: ''Ridge Racer'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita and ''Ridge Racer Unbounded'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was panned heavily across the board by reviewers for being [[ObviousBeta a total rush job]] of a game[[note]]for what it's worth, ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was released as a launch title for the platform, which may indicate [[ChristmasRushed how the game got in that state in the first place]][[/note]], with a hideous lack of base content and modes compared to past titles (with the first pack of DLC containing material [[BribingYourWayToVictory that could have easily been added to the base game]]), offering no new material (all of the courses and vehicles being recycled from ''Ridge Racer 7''), and a poorly-implemented online mode that determines a player's speed based on their experience level, which automatically renders any race UnwinnableByDesign for newcomers. Meanwhile, ''Unbounded'', while nowhere near as bad as ''Ridge Racer Vita'', was decried by most of its critics as [[FollowTheLeader a mash-up of several other arcade racers]], [[InNameOnly without having any of the traditional aspects that made the series popular]] (never mind that [[NoExportForYou it skipped a release in its home country in Japan]]). Neither was received very well, and no new games for the series have come out since those two titles.

* ''VideoGame/RumbleRoses'': It suffered from a BrokenBase before it was even released, with both {{Anime}} and ProfessionalWrestling fans interested in the game. During development, while it became obvious the game was designed to cater to the former, it was still a decent enough wrestling game that the latter camp wasn't fully alienated. Then came the sequel, ''Rumble Roses XX'', with a labyrinthine and ludicrously time-consuming unlocking system, a completely pathetic create-a-wrestler feature, and a boring street fighting mode that no one liked. But what really hurt the game most was the "Queens Match Mode", where fights were done to emulate a style of Japanese erotica: international fans saw this as extremely creepy, unwanted FanDisservice and abandoned the series. Though it probably didn't help that ''RRXX'' was released only on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360, when the original game was exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 either. While there were plans were to eventually port the title to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, the game's poor sales meant such plans were abandoned.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'': Sega's franchise was killed quite dead by the poor ''Shinobi Legions'' installment in 1995, not returning until a reboot in 2002. It died again in 2003 with ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'', which itself is a perfectly good game, but had little to no marketing and its link to the ''Shinobi'' franchise is not played up, so it sits in obscurity. A later installment for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS received decent reviews, but failed to sell well enough to properly re-vitalize the series, compounded by developer Griptonite Games' acquisition and closure shortly after the game's release.

** After over a decade of dormancy, Sega returned to the original "classic" branch of ''Sonic The Hedgehog'' games that kickstarted the franchise on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis through the downloadable ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' series at the start of TheNewTens. ''Episode I'' was an interesting case--when originally announced, it was embraced as a return to classic form, and it received modest reviews and good sales on release. However, it quickly [[ContestedSequel divided fans]] with a myriad of flaws, most noticeably its [[ObviousBeta broken physics]], [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks different gameplay and character designs]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks heavy recycling of content from its predecessors]].[[note]]This sentiment is reflected by reviewers in [[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/11/25/top-ten-biggest-gaming-disappointments-of-2010-4 retrospective]] [[http://kotaku.com/5720176/the-year-in-disappointments pieces]].[[/note]] Spurred by ''Episode I''[='=]s sales, ''Episode II'' was released two years later and also attempted to win fans back by addressing these issues (fixing the physics to be more like the classic games, more unique level designs and ideas) while including other improvements (revamping the graphics from 2.5D to full 3D, adding Tails and [[BreakoutVillain fan-favorite]] Metal Sonic). This didn't work, because reviews were still ambivalent and the base was still broken, though [[VindicatedByHistory in hindsight it's usually agreed to be a]] SurprisinglyImprovedSequel. It actually sold ''worse'' than the previous episode, resulting in [[CutShort a planned third episode being discarded]]. It didn't help that some platforms only got one episode -- the Wii only got ''Episode I'' and the Nvidia Shield only got ''Episode II''. Another attempt at a new classic-styled Sonic game wouldn't be seen until 2017's ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', which was universally agreed to be [[WinBackTheCrowd a real return to form]].
** There were only two games in the spin-off ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Storybook Series]]'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} console, as neither ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' or ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'' did much to impress critics or players (at least [[VindicatedByHistory at the time]]).
** The series' line of original handheld ''Sonic'' games (which comprised a handful of UsefulNotes/GameGear titles, ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', and the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'') cannibalized itself with the near back-to-back releases of the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' series and the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' series, neither of which performed well in sales[[note]]the latter series in particular [[NoExportForYou was never translated to Japanese audiences]][[/note]]. All handheld Sonic games produced afterwards have been handheld counterparts of Sonic Team's console games starting with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', something the franchise hadn't completely done since the Game Gear port of ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball''. These too, however, died off with the release of the handheld counterpart to ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', with the only handheld entries since then being from the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' series. This has also become a moot point with stand-alone handheld systems dying off, and Sega porting console ''Sonic'' games to the console/handheld hybrid UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
** The ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' line of racing spin-off games was killed off by the [[UsefulNotes/Xbox360 Xbox 360/Kinect]]-exclusive third game ''Free Riders''. The game was roundly ripped apart by reviewers and fans alike for [[{{Waggle}} its atrociously-designed Kinect-based control scheme]], which utilized the movement of the player's ''entire body'' for input and was the only control method available for gameplay and menu navigation (compared to the previous two games, which use traditional controllers and use or offered traditional control schemes). Not helping matters was the earlier release of ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'', a general Sega-themed racing game that received far better reviews than any of the existing ''Riders'' titles at the time and outsold the sequels.

* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'': With the franchise already in trouble due to the ChristmasRushed ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly'', the poor sales and mediocre reviews of ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'', combined with the similarly-average reception for ''VideoGame/SpyroShadowLegacy'' (the franchise's debut on the then-new UsefulNotes/NintendoDS), killed the original ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' series. Following the consolidation of Universal Interactive to Sierra Interactive by Vivendi, Sierra launched a ContinuityReboot series titled ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro''. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'', the third game, failed to meet Sierra's sales expectations; this, along with the Creator/ActivisionBlizzard merger that year and Sierra's eventual shutdown the following month, killed off for good what remained of the main series. Creator/{{Universal}} canceled a proposed ''Spyro'' film adaptation following the failure of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', and Activision used the franchise as a jumping point to help launch the (otherwise unrelated) ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' series (which eventually ran into this itself). Eventually, following the success of the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'', Activision decided to follow suit with Spyro's original games with the ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'', to very good reception. Time will tell if Spyro's franchise will get its own revival like Crash's did.

* ''Franchise/StarFox'': While the series saw [[BrokenBase mixed fan reception]] with every game from ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' onward, with there being a SequelGap after ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' due to development for a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} installment never getting off the ground, it is ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' for the UsefulNotes/WiiU that fits this trope. ''Zero'' saw the biggest polarizing reactions from both critics and fans alike, thanks to its unconventional control scheme and removal of staple features, with longtime fans also being frustrated that it would serve as the series' third ContinuityReboot. The result was ''Zero'' getting middling sales internationally and becoming [[https://www.destructoid.com/star-fox-zero-sales-off-to-a-series-worst-in-japan-359113.phtml the worst-selling game in the franchise in Japan]]. Outside the surprise release of ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' (the [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment shelved]] SNES sequel of the original game) on the SNES Classic and Nintendo Switch Online, there hasn't been a new game since. ''Star Fox'' characters would be included in the Switch version of Ubisoft's 2018 game ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'' and even have their own exclusive mission, but despite it being well-received and the Switch version selling the best, that game ''also'' sold poorly overall due to being a ToysToLifeGame released just as the fad had all-but-died.

* ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'': The two games that were released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable (''Logan's Shadow'' and ''Dark Mirror'') are respected by critics, but according to [[http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Syphon-Filter-Series/Sad-news-No-more-Syphon-Filter-games/td-p/2853845?start=0&tstart=0 Sony Bend Studio's John Garvin]], the games didn't sell well enough to justify any further entries in the series.

* ''VideoGame/ToeJamAndEarl'': The first game on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis is a unique, well-received game that overcame initially-poor sales to become a CultClassic for the system. However, [[ExecutiveMeddling pressure from publisher Sega]] resulted in the developers scrapping the novel ''VideoGame/{{Rogue}}''-esque dungeon-crawler gameplay, resulting in the first sequel, ''[=ToeJam=] and Earl in Panic on Funkotron'', being a more typical platformer game. While ''Panic on Funkotron'' sold better than the first title and still received positive reviews, fans of the original criticized it [[UnexpectedGameplayChange as a step back from the first game]], a sentiment that's continued to hound the game in the years following its release. A third installment lapsed into DevelopmentHell and emerged years later as ''[=ToeJam=] and Earl III: Mission to Earth'' for the Xbox, in which the series [[VideoGame3DLeap made the jump to 3D]] and tried to adapt the gameplay of the first two titles. ''Mission to Earth'' sold poorly and received mixed-to-negative reactions from both reviewers and fans, due to it undergoing a flawed VideoGame3DLeap while also [[GenreShift moving away from the series' standard funk sound in favor of hip-hop]], among other things. The series went into hibernation once again until the developers were able to successfully crowdfund money to develop a fourth game, ''Back in the Groove'', which reverts to the gameplay of the original title and was met with positive reception.

* ''Franchise/TombRaider'': The series was subjected to heavy amounts of ExecutiveMeddling by Eidos through the franchise's life. Due to the huge popularity of the original game, Eidos demanded Creator/CoreDesign make a new ''Tomb Raider'' game every year. The quality of each game took a dip bit by bit during the UsefulNotes/PlayStation era, and by ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'', it showed; the game is short, has sloppy level design, and is riddled with bugs that can make the game {{Unwinnable}}. ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAngelOfDarkness'' was the last straw due to being delayed twice and then rushed out to meet the fiscal year, which resulted in a ton of glitches, sloppy controls, and cut content. Eidos dissolved Core, and the franchise went into hibernation for a few years until ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' came along, produced by Creator/CrystalDynamics. The franchise was in danger of being sunk once again due to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' (a remake of the first game) and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld'' being made at the same time due to Eidos continuing to demand the franchise pump out games quickly, causing content and level length to be cut down in the former and various glitches popping up in the latter. Square Enix bought out Eidos and the ''Tomb Raider'' franchise was rebooted ''again'' with ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'', still under Crystal Dynamics and with enough success to warrant two sequels.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'': This nearly happened to the series via ''VideoGame/YsVLostKefinKingdomOfSand'': the game isn't ''bad'', per se, but was only available on the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] (with a franchise that has deep roots on the PC and UsefulNotes/PCEngine), has very bland, generic visuals that look like every other game of its era (which is worse in context since the setting is ''supposed'' to be exotic) and the music is all simple MIDI-synth (when ''Ys'' had become famous partly due to its powerful CD-supported Red Book-audio soundtracks). Fan backlash in Japan was intense to the point that developer Creator/{{Falcom}} took seven years before the next ''Ys'' [[VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim title]] was released. What prevented the death of the franchise was the good performance of {{Video Game Remake}}s for the first two games, which were already in development when ''Ys V'' came out and were put out to recoup development costs. Note that decades later, ''Ys V'' still has not been officially released outside of Japan.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ubisoft]]
* The killer of the ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' franchise is not usually thought to be the game that is commonly regarded as the worst counting both the original series and the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' spin-off series, ''Might & Magic IX'' -- IX was a rushed mess of a game, but before criticism of the game could grow too large it became apparent the ''reason'' for IX being released in the state it was in was that 3DO was in its death throes, and soon went bankrupt. What ''is'' usually considered the killer is the dual blow of the ill-fated revival ''X'', which wasn't a ''bad'' game but failed to gain enough of an audience for Ubisoft to maintain support (it did not help that even some fans of ''Might & Magic'' lost interest when it turned out ''X'' was going back to turn-based square movement style of overworld exploration that had been dropped after ''V''), and ''Heroes: Might and Magic VII'', which ''is'' a contender for worst ''Heroes'' game, and after its support was cut short has put the ''entire'' overall ''Might & Magic'' franchise in jeopardy.
* ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'' is this for the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series. While the game has gotten great critical reception, it sold poorly, even worse than ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' did (which was already considered an AcclaimedFlop), and the series hasn't gotten a new game in years as a result, not counting some mobile game spinoffs. The departure of Creator/MichelAncel from Ubisoft further drives the nail in the coffin. The franchise technically lives on through its MorePopularSpinoff ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids'' and its namesake characters, who have received an [[WesternAnimation/RabbidsInvasion animated TV series]] and a [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle crossover]] with ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' that was generally well-received, enough to warrant [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsSparksOfHope a sequel]] in 2022, which has Rayman act as the main character in the "Rayman in the Phantom Show" DLC.
* While the poor reception of ''VideoGame/SilentHunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic'' may have ended up killing that series regardless, the always-online DRM requirement and the ensuing mass piracy of the game made absolutely certain that there would be no more entries in the series.
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCellBlacklist'' sold the least out of any game in the series, and as a result, outside of a cameo by Sam Fisher in ''VideoGame/GhostReconWildlands'' and a mobile game, the series hasn't seen an installment in years. While Blacklist tried to win back fans who were turned off by the more action-focused gameplay of ''Conviction'' and succeeded to an extent, it's still a [[BrokenBase divisive]] entry due to things like still being more action-focused than the first 4 games with scripted combat sequences (which ''Chaos Theory'' and ''Double Agent'' removed), Eric Johnson replacing Michael Ironside as Sam's voice actor and sounding 30 years too young for the role, lack of humor, a lackluster soundtrack and Spies vs Mercs and [[DemonicSpiders aggravating dogs which are a nightmare to sneak past]] (there's a reason dogs were removed as enemies after the original ''Splinter Cell'' and ''Pandora Tomorrow'' until this entry). However, Ubisoft has announced a remake of the original game in 2021, so the franchise may bounce back again.
[[/folder]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:THQ]]
* On November 6, 2012, THQ released a statement saying that ''VideoGame/DarksidersII'' needed to have sold over ''4 million'' copies for them to even ''consider'' continuing the franchise, but it only sold 1.4 million. This is likely more because of the dire financial situation THQ was in at the time than the quality or reception of the game, however, as both games received good reviews, but the company had to file for bankruptcy only a month or so after the ''Darksiders'' statement regardless. Its new publisher, Nordic Games (who won a last-minute bid for the series and its developer in the THQ auction, and has since rebranded itself Creator/THQNordic) and new developer Gunfire Games (a group containing some of the old Vigil Games staff) released [[VideoGame/DarksidersIII a third Darksiders game]] in 2018.
* The death of the ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'' series can be blamed squarely on ''two'' lackluster sequels - ''Big Willy Unleashed'' for the Wii, and then ''Path of the Furon'' for [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 - developed in 2008 after the original developer, Pandemic Studios, was snapped up by Creator/ElectronicArts. Neither game managed to successfully capture the spirit of the first two games, and they sold and reviewed terribly as a result. It took another decade, following the death and revival of THQ, for the first two games to receive ports, and a remake of the first game followed in 2020.
* The ''MX vs. ATV'' franchise was killed off after the various changes in gameplay to ''MX vs. ATV: Alive'' left fans cold. A new game, ''MX vs. ATV: Supercross'' was released in 2014 under [[ChannelHop new publisher]] Nordic Games (which now publishes the properties it acquired from the THQ fire sale under the "THQ Nordic" banner; long story), time will tell if that game brings the series back from the dead.
* Though there were several games after it, ''Nicktoons: Globs of Doom'''s poor reception not only ended the ''VideoGame/NicktoonsUnite'' series, but also dealt the death blow to the ''Nicktoons'' line of licensed games as a whole. After ''Globs of Doom'', THQ gave up on Nicktoons {{licensed game}}s and handed the rights to [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive 2K Games]], who barely did anything with the license following the release of ''VideoGame/NicktoonsMLB'', [[RogerRabbitEffect a crossover between Nicktoons characters and real MLB players]] which received a mixed reception. Creator/{{Activision}} bought the rights from 2K shortly afterwards, and despite releasing a few decent Nicktoons games in the meantime, managed to kill the line of Nicktoons games again with the poorly-received ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' tie-ins ''Plankton's Robotic Revenge'' and ''[=SpongeBob=] [=HeroPants=]''. Both games were criticized for their formulaic nature and poor gameplay, and it would take a little over three years for new video games based on Nickelodeon franchises to be unleashed into the world, as THQ Nordic announced rereleases of various older Nicktoons games on current consoles. The revitalization of the Nick video games didn't start off well, with the first game released (albeit by a different developer), ''VideoGame/NickelodeonKartRacers'', receiving an [[SoOkayItsAverage underwhelming reception]]. However, the remake ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom Rehydrated'' was received very well (moreso by fans than critics) to the point that it spawned a sequel, and ''Kart Racers'' also received two sequels that improved on the original's flaws as well as the fighting game ''VideoGame/NickelodeonAllStarBrawl''.
* The ''VideoGame/PurrPals'' series (the company's answer to ''{{VideoGame/Nintendogs}}'' that was published alongside the also-defunct Crave Entertainment) ended after the 3DS outing ''Purr Pals: Purrfection'' sold poorly, with THQ's subsequent bankruptcy painting an even more uncertain future for the series.
* ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' met an untimely end with the underwhelming reception of ''Armageddon'' and the multiplayer-focused ''Battlegrounds''.[[note]]the latter being based on the successful ''Red Faction: Guerilla''.[[/note]] Most of the negative reception from ''Armageddon'' came from it switching from the open-world destruction that made ''Red Faction: Guerrilla'' a hit to a generic underground corridor shooter. Ironic, considering the plan according to the developers was to bring the game back to its roots (the first two games are linear shooters). THQ's return as THQ Nordic led to a remaster of ''Guerilla'' in 2018, though there is no news on a new installment.

* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' was a SleeperHit game made by Creator/Level5 that spawned a semi-sequel ''VideoGame/DarkChronicle''. Although both games were well received and are considered cult-classics, because they did not sell as well as they could have, the developers put off making a third game for the time being. Unfortunately, this caused problems with the ''Dark'' series licences because it was originally published by Sony, meaning that Level-5 did not own the rights to the IP, [[ScrewedByTheLawyers preventing them from making new games for the series.]] As a result, the series has been in a state of hostage and essentially dead.

[[folder:Square Enix]]
* ''VideoGame/ActRaiser 2'' is an InNameOnly sequel that lacks the original game's popular Sim Mode, and the ungodly SequelDifficultySpike only made things worse. As a consequence, there hadn't been another game in the series since. Things changed when on September 23, 2021, a full remake of the original ''[=ActRaiser=]'' titled ''[=ActRaiser=] Renaissance'' was announced and released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, and mobile devices, igniting hope in the fans of the series.
* ''VideoGame/FrontMissionEvolved'' crashed and burned ''hard'', and its poor ratings and sales more or less ended the future of ''Front Mission'' series for a long time. A new entry in the series, ''VideoGame/LeftAlive'', received a surprise release eight years later, but also turned out to be a critical dud which looked to kill the franchise for good until 2022, when Square Enix announced remakes of the first three games for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
* The ''VideoGame/IvaliceAlliance'' games, a spinoff of the main ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series that (technically) originated from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' being set in the land of Ivalice, started off as a very well-received spinoff series for the franchise that lasted well into the early 2000s, with even the main series getting in on the action with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. However, the dual combination of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' not selling or reviewing as well as its predecessor, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', and the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' re-release (''War of the Lions'') also not doing well, along with TroubledProduction and eventual cancellation of ''Fortress'' ultimately killed the side series and caused it to be stuck in mobile game spinoffs without any major games being made for it since 2007. Not helping matters was many of the original creators for the spinoff series leaving, causing a lack of creative vision for the project to stand on. The series and lore are still referenced in other games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' or spinoffs, but no new games for the project itself have ever been released (especially those [[NoExportForYou released outside of Japan]]), and any attempts at making a SpiritualSuccessor have resulted in failure.
* ''VideoGame/UnlimitedSaga'' was released in 2002, after a ''very'' long wait for a new entry in the ''[=SaGa=]'' franchise. While the game's art and music are amazing, the gameplay is questionable at ''best''; an over-reliance on the incredibly gimmicky "Reel System" (which is used for everything from attacks to ''leveling up'') and [[ObviousBeta a skipped beta phase]] means the game has a patched-together feel. It received generous reviews from Japanese publications, but only mediocre ones from American sources, and ended up with miserable sales. As a result, the only new ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'' games to be released for a while were remakes of existing games in the series, with ''VideoGame/SaGaScarletGrace'' finally breaking the streak in 2016 (and an UpdatedRerelease, ''Ambitions'', being released internationally to a generally positive reception).
* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series got hit with this hard after the negative reception of ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMana'', which resulted in the series being stuck in limbo for nearly a decade (barring a few mobile ports of ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' and two spin-offs) and the departure of series creator Koichi Ishii from the company. This all changed in 2016 when the series was revived with a third remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'', followed by a remake of ''Secret of Mana'' in 2018, a CompilationRerelease for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and a high definition remake of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' in 2020.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' was intended to be a 6-part series, but said game proved to be such a stressful development, that instead of splitting the game into two as some within the company suggested once it became clear that the game couldn't tell the full picture of what the developers wanted, the team decided to finish the game as best as they could. Despite positive reception, and being considered a cult classic, the series was effectively dead since the creators left Square due to different views on development. A revival was attempted in the form of a spiritual sequel known as ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'', but that too fell through, as listed under Bandai / Namco.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment]]
* ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'' has generally received mixed to positive reviews, but nonetheless, it's probably going to go down in history as the game that sank the ''Everquest'' franchise. Its graphical requirements were high for the time it was released, nearly prohibitively so. Aside from that, it was released at the same time as ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. ''[=EverQuest's=]'' player base was split in half. Moreover, ''[=EverQuest 2's=]'' original player base of approximately 500K hemorrhaged within the first year, many of whom switched over to the more popular ''[=WoW=]'' rather than returning to [=EQ1=]. A planned sequel, ''[=EverQuest Next=]'', was cancelled, with the developers claiming that the game ''just wasn't that fun''. Aside from the cancelled sequel, the ''Everquest'' franchise hasn't released any new games since 2005's ''Champions: Return to Arms'', the tie-in novels stopped being written in 2006, and the tabletop RPG being produced by Creator/WhiteWolf is out of print.
* ''VideoGame/GravityRush'' was a WideOpenSandbox ActionRPG that began life as an intended KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, before later seeing an UpdatedRerelease on the far-more successful UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 when it became clear the handheld was doomed in the West. Both versions did well enough, but its [=PS4=]-only sequel (''VideoGame/GravityRush2'') suffered poor sales due to it coming out in an unusually crowded first quarter of major releases alongside higher-profile games such as ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', and ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', all of which overshadowed it. While the developers had originally expressed plans to make a third installment for the UsefulNotes/Playstation5, a triple-punch combination of Sony shutting down ''2'''s online servers only a year after release, creator Keiichiro Toyama leaving the company in 2020 to create his own studio, and Sony effectively shutting down developer's Japan Studio just months later suggest that it is unlikely we'll see more gravity-manipulating adventures featuring Kat.
* ''VideoGame/JetMoto 3'' is a decent game, but it sold poorly, resulting in the planned fourth game being [[{{Vaporware}} cancelled]]. So far, there are no plans to revive the series.
* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'' was once being pushed as one of Sony's mascot properties, with two very successful games. However, [[BTeamSequel the third installment]] was handed off to a different team, got ChristmasRushed, and had to work on both [=PS3 and PS4=], which resulted in an ObviousBeta. This also meant the main advertised feature of the game, its online multiplayer, didn't really work, as a result of the massive amount of bugs, lack of crossplay, and clumsy netcoding. The series took a break for the rest of the console generation, returning on the [=PS5=] with the 3D platformer ''Sackboy: A Big Adventure''.
* The poor reception to the ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'' UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita sequel ''Road Trip'' due to its lack of online play may have killed the ''[=ModNation=]'' series outright, as nothing else has been released since then and the online servers for the original game were shut down on October 10th, 2018.
* ''VideoGame/{{MotorStorm}}: Apocalypse'' was, by all accounts, a very good game and a solid sequel in what was emerging as a venerable racing franchise, one with a very creative twist on the usual formula at that. There was just one problem: that twist, that the off-road racing would be taking place in a city being destroyed by an earthquake, made the game [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents extremely difficult to market]] in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 10, 2011, which happened just ''six days'' before its planned release. The game saw its release in Japan (and New Zealand, which also suffered a major earthquake in Christchurch in February) [[NoExportForYou canceled outright]], and delays and InvisibleAdvertising in other markets, leading to its understandable failure despite great reviews. Since then, the only new ''[=MotorStorm=]'' game has been an RC spinoff for the [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita Vita]] that was already in production, the franchise having remained dormant since 2012 through no fault of its own.
* ''VideoGame/PaRappaTheRapper'' became an instant hit when it was released and invented the RhythmGame genre. ''VideoGame/UmJammerLammy'' continues the trend that ''[=PaRappa=]'' started, but it didn't sell quite as well due to [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks being more or less the same]] as ''[=PaRappa=]'', including being [[NintendoHard just as difficult]]. While ''[=PaRappa=] the Rapper 2'' isn't a bad game, the game was given lower scores than the two games before it due to not changing the formula, and was also criticized for being [[ItsEasySoItSucks too easy]]. Aside from the games being rereleased on the PSP and [=PlayStation=] Network, the franchise was done for when the RhythmGame genre moved on. Parappa appeared as a fighter in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' and Sony released a remastered version of the first game in 4K graphics for the [=PlayStation=] 4, but there seems to be little interest in continuing the series.
* In a rare console example, the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]] was a franchise killer for Sony's handhelds. While their first foray into handheld gaming, the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, did have its issues, it ultimately sold a respectable 80 million units throughout its lifespan, coming the closest of any handheld console towards putting a dent in Nintendo's near-monopoly of the handheld market. And then the PS Vita came out and undid all of Sony's efforts with the PSP. While it eventually saw modest success in Japan, it was a complete failure internationally; selling only an estimated 16 million units in its entire lifetime. Sony would eventually give up on creating games for it or even promoting the system after a few years, and they have since then made it clear that they do not see any future in the dedicated handheld market, instead offering accessories to support Remote Play for their home consoles instead.
* While the ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}'' games never achieved the success of ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', or ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'', they got good reviews and a faithful fandom and became, together with ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'', one of Sony's flagship shooter franchises during UsefulNotes/{{the Seventh Generation|OfConsoleVideoGames}}. That ended in 2012 with the PS Vita GaidenGame ''Resistance: Burning Skies'', which fans and critics saw as a dull retread that was compromised by the Vita's limited hardware. Since then, there have been no new ''Resistance'' games.
* The two ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' games that were released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable (''Logan's Shadow'' and ''Dark Mirror'') are respected by critics, but according to [[http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Syphon-Filter-Series/Sad-news-No-more-Syphon-Filter-games/td-p/2853845?start=0&tstart=0 Sony Bend Studio's John Garvin]], the games didn't sell well enough to justify any further entries in the series.
* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' seems to have met this with ''[[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime Thieves in Time]]''. Problems included repetitive gameplay, poor level design, long loading times, Dimitri getting DemotedToExtra with no lines, despite his voice actor still being credited, [[spoiler:Penelope's sudden FaceHeelTurn, and a big cliffhanger ending]]. Other talks concerned an animated movie that got scrapped after the BoxOfficeBomb of the [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016 Ratchet and Clank film]], discouraging Sony from doing animated films on their characters, followed by talks over a television series that has been in DevelopmentHell since 2017. Other than those however, nothing has been heard from the Cooper Gang ever since.
* The 2012 reboot of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' was built heavily around its online multiplayer mode, but unfortunately, the servers were barely functional at launch, leaving only the game's rather bare-bones single-player campaigns and couch multiplayer modes, which many felt weren't worth $60 by themselves. As a result, the game met mixed reviews and was a sales disappointment, and there hasn't been a ''Twisted Metal'' game since, albeit [[Series/TwistedMetal2023 a TV adaptation]] did premiere in 2023.
[[/folder]]

* ''[=SuperSecret=]'' was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_p5KK51HFg a social MMO/virtual world]] aimed at tween girls that, in 2011, was bought by the EdutainmentGame company Creator/JumpStartGames (best known as the owner of ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' since 2014). They promptly launched a "new" version of the game that swapped the original's 2D art style and small-town atmosphere for a 3D world and a "hip" urban setting, which the game's existing fanbase despised and which failed to attract new players. By 2014, the game was all but dead, though its vestigial website remained up for many years after.

* The ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' games were put on ice [[NoExportForYou in the west]] after lukewarm sales of ''Ape Escape 3'', but a total franchise killer appears to have happened with the 2011 Playstation Move title, which was a ContinuityReboot that couldn't find an audience at all. There have been no signs of life from the franchise since, aside from a brief tease in 2016.
* ''VideoGame/CoolBoarders 2001'' is the lowest-grossing entry in its franchise aside from the original game, and the last game released (to date) for the series. It features an infamous SequelDifficultySpike comprised of NintendoHard trick challenges within the tutorial course and first stage, focuses more on realism than any of the prior installments, and got lost in the shuffle during a glut of similarly-themed snowboarding games. Two other attempts to jumpstart the franchise bombed as well - ''Cool Boarders: Code Alien'', an entry released the year before in Japan, never sold well enough to make the jump to North America, and ''Cool Boarders: Burrrn!'' (released as ''[[DivorcedInstallment Rippin' Riders]]'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast) failed to make any impact. It got so bad that a planned sequel to ''2001'', ''Sold Out'', had to be canned in early production, and ever since that event, the series hasn't seen another installment, sending UEP Systems‘ famous art of snowboarding down into limbo.

* ''VideoGame/Conduit2'' fell well short of sales expectations, and only managed to reach a little over a fifth of the sales of the original game, [[CutShort ending the would-be trilogy on an unresolved cliffhanger]]. Aside from a mobile port of [[VideoGame/TheConduit the original game]] in 2013, the series has been dormant since ''Conduit 2'' was released in 2011, missing the following hardware generation entirely. Complicating matters further was the behind-the-scenes implosion of the working relationship between developer High Voltage Software and Nintendo around the time of ''Conduit 2'''s release after a member of High Voltage leaked details of an unrelated game that was early in development, which led Nintendo to cancel the project after High Voltage couldn't determine who the leaker was, which essentially doomed High Voltage to a decade of creating nothing but licensed games and acting as an outsourced port developer for larger studios.

[[folder:Sega]]


* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' died off after the third installment. The first game is considered good by many while the second game is an EvenBetterSequel for fans and critics. However, the third game has numerous problems that plague non-Japanese players due to [[BadExportForYou several changes made overseas]]. [[DifficultySpike The difficulty is cranked up]] to the point where harder difficulty levels mean you take more damage while enemies gain bigger health bars, beating the game on the easy difficulty [[EasyModeMockery gets you mocked for it and denied a real ending]], and the plot is sloppily censored and rewritten. Along with beat-'em-up games dying off as other genres picked up, Sega saw no reason to make another ''Streets of Rage'', yet they went out of their way to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers order a cease and desist on a group of fans]] working on a fan remake of the franchise. Similar to the ''Alex Kidd'' example above, the series was eventually loaned out to other parties (Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush) to get a new game going in 2020's ''Streets of Rage 4''--the first of its kind after ''24 years''.
* ''[[VideoGame/VirtualOn Virtual On MARZ]]'' killed its series. The game was [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changed]] from a 3D FightingGame to an arena-based BeatEmUp (of sorts, ''Virtual On'' has guns), it became single-player, has a horrible, generic anime-like plot, and the English version is plagued by BlindIdiotTranslation. Ironically enough, most of the cameos ''Virtual On'' has gotten elsewhere (outside of indie circles) are more heavily based on ''MARZ'' than any other part of the series, namely in ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Super Robot Wars Alpha 3]]'', in which the robots have human voices. The game also features Hatter, who only appears in MARZ. The series later managed to get a CrossOver with ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and still makes occasional cameos in other games.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series suffered a temporary case that could've very easily wounded up as permanent with the release of ''VideoGame/YakuzaDeadSouls''. Sega heavily marketed the game in the west to [[FollowTheLeader ride the wave of the zombie genre's popularity]] at the time, but after performing so poorly, Sega began to think the ''Yakuza'' series had failed overseas and started to pull the plug on the western releases' presence. It wasn't until Sony partnered with Sega and released ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'' digitally in the west as a Hail Mary that the series was saved outside of Japan, with ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' [[BreakthroughHit finally solidifying the series as an international franchise]].
* During the early 2000s, Sega made new, Xbox-exclusive installments of previous franchises. While a lot of these installments are pretty good, these franchises were never seen again because they suffered from awful sales due to Microsoft not launching their consoles in many countries worldwide, and because the console's target demographic really didin't line up with Sega's game output:
** ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi 3: High Roller''. While it got decent reviews (and even then, they aren't as positive as the highly-acclaimed first two games), it sold poorly. Other than a few ports of the first game on modern systems, another ''Crazy Taxi'' game was not seen until the free-to-play ''City Rush'' was released more than ten years later.
** ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio Future'', despite receiving large amounts of praise and a huge cult following, didn't sell well (then again, it was kind of Sega's fault; they chose to advertise the Gamecube port of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' more, making it very rare to see the JSRF commercial). When it and ''Sega GT 2002'' were packaged with Xboxes during the Holiday season of 2002, it boosted sales, but still wasn't a top-seller, and the series never got a third installment.
** ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Orta'': Just like ''Shenmue II'' and ''JSRF'', it got lots of praise and a big cult following, but suffered from bad sales. Plus, a majority of the console's demographic wasn't into rail-shooters or fantasy settings anyway. The series went dormant until a remake of the original game released in 2020. Luckily, said remake was well received (at least after a series of patches) and sold well, resulting in a remake for the second game to be announced. If this trend continues, the series may hopefully have a bright future.
** ''Shenmue II'' suffered from awful sales and ended with an unresolved cliffhanger for over a decade.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sierra]]
* ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' was never supposed to be part of a series, and the team that made it was disbanded before Sierra realized they had a hit on its hands. Once they saw how well it did, though, they decided to kick off an entire series with a sequel, ''Return to Krondor''... which, unsurprisingly, is [[ObviousBeta woefully unfinished and underpolished]], making this a bad enough experience for Feist that he's been unwilling to risk a repeat experience.
* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth III'' was a commercial and critical failure and is widely thought to be responsible for the end of the ''Empire Earth'' series [[CreatorKiller and Mad Doc Studios]]. Mad Doc [[BuryYourArt even removed any trace of the game from their website]] before getting bought by [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive Rockstar Games]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}} 2'' didn't exactly flop, but it had a TroubledProduction and the finished article failed to deliver on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the promises of its early trailers]]. Sales were modest and critical reaction mixed at best, and despite rumours that they were open to the idea of a third game, Relic never quite got around to it before the company was wound up. But all is not lost, because the original ''Homeworld'' development team ended up forming their own company and started working on a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts called ''Hardware: Shipbreakers''... at which point Creator/GearboxSoftware, who'd acquired the ''Homeworld'' IP at publisher THQ's bankruptcy auction, offered them a deal to make it [[VideoGame/HomeworldDesertsOfKharak an official prequel]], released in 2016. An [[https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3 official crowdfunded sequel]] from the same studio is now in the works, due for release in 2022.
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity'' started with a ''very'' unwelcome GenreShift, taking a franchise that prided itself on emphasizing a creative, non-violent option whenever possible and making a hack-and-slash third-person action game, with a DarkerAndEdgier tone that [[ShooOutTheClowns sharply veers from the gentle humor]] and fairy-tale style of the previous seven games. Among those who didn't like the game's new direction were Creator/DavidsonAndAssociates, the owners of Creator/{{Sierra}} who were best known for {{edutainment game}}s; company owners Bob and Jan Davidson, both devout Christians, were outraged over both this game and Sierra's ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria}}'', and the resulting ExecutiveMeddling (including Davidson trying to make their own version of the game) [[TroubledProduction did production no favors]]. What really iced the cake is that ''none'' of the [[BadassFamily Daventry royal family]] get speaking parts -- the PlayerCharacter might as well be from a different franchise entirely. Some fan sites [[FanonDiscontinuity refuse to call it]] a ''King's Quest'' game at all, the Sierra ''King's Quest Collection'' [[CanonDiscontinuity quietly ignores it]], and Roberta Williams herself was so dissatisfied with it that she refused to call the game ''King's Quest VIII'', [[StoppedNumberingSequels removing the numeral from the title altogether]]. ''Mask of Eternity''[='=]s dubious status is reflected in the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'', as [[spoiler: you will receive full points whether or not you choose to knight Connor (acknowledging him as part of ''Mask''[='s=] story arc)]]. Altogether, it caused the series to pause until [[VideoGame/KingsQuest2015 the episodic reboot in 2015]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nintendo]]


* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' wasn't a bad game and it got decent reviews, but many critics and fans heavily criticized the game's bland and unfocused story, the outdated battle system, and the overall easy difficulty. Between the criticisms and the game selling less than the previous game, the chances of 2010's ''Dark Dawn'' getting a sequel is very unlikely.
* The ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series experienced this with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS VideoGameRemake of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. [=AlphaDream=] made ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey'' for the 3DS rather than the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch due to timing and the desire to retain the dual-screen gameplay, but this may have been a poor decision. While it was critically well-received, a mixture of it releasing far too late in the handheld's lifespan (almost two years after the release of its successor), along with minimal marketing and the original game still being available to play on the system via backwards compatibility, resulted in becoming one of the worst-selling ''Mario'' games of all-time. Not only did this lead to the death of the series, but was one of several factors that led to [[CreatorKiller AlphaDream's bankruptcy]], and the game's failure prompted Nintendo to scrap all plans for supporting the portable with new software past 2019, with the last first-party published 3DS title becoming the already-announced ''Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn''.
* The poor reception of 2010's ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' is generally considered to have put the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series on ice for a second time.[[note]]The first was the long hiatus between ''[[VideoGame/SuperMetroid Super]]'' in 1994 and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Prime]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidFusion Fusion]]'' in 2002, which was the result of [[ToughActToFollow the exact opposite problem]].[[/note]] Despite good initial sales, poor word-of-mouth took its toll, and -- in an absolute rarity for any Nintendo-published game -- new copies were rapidly marked down to bargain price. Series producer and co-creator Creator/YoshioSakamoto announced that he would personally take a break from the series while he worked on other games, and development on a multiplayer ''Metroid'' spin-off by Creator/NextLevelGames was halted in favor of them producing ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon''. NLG would return to the project afterward and release ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' in 2016, but it would become the worst-selling game in the series by a wide margin, being outright rejected by the fan base and receiving lukewarm critical reception. Thankfully, Nintendo was far from done with the series. The following year would have the announcement of two new games: the 3D ''Metroid Prime 4'' and the 2D ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', the latter releasing just months later to both critical and fan acclaim.
* ''Planet VideoGame/PuzzleLeague'' is considered a perfectly good game on its own, but received extremely negative consumer reception in Japan for almost completely ditching the {{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}} aspect it had always sold itself on in the region. Other than a few UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole rereleases of the original ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'' (including an international release of the original game on the Switch's online service, although untranslated), there hasn't been a new stand-alone game in the series since 2007. The closest thing to a new release since then has been a mini-game in the 2016 ''Welcome amiibo'' update of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf''.
* While ''Franchise/StarFox'' saw [[BrokenBase mixed fan reception]] with every game from ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' onward, with there being a SequelGap after ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' due to development for a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} installment never getting off the ground, it is ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' for the UsefulNotes/WiiU that fits this trope. ''Zero'' saw the biggest polarizing reactions from both critics and fans alike, thanks to its unconventional control scheme and removal of staple features, with longtime fans also being frustrated that it would serve as the series' third ContinuityReboot. The result was ''Zero'' getting middling sales internationally and becoming [[https://www.destructoid.com/star-fox-zero-sales-off-to-a-series-worst-in-japan-359113.phtml the worst-selling game in the franchise in Japan]]. Outside the surprise release of ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' (the [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment shelved]] SNES sequel of the original game) on the SNES Classic and Nintendo Switch Online, there hasn't been a new game since. ''Star Fox'' characters would be included in the Switch version of Ubisoft's 2018 game ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'' and even have their own exclusive mission, but despite it being well-received and the Switch version selling the best, that game ''also'' sold poorly overall due to being a ToysToLifeGame released just as the fad had all-but-died.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'', the fifth and final entry of the ''Starfy'' series, released in 2009. It is also [[NoExportForYou the only game in the series to release outside of Japan, and didn't even come out in Europe]]. While it did get good reviews in North America, it sold poorly internationally, and it wasn't received as well as the first four games in Japan, mainly due to being dumbed-down from the previous titles. The little star hasn't been seen outside of cameos in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series since.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWorld'', ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise'', and ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' all received decent reviews from critics, but they sold so poorly that the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series hasn't seen any new installments since the latter's release in 2008. However, not only does Wario himself remain a staple of ''Mario'' spinoff titles, ensuring that the character remains relevant, but he continues to have his own games in the form of the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series.
* The UsefulNotes/WiiU, while not causing Nintendo to leave the hardware industry, did kill off the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} brand. The company failed to market the system in a manner that distinguished it from its predecessor, with the general public overall coming away believing it was an add-on/peripheral (assuming they have heard of it at all). In addition, response was tepid from the hardcore gamer demographic that Nintendo also attempted to target the system towards ([[UncertainAudience at the same time as the casual gaming crowd]]) due to the system's underpowered hardware and lukewarm third-party support. As a result of all this, the Wii U became the worst-selling Nintendo home console in history at only 13 million units. For their [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch next console]], Nintendo dropped the brand and severely de-emphasized the Mii characters that have become associated with it, with only one game in the Switch's entire library (''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'') actually requiring use of them. Even ''VideoGame/NintendoSwitchSports'' heavily emphasized new in-game avatars called "Sportsmates", while [[DemotedToExtra Miis were barely featured in any advertising at all]] despite still existing as a customization option.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd and the Enchanted Castle'' flopped so badly that Sega ditched the eponymous character as their mascot, and replaced him with Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog. While Alex probably didn't have much of a future as Sega's mascot anyway, since the company wanted a more "hip" audience for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]], his series would probably have survived if ''Enchanted Castle'' had been better received. Instead, he appeared in the DolledUpInstallment ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'' before being relegated to making cameos and occasional playable appearances in the ''VideoGame/SegaSuperstars'' line of crossover games. It would take ''over 30 years'' for Alex to get a new game in 2021's ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX'', a remake of the first game courtesy of publisher Merge Games (having acquired the license from Sega) and developer Jankenteam.
* After their parent company Creator/{{THQ}} went out of business, Relic Entertainment were bought by Sega and later developed ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarIII'', the much-anticipated third installment in the popular 40K [=RTS=] ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' franchise. ''Dawn of War III'' was received ''far'' more negatively than either of the previous two entries (or their expansions) for fiddling with, removing and rewriting gameplay mechanics and plot developments that the franchise had since day 1. In 2018, Relic officially announced the game would receive no further updates or expansions, leaving [=DOW3=] dead in the water, and the entire franchise most likely finished.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe: Beast Rider'' is a failed attempt to translate the gameplay of the classic side-scrolling beat-em-up series to 3D, and did enough lasting damage to put an end to any further games in the franchise.
* ''VideoGame/NightsJourneyOfDreams'' attempted to revive the ''[=NiGHTS=]'' franchise, which had been dormant at the time in spite of the modest success of ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams''[[note]]this is largely thanks to ''Air [=NiGHTS=]'', the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally planned sequel to the game]], being stuck in DevelopmentHell for much of the late 1990s and early 00s, before it was cancelled and later replaced by ''Journey of Dreams''[[/note]]. Instead though, it would effectively kill off the franchise due to a mixture of low sales and a lukewarm critical reception. Outside of a HD remaster of the first game, a casino game and occasional crossover appearances, Sega has done next to nothing with the franchise and there hasn't been a new game since 2007. While Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka has expressed a desire to do a third game, he has also indicated that Sega has little interest in revisiting the IP and that there are no plans for a true revival.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn basically ensured the demise of Sega's console division before the UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} was even out. The Saturn era was marred with numerous business and technical issues, including poor developer and publisher relations, the system's complex architecture being difficult to program for, the cancelation of the system's mainline [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] game, [[NoExportForYou many of the system's best games never leaving Japan]], and the team behind the Sega Genesis's success leaving Sega of America and their replacements actively working to sabotage or bury the system. Then there was the release of the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation which attracted customers and developers alike with its lower price, simpler hardware, and a laxer content policy. The premature discontinuation of the Saturn as well as the Sega 32X add-on led to Sega gaining a reputation for dropping support for hardware if it wasn't selling well, which affected Dreamcast sales post-launch: Why entrust your money to a company known for dropping hardware support like a hot potato when the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 was around the corner? The money Sega lost on the Saturn was so great that the Dreamcast would've had to sell an unreasonable number of units to save the company's console division. Sega would bow out of the console business for good in 2001 to go 3rd party.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was a Franchise Killer after the first episode in the US, owing both to the failure of the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast and slow gameplay, but the second episode (of a proposed four) was released on Dreamcast to the rest of the world, and was exclusive to Xbox in America. Unfortunately, the second episode managed to fail financially on both consoles, rendering its ''huge and startling cliffhanger'' the end. With the mastermind behind the series, Yu Suzuki, getting shoved to a new department and then quitting Sega not long afterwards, the fate of the series remained bleak until a Kickstarter campaign for a highly-publicized ''Shenmue III'' Kickstarter campaign, developed by Suzuki's studio Ys.Net, was launched in 2015. The game was successfully funded (with the ''Shenmue III'' campaign breaking the pledge record for video games on Kickstarter) and eventually saw release in 2019, rekindling hope in fans that the entire saga will finally --against all odds-- be completed someday... at least until that game ''also'' saw poor sales, in addition to critics and fans alike panning the game for its outdated mechanics and for doing little-to-nothing to progress the story, leaving ''Shenmue'' fans on basically the same cliffhanger they were left on two decades prior.\\\
''Shenmue'' is also something of a SunkCostFallacy that [[CreatorKiller killed off the old Sega]] as well as caused Yu Suzuki to be KickedUpstairs as a result (which, after being forced by management to make a racing game that competed against Sega’s own cash cow ''Manga/InitialD'' franchise and failing horribly, also caused him to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave Sega]] shortly after). Depending on who you believe, at the time, the ''Shenmue'' project cost anywhere from $47 million to $70 million US dollars to create. While not a surprising figure for AAA game development even a decade later (in fact, it would be considered on the low-end for the WideOpenSandbox genre nowadays), that was a sizeable chunk of change at the time, and the latter figure would have been an industry record. During this time, Sega's finances were none too good and the Dreamcast ultimately underperformed. The game didn't profit - it's been said that every single Dreamcast owner would have had to buy two copies of the game just to break even - and it's probably fair to suspect it depleted money from the company at a time where they couldn't afford to. Sega did survive to go third-party after the DC went bust, but only because of an especially generous shareholder, and even then didn't last much longer before being bought by Sammy Corp. and accordingly "[[ExecutiveMeddling retooled]]".
* Sega's ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' franchise was killed quite dead by the poor ''Shinobi Legions'' installment in 1995, not returning until a reboot in 2002. It died again in 2003 with ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'', which itself is a perfectly good game, but had little to no marketing and its link to the ''Shinobi'' franchise is not played up, so it sits in obscurity. A later installment for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS received decent reviews, but failed to sell well enough to properly re-vitalize the series, compounded by developer Griptonite Games' acquisition and closure shortly after the game's release.
* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise has somehow managed to avoid this despite the reception of most of the modern Sonic games ([[CashCowFranchise due to him being one of Sega's few cash cows]]). That said, several spin-offs and branches of the series have not escaped unscathed.
** After over a decade of dormancy, Sega returned to the original "classic" branch of ''Sonic The Hedgehog'' games that kickstarted the franchise on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis through the downloadable ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' series at the start of TheNewTens. ''Episode I'' was an interesting case--when originally announced, it was embraced as a return to classic form, and it received modest reviews and good sales on release. However, it quickly [[ContestedSequel divided fans]] with a myriad of flaws, most noticeably its [[ObviousBeta broken physics]], [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks different gameplay and character designs]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks heavy recycling of content from its predecessors]].[[note]]This sentiment is reflected by reviewers in [[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/11/25/top-ten-biggest-gaming-disappointments-of-2010-4 retrospective]] [[http://kotaku.com/5720176/the-year-in-disappointments pieces]].[[/note]] Spurred by ''Episode I''[='=]s sales, ''Episode II'' was released two years later and also attempted to win fans back by addressing these issues (fixing the physics to be more like the classic games, more unique level designs and ideas) while including other improvements (revamping the graphics from 2.5D to full 3D, adding Tails and [[BreakoutVillain fan-favorite]] Metal Sonic). This didn't work, because reviews were still ambivalent and the base was still broken, though [[VindicatedByHistory in hindsight it's usually agreed to be a]] SurprisinglyImprovedSequel. It actually sold ''worse'' than the previous episode, resulting in [[CutShort a planned third episode being discarded]]. It didn't help that some platforms only got one episode -- the Wii only got ''Episode I'' and the Nvidia Shield only got ''Episode II''. Another attempt at a new classic-styled Sonic game wouldn't be seen until 2017's ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', which was universally agreed to be [[WinBackTheCrowd a real return to form]].
** There were only two games in the spin-off ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Storybook Series]]'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} console, as neither ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' or ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'' did much to impress critics or players (at least [[VindicatedByHistory at the time]]).
** The series' line of original handheld ''Sonic'' games (which comprised a handful of UsefulNotes/GameGear titles, ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', and the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'') cannibalized itself with the near back-to-back releases of the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' series and the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' series, neither of which performed well in sales[[note]]the latter series in particular [[NoExportForYou was never translated to Japanese audiences]][[/note]]. All handheld Sonic games produced afterwards have been handheld counterparts of Sonic Team's console games starting with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', something the franchise hadn't completely done since the Game Gear port of ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball''. These too, however, died off with the release of the handheld counterpart to ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', with the only handheld entries since then being from the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' series. This has also become a moot point with stand-alone handheld systems dying off, and Sega porting console ''Sonic'' games to the console/handheld hybrid UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
** The ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' line of racing spin-off games was killed off by the [[UsefulNotes/Xbox360 Xbox 360/Kinect]]-exclusive third game ''Free Riders''. The game was roundly ripped apart by reviewers and fans alike for [[{{Waggle}} its atrociously-designed Kinect-based control scheme]], which utilized the movement of the player's ''entire body'' for input and was the only control method available for gameplay and menu navigation (compared to the previous two games, which use traditional controllers and use or offered traditional control schemes). Not helping matters was the earlier release of ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'', a general Sega-themed racing game that received far better reviews than any of the existing ''Riders'' titles at the time and outsold the sequels.
** The [[LicensedGame licensed games]] for the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' spinoff animated series, ''Rise of Lyric'' and ''Shattered Crystal'', ended up taking TheProblemWithLicensedGames to a whole new nadir, with both entries becoming the worst-reviewed and worst-selling games in ''the entire Sonic franchise''. While this miraculously didn't stop a third ''Sonic Boom'' game -- ''Fire & Ice'', from the developers of ''Shattered Crystal'' and considered [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a marked improvement]] over it -- from seeing release, it largely flew under the water in terms of sales, making the prospects of future ''Boom'' games afterward rather unlikely; compounded by ''Rise of Lyric'' in particular [[CreatorKiller dealing a critical blow to the studio that made it]]. [[note]]Tellingly, ''Fire & Ice'' was initially slated for release for 2015 -- one year after the release of the first two ''Boom'' games -- before being delayed into 2016, leading some to theorize that ''Fire & Ice'' had started development before ''Rise of Lyric'' and ''Shattered Crystal'' were released, and only existed due to contractual obligations.[[/note]] The reception towards the ''Boom'' games has also been blamed for [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor the entire Boom series gradually stalling out]]; with both the titular television series and its [[ComicBook/SonicBoom line of comic books]] (which while not [[ScrewedByTheNetwork without their own troubles]], were both much better-received than the games) ending without much fanfare in the immediate following years.
* The ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'' franchise was initially hit with the horrendous ''Super Monkey Ball Adventure'', a failed attempt at [[VideoGame3DLeap making the series a 3D platformer]] that was panned for its confusing gameplay and poor controls. While the franchise was able to recover with ''Banana Blitz'', a reboot on the Wii that ended up receiving better reviews and sold reasonably well, it prompted the series to shift its focus to mobile devices for a few years. Unfortunately, the series returned to gaming platforms with a string of unremarkable installments (the Wii sequel ''Step and Roll'', ''Super Monkey Ball 3D'' for the Nintendo 3DS, and ''Banana Splitz'' for the [=PlayStation=] Vita) that were all heavily reliant on gimmicky control schemes and proceeded to run the formula into the ground. Neither game was considerably well-received by reviewers or audiences, consequently resulting in the series pushing out ''Super Monkey Ball Bounce'' -- a ''VideoGame/{{Peggle}}''-[[FollowTheLeader cloned]] pachinko-styled game for smartphones -- before disappearing for good. An HD remaster of ''Banana Blitz'' was eventually announced for Nintendo Switch, [=PS4=], and Xbox One, though it was released to unremarkable reception. It would take two years after that for the series to finally make a true return with the announcement of ''Banana Mania'', a CompilationRerelease / VideoGameRemake of the original two games and ''Deluxe'' for the [=PlayStation=] 2 and Xbox.

[[folder:Konami / Hudson Soft]]
* ''VideoGame/BloodyRoar 4'' is considered the worst entry in the franchise by its small but dedicated fanbase, and no new entries have been made since its 2004 release. While Hudson Soft would begin re-releasing past entries on the [=PlayStation Network=] service towards the end of the decade, this ceased after Konami absorbed the company, and nothing has been done with the franchise ever since.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'': The critical and commercial failure of ''VideoGame/BombermanActZero'' soured many people on the franchise. While there would further releases over the next four years that scored lukewarm reception, ''Act:Zero'' was the last retail release the series saw before going dormant internationally after ''Bomberman Dojo''. The series would not leave Japan until six years later with the retail release of ''Super Bomberman R'' in 2017.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'': The creation of the 3D ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' continuity was done in response to the diminishing sales of the 2D installments, and while the first ''Lords of Shadow'' proved to be a surprising success, a combination of middling review scores for ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow2 Lords of Shadow 2]]'' and complaints of ExecutiveMeddling within developer [=MercurySteam=] (developers of the ''Lords of Shadow'' games) halted not only the sub-series, but led to it being the last new console entry in the franchise as a whole. The series would instead continue on via slot machines, mobile games, and adaptations such as the [[WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017 2017 animated series]].
* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution X'' killed the franchise outside of Asia; not because of the game itself, but because of the BadExportForYou fiasco surrounding the arcade hardware. In Asia, Konami offered upgrade kits for old machines as well as brand-new redesigned cabinets with HD monitors. In North America and Europe, however, Konami contracted things to Raw Thrills and Betson. Upgrade kits were available, but rare, while the common brand new cabinet was a cheap knock-off of the redesigned HD cabinets. Case in point: the pad was covered by one single piece of metal, with holes punched through it for the arrows, and the control panel on the cabinet was just blank metal with no decoration. The RT/Betson cabinets were inferior in quality to the Japanese ones, and broke as easily as peanut brittle, yet they were still thousands of dollars more expensive than upgrading an old cabinet would've been. This led to lots of arcades buying a new machine, only to find out it was crap. Making this worse is that a dedicated ''VideoGame/InTheGroove 2'' cabinet had been introduced to North American arcades some years prior, which was no longer on the market, but increased players' expectations for quality. To this day, there are still old, broken-down [=RT/Betson=] ''DDR X'' cabinets scattered around North America, and neither ''X3'' nor DDR 2013 received international releases. While Betson ''tried'' to update the cabinets with ''X2'', the cabinets looked nearly identical and retained some issues, further reinforcing the notion of poor build quality. Konami later partnered with Dave & Busters, and the U.S. locations of Japanese arcade chain [=Round1=], to offer DDR 2014 location tests. Successful tests led to the international release of DDR A, beginning with the United States launch on July 6, 2016, which used Japanese cabinets with localized software, with other regions following later.
* The ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'' series is a [[NoExportForYou primarily Japan-only]] series that was wildly successful for a time in its native land. The handful of games that were translated didn't have great sales, but are well-regarded as cult classics, chiefly for their {{Flanderization}} of Japanese mythology, as well as a bizarre, zany sense of humour. Unfortunately, in 2000, a DarkerAndEdgier reboot (''Bōken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon'') for the [=PS2=] wound up being a critical and commercial failure and signalled the series' demise. The series pushed out a few more phone- and portable-based games, but the franchise has not had a proper new entry since 2005 and appears all but dead now save a Mii Fighter costume for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} III'' did not perform as well in Japanese arcades as its predecessors due to a SequelDifficultySpike that drove away most of the players except for the truly hardcore. As a result, the only home conversion of the game for many years was a [[ReformulatedGame reformulated port]] for the SNES that tones the difficulty to a fair extent. It would be another ten years before Konami decided to produce a fourth ''Gradius'' game for the arcades.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' had ''VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive''. The series was in a precarious state in the 2010s due to management feuding with Creator/HideoKojima over the development cost of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' (which led to that game's TroubledProduction), and a larger overall shift towards lowering development costs by shifting towards mobile and arcade titles. After Kojima left Konami over the debacle in order to make his game studio go full-independent, the company still desired to keep the ''Metal Gear'' franchise alive, leading to the creation of ''Survive''. The absence of the series' creator resulted in the game getting a highly negative response from the moment it was announced, and upon release, fans and critics alike saw it as [[FollowTheLeader yet another]] "zombie survival shooter" when the market was already full of them rather than anything similar in tone to prior entries. This wasn't helped by the game having numerous features that saw additional criticism, most notably having to pay real life money for an extra save slot. As such, the game became a complete bomb and it further convinced Konami to stay away from both ''Metal Gear'' and AAA video game productions.\\\
While Konami would return to making a wide range of console and PC titles the following decade (after being made into a target of mockeries thanks to this whole debacle), outside of the franchise's cast cameoing in other games both within Konami's library (e.g. ''Super Bomberman R'') and outside it (e.g. Solid Snake as a GuestFighter in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series), ''Metal Gear'' as a whole would be declared missing in action over the next eight years: both because of ''Survive''[='=]s failure and Konami still wishing to avoid the high-production costs of "AAA gaming". After the eight years, Konami broke their silence and worked to bring the series back into the forefront with the most beloved game of the franchise ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]]'' getting a total next-gen remake for modern platforms alongside a remastered collection of the first five mainline games in the series, both developed-in house. However, it's still up in the air whether they could produce a good result without Kojima or how this could undo the massive damage they have done to their fandom.
* ''VideoGame/RumbleRoses'' suffered from a BrokenBase before it was even released, with both {{Anime}} and ProfessionalWrestling fans interested in the game. During development, while it became obvious the game was designed to cater to the former, it was still a decent enough wrestling game that the latter camp wasn't fully alienated. Then came the sequel, ''Rumble Roses XX'', with a labyrinthine and ludicrously time-consuming unlocking system, a completely pathetic create-a-wrestler feature, and a boring street fighting mode that no one liked. But what really hurt the game most was the "Queens Match Mode", where fights were done to emulate a style of Japanese erotica: international fans saw this as extremely creepy, unwanted FanDisservice and abandoned the series. Though it probably didn't help that ''RRXX'' was released only on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360, when the original game was exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 either. While there were plans were to eventually port the title to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, the game's poor sales meant such plans were abandoned.
* In 2014, the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series of SurvivalHorror games had been on shaky ground for years thanks to a long series of [[BrokenBase divisive entries]]. That said, the announcement of ''VideoGame/SilentHills'', a new game made by Creator/HideoKojima and Creator/GuillermoDelToro, was met with enormous hype as a game that would hopefully WinBackTheCrowd, especially after its standalone demo, titled ''P.T.'', stunned and terrified nearly everybody who played it. However, while ''P.T.'' became a seminal influence on a generation of indie horror games in the mid-late '10s, the game it was meant as a teaser for never saw the light of day, experiencing a deeply TroubledProduction (one closely connected to that of the aforementioned ''Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain'') that ultimately ended with it getting canceled, Kojima leaving Creator/{{Konami}} on [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt very bad terms]], and ''P.T.'' being removed from the [=PlayStation=] Store and treated by Konami as though [[BuryYourArt it had never been made]]. With that, the creepy lakeside town lay empty for nearly a decade. Until the announcement in 2022 of a pair of new ''Silent Hill'' games, the only thing connected to the franchise to see the light of day was a highly controversial pachinko machine that, to many Western fans, illustrated [[AudienceAlienatingEra the depths that Konami had sunk to]] and [[OvershadowedByControversy made it easy for them to forget]] that just like the cast of ''Metal Gear'', Konami still let some of the characters from ''Silent Hill'' make sporadic cameos in a few places as another proof of their existence (though mostly limited to [[BreakoutVillain the iconic Pyramid Head]]).
* The ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series was one of Konami's greatest JRPG series, and yet, it slowly died out far before the big controversy that embroiled Konami: While ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' was nicely received, it was considered somewhat [[ToughActToFollow a step-down to their previous magnum opus]] (''VideoGame/SuikodenII''). Then ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' happened: The gameplay was [[BrokenBase extremely controversial]], the story was considered mediocre, and it was a distant prequel, which means there wouldn't be as much returning characters, that it alienated many longtime fans and saw a huge drop in sales. Konami then tried to alleviate with both ''VideoGame/SuikodenTactics'' and ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', both of them were received better than ''IV'', but not enough to cover for the losses caused by ''IV''. It was at that time Konami decided that they might not be able to follow up with the verse created by [[MyRealDaddy Yoshitaka Murayama]], so for their next game, ''[[VideoGame/SuikodenTierkreis Tierkreis]]'', they decided to use a new universe and overhauling the gameplay altogether. [[BrokenBase That opened up a new can of worms.]] At that point, Konami just gave up: They released one final game, ''VideoGame/SuikodenWovenWebOfTheCenturies'', [[NoExportForYou didn't let it leave Japan]], and that's the last we heard of ''Suikoden''. All of these could be pinpointed from the massive flop that is ''IV'', cementing its place as the FranchiseKiller. However, somehow there is still a slight hope: After unveiling the HD remaster of the first two games, one of Konami's developers stated that they're interested in creating more ''Suikoden'' games. It's still unknown what kind of game they're planning or whether it will succeed in bringing ''Suikoden'' back from the grave.
[[/folder]]

* ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'' effectively put the kibosh on the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series [[SeriesHiatus for a]] ''[[SeriesHiatus very]]'' [[SeriesHiatus long time]], all while Creator/IntelligentSystems chose to instead refocus its efforts on ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', which had eventually proven to be far more successful[[note]][[EarnYourHappyEnding Emphasis on eventually]]; ''Fire Emblem'' itself would've met this fate if ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' didn't prove to be the series' BreakthroughHit[[/note]]. ''Days of Ruin'' attempted to breathe some fresh air into the [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun perpetually bright and cheerful]] franchise by transplanting it into a [[DarkerAndEdgier more dismal, post-apocalyptic environment]] and giving it a much heavier emphasis on story, all in an attempt to better appeal to the American fanbase ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff where the series had quickly become more popular]]). However, the reception from both critics and players was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise completely alienated by the premise]], leading to the game absolutely ''tanking'' sales wise (it only sold a measly 430K in the West, and even worse everywhere else), with critical and fan reception being [[SoOkayItsAverage not much better]]. It's because of this commercial failure compounded with the lukewarm reception that the ''Nintendo Wars'' series hasn't seen a new installment for ''15 years.'' However, a remake of the first two games by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies would be released in 2023 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, giving fans hope for a full-on revival, but [[YankTheDogsChain even this wasn't entirely without a hitch]] as [[ScheduleSlip it was originally to release in 2021 and it got delayed by a whole year]] ''[[ScheduleSlip twice]]'' due to a double-whammy of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]] and [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents distancing itself]] from the [[UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].
* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'' saw a string of failures in the West, though it wasn't a great seller in its home country either: ''Park Patrol'' (which shifted away from the first game's housekeeping concept) sold very poorly in the US largely due to being a Wal-Mart exclusive, ''Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!'' (a return-to-form) was [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]], and ''Chibi Robo: Photo Finder'' (which once again deviated from the original's gameplay) saw average reviews across the board. ''Chibi Robo: Zip Lash'' (another gameplay deviation) would be the franchise's final chance at life, and even tried to jump in on the Toys/{{amiibo}} craze by having one release exclusively bundled with the game. The amiibo didn't help and it completely bombed. The last time the character would be mentioned by the company was in 2018, when Nintendo of America's Twitter account released a picture of Chibi [[ManOnFire engulfed in flames]] (a power-up from ''Zip Lash'') in reference to [[https://kotaku.com/well-that-was-a-weird-way-to-do-a-nintendo-direct-1821993207 fans going insane over a rumored Direct]]. Either that or Nintendo's admission that they've decided to literally TorchTheFranchiseAndRun. Outside of that, Chibi-Robo and friends still appear as cameos in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
* ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'' ended with its DS installment, ''Arena'', the second game released outside of Japan following ''Battle Revolution'' on the [=GameCube=] (known as just ''Custom Robo'' in English). While ''Battle Revolution'' is somewhat well-known, ''Arena'' was released early in the DS's lifespan and flew under the radar, putting the series on hold since 2007 aside from ''Super Smash Bros.'' representation, and even that lessened over time (Ray Mk. III is one of the only [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophy characters]] to be dropped between games).
* 2007's ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongBarrelBlast'', while [[BrokenBase not without its fans]], was generally ill-received and ended the line of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' spin-offs that had persisted throughout the 2000s decade following Creator/{{Rare}}'s departure. Funnily enough, most fans ''don't'' see this as a bad thing; this era of the series was widely considered to be [[AudienceAlienatingEra alienating for them]], and fans were happy that Nintendo took it as a sign to return to the popular ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' sub-series after a 10-year hiatus, with Creator/RetroStudios' ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' releasing in 2010.
* ''VideoGame/FZero'', though it was partly due to [[Anime/FZeroGPLegend the anime]]. Nintendo was eager to turn ''F-Zero'' into one of their big franchises and bankrolled an animated series, presumably intending to replicate the success of ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa''. Unfortunately, the show ended up being a ratings flop; particularly in North America, where Creator/FourKidsEntertainment only dubbed the [[UnfinishedDub first 15 episodes (out of 51)]] before washing their hands of it. The two tie-in Game Boy Advance games also did extremely poorly; ''F-Zero: GP Legend'' saw low sales in both Japan and America (becoming the worst-selling first-party GBA release in America), and the NoExportForYou ''Climax'' only sold a minuscule '''5,000 copies''' in Japan in its opening week before falling off the charts. In the years afterward, lead character Captain Falcon would become more associated with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' than anything else, and while games like ''VideoGame/NintendoLand'' and the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series paid tribute to its courses and music, interviews with Nintendo staff like Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto were clear about the lack of internal interest in making a new installment. It would take until 2023, nineteen years after ''Climax'', before a new ''F-Zero'' game would release in the form of ''VideoGame/FZero99'', a racing-style BattleRoyaleGame for the Nintendo Switch.
* ''VideoGame/FossilFighters''' third entry, ''Frontier'', received mixed critical reception and wasn't received well by fans of the already-niche series due to its many changes from the first two games. As such, ''Fossil Fighters'' hasn't been acknowledged since 2015 outside of ''Super Smash Bros.'' representation.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}'' was a fairly decent hack-and-slash arcade-style adventure series, until ''Seven Sorrows'' came along. Developed by Midway's San Diego studio after the former Atari Games had been closed down, it is an ObviousBeta, with a lot of old standby techniques gone (like not being able to shoot potions), and none of the "new features" touted for the game anywhere. Any plans for the franchise after that were effectively shelved until Warner Bros. rebooted the series on PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 a decade later, and while it scored better than their ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' reboot (see below), player and critical reaction was mixed.

[[folder:Interplay]]
* The double whammy of ''Clayfighter 63 1/3'' and ''Clayfighter X-Treme'' ultimately killed the ''VideoGame/ClayFighter'' franchise. ''63 1/3'' is an ObviousBeta with dated graphics, annoying voice clips and glitchy, unbalanced gameplay. Although the game was a modest commercial success, its critical reception was so bad that Interplay released a Director's Cut six months later that addresses some (but not all) of the gameplay and balancing issues of ''63 1/3''. Meanwhile, ''X-Treme'' fell into DevelopmentHell and never even saw release. Other than a Virtual Console re-release of the original, the series has been completely dormant ever since.
* There was a fourth ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'' game planned, but it was cancelled due to poor sales of ''Descent 3'' and Creator/{{Interplay}} going bankrupt.
* The first ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' is great and became a classic, and the sequel is still pretty good (even if it tries a bit too hard to be wacky), but [[ThirdIs3D the third game]] ''Earthworm Jim 3D'', no longer developed by the original creators, is terrible despite the prolonged development period. Frame rate issues, lame "zany" humor and gameplay copied from more famous 3D platformers are just a few of the game's problems. However, the even more terrible Game Boy Color game, ''Menace 2 the Galaxy'', killed the franchise for good; as attempts to get a new game off the ground (in particular, a new installment for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, and a tentatively-titled ''Earthworm Jim 4'') have frequently stalled in development before seeing cancellation.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutBrotherhoodOfSteel'', combined with the cancellation of the [[VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren original version of]] ''Fallout 3'', halted Interplay's run on the Fallout franchise. ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' wouldn't come back until Bethesda Softworks acquired the series and breathed new life into it with their own version of ''VideoGame/Fallout3''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Koei / Tecmo]]
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameIII'''s abysmal sales killed the franchise outside of its native Japan for a long time. ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaskOfTheLunarEclipse'' was [[NoExportForYou never released outside Japan]] due to {{game breaking bug}}s that neither Creator/{{Nintendo}} nor Creator/{{Tecmo}} were willing to address. Europe and Australia did, however, receive a Wii remake of the second title in the series, as ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII: Deep Crimson Butterfly'' (the lack of an American release may have something to do with Nintendo of America wanting to focus most of its attention on the then-unreleased Wii U). The series saw two other releases outside Japan with a 3DS spin-off called ''VideoGame/SpiritCameraTheCursedMemoir'', and another mainline entry on the Wii U entitled ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'', but neither game got much love from fans or critics, and it took six years since ''Maiden of Black Water''[='=]s initial release for Koei Tecmo to try to revitalize interest in the series by porting the game to [=PS4=], [=PS5=], Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X, which thankfully worked well enough to result in an UpdatedRerelease of the fourth game, finally officially bringing it overseas as well.
* ''Monster Rancher EVO'' is thought to have killed the ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher'' series. The raising mechanics are dumbed down and music minigames are shoehorned in, and the game was received poorly by both fans and critics. Though the death of disc swapping in modern consoles may have been a part of it as well, it was the last console ''Monster Rancher'' game and no new ''Monster Rancher'' games that weren't an {{Allegedly Free Game}} were released since 2010, until an UpdatedRerelease of the first two games came out for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and was released in English in December 2021.
* The ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' [=PS3=]/Xbox 360 series took a sharp dive in quality when producer/director Tomonobu Itagaki departed from Team Ninja to form his own studio following the release of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', as evidenced by the negative reception to ''Ninja Gaiden III''. The ''NGIII'' re-release ''Razor's Edge'' would try to undo some of the damage, but it wasn't enough. The spin-off title ''VideoGame/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ'' flopped even harder, leaving Ryu Hayabusa and friends to continue their adventures in the SharedUniverse of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' for the time being.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rygar}}: The Legendary Adventure'' is a good game, but didn't perform well enough to continue the series. It was [[PortingDisaster less-than-spectacularly ported]] to the Wii several years thereafter, sealing the fate of the franchise. Tecmo announced a ''Rygar 2'' at one point, but it ended up being {{vaporware}}.
* Five years elapsed between ''VideoGame/WinBack'' and its sequel, which in the end turned out completely awful and flopped.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Vietcong}} 2'', which got lower reviews than the original or ''Fist Alpha'' thanks to its dumbed-down gameplay.

[[folder:Capcom]]



* ''VideoGame/FinalFight: Streetwise'' proved to be a critical dud and put an end to any further games in the ''Final Fight'' continuity. Most of its characters [[{{Transplant}} now live on]] as part of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' canon (luckily for them, ''Final Fight'' and ''Street Fighter'' reside in a SharedUniverse).
* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
** The entire franchise saw an eight-year dearth of new games, outside of a single social-RPG mobile game called ''VideoGame/RockmanXover''. While the game saw modest success in Japan, lasting for 4 years, overseas it was universally despised and seen as the death knell of the franchise. It didn't help that during ''Xover's'' lifespan, ''four'' different Mega Man games were cancelled (including the much-anticipated ''Mega Man Legends 3'') and longtime series producer Keiji Inafune left Capcom.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series has the misfortune of having ''two'' of them. ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' was released to less than favorable reviews, with fans complaining about [[TheyChangedItSoItSucks radical changes to recurring game elements]] such as the lack of E-Tanks and a complete change to the way Rush functions, as well unpopular segments like the snowboarding sections, and a laughably bad English dub. With the success of ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' around the same time and the new ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' series coming into being, the series fell into relative dormancy, as aside from two Japan-only games - a GaidenGame created for the Super Famicom (in 1998) and a MascotRacer, the Classic series wouldn't see another mainline release for 12 years until the {{Retraux}} ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan10''. While ''9'' was praised as a return to form, ''10'' was seen as [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks more of the same after 9]], and the series returned to dormancy for another 8 years until ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' was announced, eventually releasing in 2018 to generally good reviews.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'', while VindicatedByHistory and considered an okay-to-great ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' game, had the misfortune of coming out after the rushed and half-baked FranchiseZombie ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' and the universally-reviled ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'', leading to fans being less willing to give it a chance. Negative reviews revolving around its difficulty didn't help, either, and ultimately it was the final X game aside from ''Maverick Hunter X'' (a remake of [[VideoGame/MegaManX1 the original game]] intending to kickstart a whole series of remakes, but which itself didn't sell well enough to justify more than one) and what may be a vague tease of a new entry in the Japanese manual for the ''Legacy Collection''.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' featured one named ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon''. Despite having a few unique chips and legitimately interesting Navis to fight, ''4'' suffered ''strongly'' from being ChristmasRushed, with bugs out the wazoo, a strongly-disliked NewGamePlus mechanic [[FakeLongevity forcing players who wanted to see everything to beat the game three times]], and [[BlindIdiotTranslation the single worst English translation the franchise has ever seen]]. Even when taking the fact that ''3'' was a ToughActToFollow, it's not hard to see why people lost faith in the series after this. Even though ''5'' and ''6'' were much better received, they weren't able to receive quite as much attention as ''3'' and ''4'' did, due mostly to ''4''. ''6'' was somewhat hampered by being released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance as opposed to the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2006 (outside of Japan), when a lot of players had made the swap.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' did not escape the same fate as its predecessor series, with the game responsible being ''Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian and Zerker X Ninja'', which was rife with mediocrity -- both in story (essentially undoing the CharacterDevelopment the characters went through in the first game) and in gameplay (the game is not very balanced at all). While there was a third game, ''Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace and Red Joker'', which got the series' act together, their sales did not recover and the series ended on the third installment consequently.
* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' used to be a niche franchise with a strong following among Japanese audiences as a serious competitor to Koei's ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' for the UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod hack and slash game. Then NHK Channel released a popular drama TV Series ''Sanada-maru'', revolving around the life of the soldier/general UsefulNotes/SanadaYukimura, who was featured heavily in both games. Both [[DuelingWorks/{{Games}} Dueling Games]] decided to cash in on this with their series spin-offs, ''[[VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors Spirit of Sanada]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SengokuBasara Yukimura-den]]''... the latter of the two being the death knell of the franchise due to its DarkerAndEdgier feel and meager content despite its full price. ''Yukimura-den'' bombed so hard that Capcom stopped producing any new mainline ''SB'' games, only keeping the franchise alive with merchandising, stage-plays, a HighSchoolAU anime (''Gakuen Basara/Basara Academy''), and finally a mobile gacha game (''Sengoku Basara Battle Party''), the latter of which only lasted for 18 months until it was shut down. The only recognition ''SB'' has received since then is the appearance of Oichi in Capcom's intra-continuity crossover card game, ''VideoGame/{{Teppen|2019}}''.
* ''VideoGame/SteelBattalion: Heavy Armor'' was the death knell for what was a highly immersive and decent HumongousMecha franchise. While most of the reviews praise the ''concept'' behind ''Heavy Armor'', such as its story and the desired gameplay effect, almost everyone takes umbrage with the execution, which is to say [[{{Waggle}} the mandatory Kinect interface]] and [[InterfaceScrew its inability to accurately translate player motions into in-game actions]]. Between scathing reviews and sales figures below even those of the original ''Steel Battalion'' (which was a break-even affair in the first place), Capcom has made no mention of sequels to redeem the title or even a patch to smooth out the control issues.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' has two different franchise killers, released within a three-year timeframe.
** First, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' attempted to ([[CapcomSequelStagnation finally]]) push the series forward in both story and roster. Unfortunately, it received a lukewarm reception from consumers [[AudienceAlienatingPremise due to]] removing every fan-favorite character ''except'' Ryu and Ken [[note]]who were originally meant to be absent themselves, with Sean, Ken's student, as the sole {{Shoto|clone}} in the games; Capcom would later add back Akuma in ''Second Impact'' along with Chun-Li in ''Third Strike'', as well as including analogues for Zangief and Guile in those respective games[[/note]], the slower game speed (compared to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha''), and the decision to both remove air-blocking and add [[PunchParry parrying]] (which basically turned it into a new game entirely). However, ''Third Strike'' was eventually VindicatedByHistory thanks to its role in tournament gaming.
** The second killer is 2000's ''VideoGame/{{Street Fighter EX}}3'' which, while somewhat successful, debatably failed to prove that ''Street Fighter'' gameplay could translate into [[VideoGame3DLeap the new 3D graphics era]]. It wouldn't be until 2008's ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' when Capcom would correct both of those issues. The release of ''IV'' and [[GenreRelaunch the fighting game revival it helped usher in]] also ended up mostly {{vindicat|edByHistory}}ing the entire ''EX'' series in the process, as players were able to look back and recognize how several elements [[OlderThanTheyThink introduced in those games]] influenced the development of ''IV'' [[note]]particularly how ''EX'' [[TwoAndAHalfD was almost entirely confined to 2D camera angles]] just like the older installments (the same approach ''IV'' would take) and, unlike the ''III'' series, was mechanically similar to the very popular and acclaimed ''Alpha'' games[[/note]]. As such, ''EX'' is seen more favorably nowadays as an admirable (if not flawed) attempt at making a VideoGame3DLeap, to the point that it's been questioned how much of the criticism back then was legitimate and how much was simply a negative response to [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight Capcom handing over development duties to Arika]] for ''Street Fighter'' installments that didn't use sprites.

[[folder:Eidos Interactive]]
* ''VideoGame/BloodOmen2LegacyOfKain'', after the first three games in the ''Legacy of Kain'' series performed very well, received lukewarm reviews, and to fans of the series its story and design aesthetic were a complete departure from the rest of the franchise. The series stumbled on to ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainDefiance Defiance]]'', which got a bit better reception on both fronts, but it wasn't enough to save the series.
* ''VideoGame/{{Commandos}}: Strike Force'' effectively killed off the ''Commandos'' franchise. It is essentially [[UnexpectedGameplayChange a completely different game]] from its predecessors, [[FollowTheLeader being a pretty generic first-person shooter]] with a [[ReplacementScrappy different cast]]. [[CanonDiscontinuity Even Pyro Studios doesn't acknowledge it anymore.]]
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'':
** ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'', the much-anticipated sequel to the seminal first game, was so poorly received ([[ContestedSequel by the community; it received decent marks from critics]]) that developer Ion Storm Austin was driven to collapse, and the spin-off title ''Deus Ex: Clan Wars'' [[DivorcedInstallment was changed to]] ''VideoGame/ProjectSnowblind'' to remove negative association with the ballyhooed franchise. Another title in the series wouldn't be made until 2011's ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', which was a prequel to the original titles.
** There has been mostly silence in regards to any follow-up to 2016's ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided''. This, combined with unverified reports of the game selling poorly, has led to speculations of the franchise being put to bed for the moment. It should be noted that while the game did perform worse in comparison to ''Human Revolution'' in the UK, its success everywhere else is unconfirmed, and former parent company Square Enix cited the game as part of their profit-increase for that fiscal year. Moreover, Square Enix and Eidos have denied putting the franchise on ice, stating that they will likely return to it when their schedule and resources are available. Despite this, no news of it has surfaced ever since, and Square Enix sold off the company in 2022, with the fate of the sequel in limbo.
* The ''VideoGame/KaneAndLynch'' franchise came to an abrupt end once ''Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days'' was released to lackluster reviews due to its [[JitterCam nauseating shaky cam]], [[ItsShortSoItSucks short length]], and [[NoEnding an insultingly abrupt ending]]. Combined with Square Enix not interested in anything related to ''Kane & Lynch'' after buying out Eidos and developer Creator/IOInteractive returning to their mainstay ''Franchise/{{Hitman}}'' franchise all but killed any plans for a sequel and sending a planned film adaptation into [[DevelopmentHell purgatory]].
* ''Franchise/TombRaider'' was subjected to heavy amounts of ExecutiveMeddling by Eidos through the franchise's life. Due to the huge popularity of the original game, Eidos demanded Creator/CoreDesign make a new ''Tomb Raider'' game every year. The quality of each game took a dip bit by bit during the UsefulNotes/PlayStation era, and by ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles'', it showed; the game is short, has sloppy level design, and is riddled with bugs that can make the game {{Unwinnable}}. ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAngelOfDarkness'' was the last straw due to being delayed twice and then rushed out to meet the fiscal year, which resulted in a ton of glitches, sloppy controls, and cut content. Eidos dissolved Core, and the franchise went into hibernation for a few years until ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' came along, produced by Creator/CrystalDynamics. The franchise was in danger of being sunk once again due to ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' (a remake of the first game) and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld'' being made at the same time due to Eidos continuing to demand the franchise pump out games quickly, causing content and level length to be cut down in the former and various glitches popping up in the latter. Square Enix bought out Eidos and the ''Tomb Raider'' franchise was rebooted ''again'' with ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'', still under Crystal Dynamics and with enough success to warrant two sequels.

[[folder:Electronic Arts]]
* The ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' franchise got killed off after the release of the fourth game in the main series, and that was only a few years after solid hits by the third games of both the main series and the ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert Red Alert]]'' spin-off series. With EA having so many other {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s at the time, ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianTwilight Tiberian Twilight]]'' came and tanked in 2010. EA later announced that it planned on developing a multiplayer-only online-focused free-to-play sequel to ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals Generals]]'', but it also got cancelled. It wouldn't be until 2018 that EA would return to the franchise with the mobile game ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRivals''. Then in June 2020, ''Command and Conquer Remastered'', a VideoGameRemake of ''Tiberian Dawn'' and ''Red Alert 1'', was released with updated features such as 4K graphics, overhauled cutscenes and numerous quality-of-life improvements in terms of gameplay. The reception was very positive and made fans hopeful for the franchise's future, most especially that the remake is handled by Petroglyph Games, which was founded by three former Westworld programmers who originally worked on the franchise.
* Following a decently-received revival of the ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'' franchise in 2010, ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorWarfighter'' was panned for its uninspired storytelling and a mess of bugs, even after a ridiculously large day-one patch. The game is so hated it became a walking punchline for "Bad Modern Military Shooters". Originally meant to plug the gap between bi-yearly ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' releases, the ''Medal of Honor'' franchise (and EA's Los Angeles studio, which was later occupied by ''Battlefield'' creator [=DICE=]) died out as a result of ''Warfighter'''s failure. The franchise would remain buried until the release of ''Above and Beyond'' in 2020, a VR game that returned to the WWII setting that defined the series.
* EA Sports' ''NBA Live'' series was going to be renamed ''NBA Elite'' for the 2011 year. However, the game's demo was so awful that they yanked it and cancelled the game weeks from release. It doesn't help that their primary competitor, Take Two's ''NBA 2K11'', is widely considered one of the best sports games of all time. After sitting the 2011 year out, EA tried to reboot the series in 2012 with ''NBA Live 13'', only for them to cancel ''that'' title as well for similar reasons, resulting in EA conceding the basketball sim market to 2K Sports. Even after ''Live 14'' brought EA back to the basketball sim world, it took a few years for the series to become decent again, but it still lagged far behind the ''NBA 2K'' series in the public eye, which culminated in EA pulling the plug on the series yet again in 2019 when they cancelled ''NBA Live 20'' and haven't released any new games since.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectCARS 3'' in 2020 met a poor reception from fans of the prior two games, who criticized it for abandoning the series' pure simulation approach to auto racing in favor of a "simcade" style, and sales were a mere fraction of those of the second game. As a result, when EA bought Creator/{{Codemasters}}, the parent company of ''Project CARS''[='=] developer Slightly Mad Studios, the following year, they saw little reason to keep the series around, and [[https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ea-dropping-project-cars canceled]] the planned fourth game while transferring Slightly Mad's staff over to their other racing games.
* The ''VideoGame/RockBand'' series fell victim to having [[CapcomSequelStagnation constant spin-offs]] released for the series, which (along with ''GH''[='s=] spin-offs) contributed to a waning interest in the genre. This culminated in ''Music/GreenDay Rock Band'' and ''Rock Band 3'' (released a few months apart) performing under expectations [[AcclaimedFlop despite both being well-received by critics]]. The poor commercial response prompted then-parent [[Creator/ViacomCBS Viacom]] to drop Harmonix (and with it, the MTV Games brand) and EA dropping the distribution rights of the franchise. Without backing from Viacom and EA, Harmonix's ability to get licenses for popular music started to dwindle, and a year or so after the spin-off (but DLC-compatible) game ''VideoGame/RockBandBlitz'', DLC releases reached their end. It took four years for Harmonix to announce anything new for the series -- 2015's ''Rock Band 4'', which was published directly by Harmonix. That, too, fell to lukewarm reactions, with most critics deriding it as being "[[ItsTheSameNowItSucks more of the same]]", and it never took off the way its predecessors did. With Harmonix now appearing to be going back to its roots as evidenced by the 2016 ''[[VideoGame/FrequencyHarmonix Amplitude]]'' reboot, ''Rock Band 4'' might not have just killed off the ''Rock Band'' series again, but also [[GenreKiller taken the entire genre of peripheral-based rhythm games with it]].
* ''VideoGame/SimCity2013''[='=]s messy launch, caused mostly by the game's early requirements of a persistent Internet connection that lead to the game being unplayable due to overloaded servers, combined with significantly cut-down gameplay compared to its predecessors and a litany of bugs, lead to overwhelming negative reception from fans and critics that doomed the long-running city management series. The runaway success of ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines'' then marked the nail in the coffin for ''[=SimCity=]'', at least for the forseeable future. ''SC 2013''[='=]s failure also played a big part in [[CreatorKiller the main Maxis studio being closed down and John Riccitiello losing his position as EA's CEO.]]
* Though ''VideoGame/UltimaIX: Ascension'' was already planned to bring the third trilogy of games to a close, it resulted in a horribly BrokenBase. Development nevertheless started on ''Ultima X'', which was never finished.
* Oddly enough, the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series wasn't shot down by any of its ''video game'' entries; titles such as ''VideoGame/Privateer2TheDarkening'' and ''Wing Commander Prophecy'', while not without their flaws, weren't enough to take the franchise down. That dishonor instead goes to the [[BoxOfficeBomb financial disaster]] that was the [[Film/WingCommander film adaptation]], which falls into the same traps that most film adaptations of video games [[VideoGameMoviesSuck usually fall into]]. A painful example of a franchise killer caused by an entry ''in an entirely separate medium''--a promised sequel to the popular ''Wing Commander: Secret Ops,'' ''Wing Commander Strike Team,'' never saw the light of day, and a weak arena shooter for Xbox Live remains the only appearance of the franchise ever since.

[[folder:Interplay]]
* The double whammy of ''Clayfighter 63 1/3'' and ''Clayfighter X-Treme'' ultimately killed the ''VideoGame/ClayFighter'' franchise. ''63 1/3'' is an ObviousBeta with dated graphics, annoying voice clips and glitchy, unbalanced gameplay. Although the game was a modest commercial success, its critical reception was so bad that Interplay released a Director's Cut six months later that addresses some (but not all) of the gameplay and balancing issues of ''63 1/3''. Meanwhile, ''X-Treme'' fell into DevelopmentHell and never even saw release. Other than a Virtual Console re-release of the original, the series has been completely dormant ever since.
* There was a fourth ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'' game planned, but it was cancelled due to poor sales of ''Descent 3'' and Creator/{{Interplay}} going bankrupt.
* The first ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' is great and became a classic, and the sequel is still pretty good (even if it tries a bit too hard to be wacky), but [[ThirdIs3D the third game]] ''Earthworm Jim 3D'', no longer developed by the original creators, is terrible despite the prolonged development period. Frame rate issues, lame "zany" humor and gameplay copied from more famous 3D platformers are just a few of the game's problems. However, the even more terrible Game Boy Color game, ''Menace 2 the Galaxy'', killed the franchise for good; as attempts to get a new game off the ground (in particular, a new installment for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, and a tentatively-titled ''Earthworm Jim 4'') have frequently stalled in development before seeing cancellation.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutBrotherhoodOfSteel'', combined with the cancellation of the [[VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren original version of]] ''Fallout 3'', halted Interplay's run on the Fallout franchise. ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' wouldn't come back until Bethesda Softworks acquired the series and breathed new life into it with their own version of ''VideoGame/Fallout3''.

[[folder:Koei / Tecmo]]
* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameIII'''s abysmal sales killed the franchise outside of its native Japan for a long time. ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaskOfTheLunarEclipse'' was [[NoExportForYou never released outside Japan]] due to {{game breaking bug}}s that neither Creator/{{Nintendo}} nor Creator/{{Tecmo}} were willing to address. Europe and Australia did, however, receive a Wii remake of the second title in the series, as ''VideoGame/FatalFrameII: Deep Crimson Butterfly'' (the lack of an American release may have something to do with Nintendo of America wanting to focus most of its attention on the then-unreleased Wii U). The series saw two other releases outside Japan with a 3DS spin-off called ''VideoGame/SpiritCameraTheCursedMemoir'', and another mainline entry on the Wii U entitled ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'', but neither game got much love from fans or critics, and it took six years since ''Maiden of Black Water''[='=]s initial release for Koei Tecmo to try to revitalize interest in the series by porting the game to [=PS4=], [=PS5=], Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X, which thankfully worked well enough to result in an UpdatedRerelease of the fourth game, finally officially bringing it overseas as well.
* ''Monster Rancher EVO'' is thought to have killed the ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher'' series. The raising mechanics are dumbed down and music minigames are shoehorned in, and the game was received poorly by both fans and critics. Though the death of disc swapping in modern consoles may have been a part of it as well, it was the last console ''Monster Rancher'' game and no new ''Monster Rancher'' games that weren't an {{Allegedly Free Game}} were released since 2010, until an UpdatedRerelease of the first two games came out for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and was released in English in December 2021.
* The ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' [=PS3=]/Xbox 360 series took a sharp dive in quality when producer/director Tomonobu Itagaki departed from Team Ninja to form his own studio following the release of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', as evidenced by the negative reception to ''Ninja Gaiden III''. The ''NGIII'' re-release ''Razor's Edge'' would try to undo some of the damage, but it wasn't enough. The spin-off title ''VideoGame/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ'' flopped even harder, leaving Ryu Hayabusa and friends to continue their adventures in the SharedUniverse of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' for the time being.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rygar}}: The Legendary Adventure'' is a good game, but didn't perform well enough to continue the series. It was [[PortingDisaster less-than-spectacularly ported]] to the Wii several years thereafter, sealing the fate of the franchise. Tecmo announced a ''Rygar 2'' at one point, but it ended up being {{vaporware}}.
* Five years elapsed between ''VideoGame/WinBack'' and its sequel, which in the end turned out completely awful and flopped.

[[folder:Konami / Hudson Soft]]
* ''VideoGame/BloodyRoar 4'' is considered the worst entry in the franchise by its small but dedicated fanbase, and no new entries have been made since its 2004 release. While Hudson Soft would begin re-releasing past entries on the [=PlayStation Network=] service towards the end of the decade, this ceased after Konami absorbed the company, and nothing has been done with the franchise ever since.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'': The critical and commercial failure of ''VideoGame/BombermanActZero'' soured many people on the franchise. While there would further releases over the next four years that scored lukewarm reception, ''Act:Zero'' was the last retail release the series saw before going dormant internationally after ''Bomberman Dojo''. The series would not leave Japan until six years later with the retail release of ''Super Bomberman R'' in 2017.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'': The creation of the 3D ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' continuity was done in response to the diminishing sales of the 2D installments, and while the first ''Lords of Shadow'' proved to be a surprising success, a combination of middling review scores for ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow2 Lords of Shadow 2]]'' and complaints of ExecutiveMeddling within developer [=MercurySteam=] (developers of the ''Lords of Shadow'' games) halted not only the sub-series, but led to it being the last new console entry in the franchise as a whole. The series would instead continue on via slot machines, mobile games, and adaptations such as the [[WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017 2017 animated series]].
* ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution X'' killed the franchise outside of Asia; not because of the game itself, but because of the BadExportForYou fiasco surrounding the arcade hardware. In Asia, Konami offered upgrade kits for old machines as well as brand-new redesigned cabinets with HD monitors. In North America and Europe, however, Konami contracted things to Raw Thrills and Betson. Upgrade kits were available, but rare, while the common brand new cabinet was a cheap knock-off of the redesigned HD cabinets. Case in point: the pad was covered by one single piece of metal, with holes punched through it for the arrows, and the control panel on the cabinet was just blank metal with no decoration. The RT/Betson cabinets were inferior in quality to the Japanese ones, and broke as easily as peanut brittle, yet they were still thousands of dollars more expensive than upgrading an old cabinet would've been. This led to lots of arcades buying a new machine, only to find out it was crap. Making this worse is that a dedicated ''VideoGame/InTheGroove 2'' cabinet had been introduced to North American arcades some years prior, which was no longer on the market, but increased players' expectations for quality. To this day, there are still old, broken-down [=RT/Betson=] ''DDR X'' cabinets scattered around North America, and neither ''X3'' nor DDR 2013 received international releases. While Betson ''tried'' to update the cabinets with ''X2'', the cabinets looked nearly identical and retained some issues, further reinforcing the notion of poor build quality. Konami later partnered with Dave & Busters, and the U.S. locations of Japanese arcade chain [=Round1=], to offer DDR 2014 location tests. Successful tests led to the international release of DDR A, beginning with the United States launch on July 6, 2016, which used Japanese cabinets with localized software, with other regions following later.
* The ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'' series is a [[NoExportForYou primarily Japan-only]] series that was wildly successful for a time in its native land. The handful of games that were translated didn't have great sales, but are well-regarded as cult classics, chiefly for their {{Flanderization}} of Japanese mythology, as well as a bizarre, zany sense of humour. Unfortunately, in 2000, a DarkerAndEdgier reboot (''Bōken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon'') for the [=PS2=] wound up being a critical and commercial failure and signalled the series' demise. The series pushed out a few more phone- and portable-based games, but the franchise has not had a proper new entry since 2005 and appears all but dead now save a Mii Fighter costume for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} III'' did not perform as well in Japanese arcades as its predecessors due to a SequelDifficultySpike that drove away most of the players except for the truly hardcore. As a result, the only home conversion of the game for many years was a [[ReformulatedGame reformulated port]] for the SNES that tones the difficulty to a fair extent. It would be another ten years before Konami decided to produce a fourth ''Gradius'' game for the arcades.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' had ''VideoGame/MetalGearSurvive''. The series was in a precarious state in the 2010s due to management feuding with Creator/HideoKojima over the development cost of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' (which led to that game's TroubledProduction), and a larger overall shift towards lowering development costs by shifting towards mobile and arcade titles. After Kojima left Konami over the debacle in order to make his game studio go full-independent, the company still desired to keep the ''Metal Gear'' franchise alive, leading to the creation of ''Survive''. The absence of the series' creator resulted in the game getting a highly negative response from the moment it was announced, and upon release, fans and critics alike saw it as [[FollowTheLeader yet another]] "zombie survival shooter" when the market was already full of them rather than anything similar in tone to prior entries. This wasn't helped by the game having numerous features that saw additional criticism, most notably having to pay real life money for an extra save slot. As such, the game became a complete bomb and it further convinced Konami to stay away from both ''Metal Gear'' and AAA video game productions.\\\
While Konami would return to making a wide range of console and PC titles the following decade (after being made into a target of mockeries thanks to this whole debacle), outside of the franchise's cast cameoing in other games both within Konami's library (e.g. ''Super Bomberman R'') and outside it (e.g. Solid Snake as a GuestFighter in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series), ''Metal Gear'' as a whole would be declared missing in action over the next eight years: both because of ''Survive''[='=]s failure and Konami still wishing to avoid the high-production costs of "AAA gaming". After the eight years, Konami broke their silence and worked to bring the series back into the forefront with the most beloved game of the franchise ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]]'' getting a total next-gen remake for modern platforms alongside a remastered collection of the first five mainline games in the series, both developed-in house. However, it's still up in the air whether they could produce a good result without Kojima or how this could undo the massive damage they have done to their fandom.
* ''VideoGame/RumbleRoses'' suffered from a BrokenBase before it was even released, with both {{Anime}} and ProfessionalWrestling fans interested in the game. During development, while it became obvious the game was designed to cater to the former, it was still a decent enough wrestling game that the latter camp wasn't fully alienated. Then came the sequel, ''Rumble Roses XX'', with a labyrinthine and ludicrously time-consuming unlocking system, a completely pathetic create-a-wrestler feature, and a boring street fighting mode that no one liked. But what really hurt the game most was the "Queens Match Mode", where fights were done to emulate a style of Japanese erotica: international fans saw this as extremely creepy, unwanted FanDisservice and abandoned the series. Though it probably didn't help that ''RRXX'' was released only on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360, when the original game was exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 either. While there were plans were to eventually port the title to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, the game's poor sales meant such plans were abandoned.
* In 2014, the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series of SurvivalHorror games had been on shaky ground for years thanks to a long series of [[BrokenBase divisive entries]]. That said, the announcement of ''VideoGame/SilentHills'', a new game made by Creator/HideoKojima and Creator/GuillermoDelToro, was met with enormous hype as a game that would hopefully WinBackTheCrowd, especially after its standalone demo, titled ''P.T.'', stunned and terrified nearly everybody who played it. However, while ''P.T.'' became a seminal influence on a generation of indie horror games in the mid-late '10s, the game it was meant as a teaser for never saw the light of day, experiencing a deeply TroubledProduction (one closely connected to that of the aforementioned ''Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain'') that ultimately ended with it getting canceled, Kojima leaving Creator/{{Konami}} on [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt very bad terms]], and ''P.T.'' being removed from the [=PlayStation=] Store and treated by Konami as though [[BuryYourArt it had never been made]]. With that, the creepy lakeside town lay empty for nearly a decade. Until the announcement in 2022 of a pair of new ''Silent Hill'' games, the only thing connected to the franchise to see the light of day was a highly controversial pachinko machine that, to many Western fans, illustrated [[AudienceAlienatingEra the depths that Konami had sunk to]] and [[OvershadowedByControversy made it easy for them to forget]] that just like the cast of ''Metal Gear'', Konami still let some of the characters from ''Silent Hill'' make sporadic cameos in a few places as another proof of their existence (though mostly limited to [[BreakoutVillain the iconic Pyramid Head]]).
* The ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series was one of Konami's greatest JRPG series, and yet, it slowly died out far before the big controversy that embroiled Konami: While ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' was nicely received, it was considered somewhat [[ToughActToFollow a step-down to their previous magnum opus]] (''VideoGame/SuikodenII''). Then ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' happened: The gameplay was [[BrokenBase extremely controversial]], the story was considered mediocre, and it was a distant prequel, which means there wouldn't be as much returning characters, that it alienated many longtime fans and saw a huge drop in sales. Konami then tried to alleviate with both ''VideoGame/SuikodenTactics'' and ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', both of them were received better than ''IV'', but not enough to cover for the losses caused by ''IV''. It was at that time Konami decided that they might not be able to follow up with the verse created by [[MyRealDaddy Yoshitaka Murayama]], so for their next game, ''[[VideoGame/SuikodenTierkreis Tierkreis]]'', they decided to use a new universe and overhauling the gameplay altogether. [[BrokenBase That opened up a new can of worms.]] At that point, Konami just gave up: They released one final game, ''VideoGame/SuikodenWovenWebOfTheCenturies'', [[NoExportForYou didn't let it leave Japan]], and that's the last we heard of ''Suikoden''. All of these could be pinpointed from the massive flop that is ''IV'', cementing its place as the FranchiseKiller. However, somehow there is still a slight hope: After unveiling the HD remaster of the first two games, one of Konami's developers stated that they're interested in creating more ''Suikoden'' games. It's still unknown what kind of game they're planning or whether it will succeed in bringing ''Suikoden'' back from the grave.

[[folder:Nintendo]]
* ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'' effectively put the kibosh on the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series [[SeriesHiatus for a]] ''[[SeriesHiatus very]]'' [[SeriesHiatus long time]], all while Creator/IntelligentSystems chose to instead refocus its efforts on ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', which had eventually proven to be far more successful[[note]][[EarnYourHappyEnding Emphasis on eventually]]; ''Fire Emblem'' itself would've met this fate if ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' didn't prove to be the series' BreakthroughHit[[/note]]. ''Days of Ruin'' attempted to breathe some fresh air into the [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun perpetually bright and cheerful]] franchise by transplanting it into a [[DarkerAndEdgier more dismal, post-apocalyptic environment]] and giving it a much heavier emphasis on story, all in an attempt to better appeal to the American fanbase ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff where the series had quickly become more popular]]). However, the reception from both critics and players was [[AudienceAlienatingPremise completely alienated by the premise]], leading to the game absolutely ''tanking'' sales wise (it only sold a measly 430K in the West, and even worse everywhere else), with critical and fan reception being [[SoOkayItsAverage not much better]]. It's because of this commercial failure compounded with the lukewarm reception that the ''Nintendo Wars'' series hasn't seen a new installment for ''15 years.'' However, a remake of the first two games by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies would be released in 2023 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, giving fans hope for a full-on revival, but [[YankTheDogsChain even this wasn't entirely without a hitch]] as [[ScheduleSlip it was originally to release in 2021 and it got delayed by a whole year]] ''[[ScheduleSlip twice]]'' due to a double-whammy of [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19]] and [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents distancing itself]] from the [[UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].
* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'' saw a string of failures in the West, though it wasn't a great seller in its home country either: ''Park Patrol'' (which shifted away from the first game's housekeeping concept) sold very poorly in the US largely due to being a Wal-Mart exclusive, ''Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!'' (a return-to-form) was [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]], and ''Chibi Robo: Photo Finder'' (which once again deviated from the original's gameplay) saw average reviews across the board. ''Chibi Robo: Zip Lash'' (another gameplay deviation) would be the franchise's final chance at life, and even tried to jump in on the Toys/{{amiibo}} craze by having one release exclusively bundled with the game. The amiibo didn't help and it completely bombed. The last time the character would be mentioned by the company was in 2018, when Nintendo of America's Twitter account released a picture of Chibi [[ManOnFire engulfed in flames]] (a power-up from ''Zip Lash'') in reference to [[https://kotaku.com/well-that-was-a-weird-way-to-do-a-nintendo-direct-1821993207 fans going insane over a rumored Direct]]. Either that or Nintendo's admission that they've decided to literally TorchTheFranchiseAndRun. Outside of that, Chibi-Robo and friends still appear as cameos in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.
* ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'' ended with its DS installment, ''Arena'', the second game released outside of Japan following ''Battle Revolution'' on the [=GameCube=] (known as just ''Custom Robo'' in English). While ''Battle Revolution'' is somewhat well-known, ''Arena'' was released early in the DS's lifespan and flew under the radar, putting the series on hold since 2007 aside from ''Super Smash Bros.'' representation, and even that lessened over time (Ray Mk. III is one of the only [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophy characters]] to be dropped between games).
* 2007's ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongBarrelBlast'', while [[BrokenBase not without its fans]], was generally ill-received and ended the line of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' spin-offs that had persisted throughout the 2000s decade following Creator/{{Rare}}'s departure. Funnily enough, most fans ''don't'' see this as a bad thing; this era of the series was widely considered to be [[AudienceAlienatingEra alienating for them]], and fans were happy that Nintendo took it as a sign to return to the popular ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' sub-series after a 10-year hiatus, with Creator/RetroStudios' ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' releasing in 2010.
* ''VideoGame/FZero'', though it was partly due to [[Anime/FZeroGPLegend the anime]]. Nintendo was eager to turn ''F-Zero'' into one of their big franchises and bankrolled an animated series, presumably intending to replicate the success of ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa''. Unfortunately, the show ended up being a ratings flop; particularly in North America, where Creator/FourKidsEntertainment only dubbed the [[UnfinishedDub first 15 episodes (out of 51)]] before washing their hands of it. The two tie-in Game Boy Advance games also did extremely poorly; ''F-Zero: GP Legend'' saw low sales in both Japan and America (becoming the worst-selling first-party GBA release in America), and the NoExportForYou ''Climax'' only sold a minuscule '''5,000 copies''' in Japan in its opening week before falling off the charts. In the years afterward, lead character Captain Falcon would become more associated with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' than anything else, and while games like ''VideoGame/NintendoLand'' and the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series paid tribute to its courses and music, interviews with Nintendo staff like Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto were clear about the lack of internal interest in making a new installment. It would take until 2023, nineteen years after ''Climax'', before a new ''F-Zero'' game would release in the form of ''VideoGame/FZero99'', a racing-style BattleRoyaleGame for the Nintendo Switch.
* ''VideoGame/FossilFighters''' third entry, ''Frontier'', received mixed critical reception and wasn't received well by fans of the already-niche series due to its many changes from the first two games. As such, ''Fossil Fighters'' hasn't been acknowledged since 2015 outside of ''Super Smash Bros.'' representation.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' wasn't a bad game and it got decent reviews, but many critics and fans heavily criticized the game's bland and unfocused story, the outdated battle system, and the overall easy difficulty. Between the criticisms and the game selling less than the previous game, the chances of 2010's ''Dark Dawn'' getting a sequel is very unlikely.
* The ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series experienced this with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS VideoGameRemake of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. [=AlphaDream=] made ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey'' for the 3DS rather than the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch due to timing and the desire to retain the dual-screen gameplay, but this may have been a poor decision. While it was critically well-received, a mixture of it releasing far too late in the handheld's lifespan (almost two years after the release of its successor), along with minimal marketing and the original game still being available to play on the system via backwards compatibility, resulted in becoming one of the worst-selling ''Mario'' games of all-time. Not only did this lead to the death of the series, but was one of several factors that led to [[CreatorKiller AlphaDream's bankruptcy]], and the game's failure prompted Nintendo to scrap all plans for supporting the portable with new software past 2019, with the last first-party published 3DS title becoming the already-announced ''Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn''.
* The poor reception of 2010's ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' is generally considered to have put the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series on ice for a second time.[[note]]The first was the long hiatus between ''[[VideoGame/SuperMetroid Super]]'' in 1994 and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Prime]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidFusion Fusion]]'' in 2002, which was the result of [[ToughActToFollow the exact opposite problem]].[[/note]] Despite good initial sales, poor word-of-mouth took its toll, and -- in an absolute rarity for any Nintendo-published game -- new copies were rapidly marked down to bargain price. Series producer and co-creator Creator/YoshioSakamoto announced that he would personally take a break from the series while he worked on other games, and development on a multiplayer ''Metroid'' spin-off by Creator/NextLevelGames was halted in favor of them producing ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon''. NLG would return to the project afterward and release ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' in 2016, but it would become the worst-selling game in the series by a wide margin, being outright rejected by the fan base and receiving lukewarm critical reception. Thankfully, Nintendo was far from done with the series. The following year would have the announcement of two new games: the 3D ''Metroid Prime 4'' and the 2D ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', the latter releasing just months later to both critical and fan acclaim.
* ''Planet VideoGame/PuzzleLeague'' is considered a perfectly good game on its own, but received extremely negative consumer reception in Japan for almost completely ditching the {{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}} aspect it had always sold itself on in the region. Other than a few UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole rereleases of the original ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'' (including an international release of the original game on the Switch's online service, although untranslated), there hasn't been a new stand-alone game in the series since 2007. The closest thing to a new release since then has been a mini-game in the 2016 ''Welcome amiibo'' update of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf''.
* While ''Franchise/StarFox'' saw [[BrokenBase mixed fan reception]] with every game from ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' onward, with there being a SequelGap after ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' due to development for a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} installment never getting off the ground, it is ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' for the UsefulNotes/WiiU that fits this trope. ''Zero'' saw the biggest polarizing reactions from both critics and fans alike, thanks to its unconventional control scheme and removal of staple features, with longtime fans also being frustrated that it would serve as the series' third ContinuityReboot. The result was ''Zero'' getting middling sales internationally and becoming [[https://www.destructoid.com/star-fox-zero-sales-off-to-a-series-worst-in-japan-359113.phtml the worst-selling game in the franchise in Japan]]. Outside the surprise release of ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' (the [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment shelved]] SNES sequel of the original game) on the SNES Classic and Nintendo Switch Online, there hasn't been a new game since. ''Star Fox'' characters would be included in the Switch version of Ubisoft's 2018 game ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'' and even have their own exclusive mission, but despite it being well-received and the Switch version selling the best, that game ''also'' sold poorly overall due to being a ToysToLifeGame released just as the fad had all-but-died.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'', the fifth and final entry of the ''Starfy'' series, released in 2009. It is also [[NoExportForYou the only game in the series to release outside of Japan, and didn't even come out in Europe]]. While it did get good reviews in North America, it sold poorly internationally, and it wasn't received as well as the first four games in Japan, mainly due to being dumbed-down from the previous titles. The little star hasn't been seen outside of cameos in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series since.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWorld'', ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise'', and ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' all received decent reviews from critics, but they sold so poorly that the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series hasn't seen any new installments since the latter's release in 2008. However, not only does Wario himself remain a staple of ''Mario'' spinoff titles, ensuring that the character remains relevant, but he continues to have his own games in the form of the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series.
* The UsefulNotes/WiiU, while not causing Nintendo to leave the hardware industry, did kill off the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} brand. The company failed to market the system in a manner that distinguished it from its predecessor, with the general public overall coming away believing it was an add-on/peripheral (assuming they have heard of it at all). In addition, response was tepid from the hardcore gamer demographic that Nintendo also attempted to target the system towards ([[UncertainAudience at the same time as the casual gaming crowd]]) due to the system's underpowered hardware and lukewarm third-party support. As a result of all this, the Wii U became the worst-selling Nintendo home console in history at only 13 million units. For their [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch next console]], Nintendo dropped the brand and severely de-emphasized the Mii characters that have become associated with it, with only one game in the Switch's entire library (''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'') actually requiring use of them. Even ''VideoGame/NintendoSwitchSports'' heavily emphasized new in-game avatars called "Sportsmates", while [[DemotedToExtra Miis were barely featured in any advertising at all]] despite still existing as a customization option.

[[folder:Sega]]
* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd and the Enchanted Castle'' flopped so badly that Sega ditched the eponymous character as their mascot, and replaced him with Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog. While Alex probably didn't have much of a future as Sega's mascot anyway, since the company wanted a more "hip" audience for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]], his series would probably have survived if ''Enchanted Castle'' had been better received. Instead, he appeared in the DolledUpInstallment ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'' before being relegated to making cameos and occasional playable appearances in the ''VideoGame/SegaSuperstars'' line of crossover games. It would take ''over 30 years'' for Alex to get a new game in 2021's ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX'', a remake of the first game courtesy of publisher Merge Games (having acquired the license from Sega) and developer Jankenteam.
* After their parent company Creator/{{THQ}} went out of business, Relic Entertainment were bought by Sega and later developed ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarIII'', the much-anticipated third installment in the popular 40K [=RTS=] ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' franchise. ''Dawn of War III'' was received ''far'' more negatively than either of the previous two entries (or their expansions) for fiddling with, removing and rewriting gameplay mechanics and plot developments that the franchise had since day 1. In 2018, Relic officially announced the game would receive no further updates or expansions, leaving [=DOW3=] dead in the water, and the entire franchise most likely finished.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe: Beast Rider'' is a failed attempt to translate the gameplay of the classic side-scrolling beat-em-up series to 3D, and did enough lasting damage to put an end to any further games in the franchise.
* ''VideoGame/NightsJourneyOfDreams'' attempted to revive the ''[=NiGHTS=]'' franchise, which had been dormant at the time in spite of the modest success of ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams''[[note]]this is largely thanks to ''Air [=NiGHTS=]'', the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally planned sequel to the game]], being stuck in DevelopmentHell for much of the late 1990s and early 00s, before it was cancelled and later replaced by ''Journey of Dreams''[[/note]]. Instead though, it would effectively kill off the franchise due to a mixture of low sales and a lukewarm critical reception. Outside of a HD remaster of the first game, a casino game and occasional crossover appearances, Sega has done next to nothing with the franchise and there hasn't been a new game since 2007. While Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka has expressed a desire to do a third game, he has also indicated that Sega has little interest in revisiting the IP and that there are no plans for a true revival.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn basically ensured the demise of Sega's console division before the UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}} was even out. The Saturn era was marred with numerous business and technical issues, including poor developer and publisher relations, the system's complex architecture being difficult to program for, the cancelation of the system's mainline [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] game, [[NoExportForYou many of the system's best games never leaving Japan]], and the team behind the Sega Genesis's success leaving Sega of America and their replacements actively working to sabotage or bury the system. Then there was the release of the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation which attracted customers and developers alike with its lower price, simpler hardware, and a laxer content policy. The premature discontinuation of the Saturn as well as the Sega 32X add-on led to Sega gaining a reputation for dropping support for hardware if it wasn't selling well, which affected Dreamcast sales post-launch: Why entrust your money to a company known for dropping hardware support like a hot potato when the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 was around the corner? The money Sega lost on the Saturn was so great that the Dreamcast would've had to sell an unreasonable number of units to save the company's console division. Sega would bow out of the console business for good in 2001 to go 3rd party.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was a Franchise Killer after the first episode in the US, owing both to the failure of the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast and slow gameplay, but the second episode (of a proposed four) was released on Dreamcast to the rest of the world, and was exclusive to Xbox in America. Unfortunately, the second episode managed to fail financially on both consoles, rendering its ''huge and startling cliffhanger'' the end. With the mastermind behind the series, Yu Suzuki, getting shoved to a new department and then quitting Sega not long afterwards, the fate of the series remained bleak until a Kickstarter campaign for a highly-publicized ''Shenmue III'' Kickstarter campaign, developed by Suzuki's studio Ys.Net, was launched in 2015. The game was successfully funded (with the ''Shenmue III'' campaign breaking the pledge record for video games on Kickstarter) and eventually saw release in 2019, rekindling hope in fans that the entire saga will finally --against all odds-- be completed someday... at least until that game ''also'' saw poor sales, in addition to critics and fans alike panning the game for its outdated mechanics and for doing little-to-nothing to progress the story, leaving ''Shenmue'' fans on basically the same cliffhanger they were left on two decades prior.\\\
''Shenmue'' is also something of a SunkCostFallacy that [[CreatorKiller killed off the old Sega]] as well as caused Yu Suzuki to be KickedUpstairs as a result (which, after being forced by management to make a racing game that competed against Sega’s own cash cow ''Manga/InitialD'' franchise and failing horribly, also caused him to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave Sega]] shortly after). Depending on who you believe, at the time, the ''Shenmue'' project cost anywhere from $47 million to $70 million US dollars to create. While not a surprising figure for AAA game development even a decade later (in fact, it would be considered on the low-end for the WideOpenSandbox genre nowadays), that was a sizeable chunk of change at the time, and the latter figure would have been an industry record. During this time, Sega's finances were none too good and the Dreamcast ultimately underperformed. The game didn't profit - it's been said that every single Dreamcast owner would have had to buy two copies of the game just to break even - and it's probably fair to suspect it depleted money from the company at a time where they couldn't afford to. Sega did survive to go third-party after the DC went bust, but only because of an especially generous shareholder, and even then didn't last much longer before being bought by Sammy Corp. and accordingly "[[ExecutiveMeddling retooled]]".
* Sega's ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' franchise was killed quite dead by the poor ''Shinobi Legions'' installment in 1995, not returning until a reboot in 2002. It died again in 2003 with ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'', which itself is a perfectly good game, but had little to no marketing and its link to the ''Shinobi'' franchise is not played up, so it sits in obscurity. A later installment for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS received decent reviews, but failed to sell well enough to properly re-vitalize the series, compounded by developer Griptonite Games' acquisition and closure shortly after the game's release.
* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise has somehow managed to avoid this despite the reception of most of the modern Sonic games ([[CashCowFranchise due to him being one of Sega's few cash cows]]). That said, several spin-offs and branches of the series have not escaped unscathed.
** After over a decade of dormancy, Sega returned to the original "classic" branch of ''Sonic The Hedgehog'' games that kickstarted the franchise on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis through the downloadable ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' series at the start of TheNewTens. ''Episode I'' was an interesting case--when originally announced, it was embraced as a return to classic form, and it received modest reviews and good sales on release. However, it quickly [[ContestedSequel divided fans]] with a myriad of flaws, most noticeably its [[ObviousBeta broken physics]], [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks different gameplay and character designs]], and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks heavy recycling of content from its predecessors]].[[note]]This sentiment is reflected by reviewers in [[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/11/25/top-ten-biggest-gaming-disappointments-of-2010-4 retrospective]] [[http://kotaku.com/5720176/the-year-in-disappointments pieces]].[[/note]] Spurred by ''Episode I''[='=]s sales, ''Episode II'' was released two years later and also attempted to win fans back by addressing these issues (fixing the physics to be more like the classic games, more unique level designs and ideas) while including other improvements (revamping the graphics from 2.5D to full 3D, adding Tails and [[BreakoutVillain fan-favorite]] Metal Sonic). This didn't work, because reviews were still ambivalent and the base was still broken, though [[VindicatedByHistory in hindsight it's usually agreed to be a]] SurprisinglyImprovedSequel. It actually sold ''worse'' than the previous episode, resulting in [[CutShort a planned third episode being discarded]]. It didn't help that some platforms only got one episode -- the Wii only got ''Episode I'' and the Nvidia Shield only got ''Episode II''. Another attempt at a new classic-styled Sonic game wouldn't be seen until 2017's ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', which was universally agreed to be [[WinBackTheCrowd a real return to form]].
** There were only two games in the spin-off ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Storybook Series]]'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} console, as neither ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' or ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'' did much to impress critics or players (at least [[VindicatedByHistory at the time]]).
** The series' line of original handheld ''Sonic'' games (which comprised a handful of UsefulNotes/GameGear titles, ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', and the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'') cannibalized itself with the near back-to-back releases of the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' series and the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable[='=]s ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' series, neither of which performed well in sales[[note]]the latter series in particular [[NoExportForYou was never translated to Japanese audiences]][[/note]]. All handheld Sonic games produced afterwards have been handheld counterparts of Sonic Team's console games starting with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', something the franchise hadn't completely done since the Game Gear port of ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball''. These too, however, died off with the release of the handheld counterpart to ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', with the only handheld entries since then being from the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' series. This has also become a moot point with stand-alone handheld systems dying off, and Sega porting console ''Sonic'' games to the console/handheld hybrid UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
** The ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' line of racing spin-off games was killed off by the [[UsefulNotes/Xbox360 Xbox 360/Kinect]]-exclusive third game ''Free Riders''. The game was roundly ripped apart by reviewers and fans alike for [[{{Waggle}} its atrociously-designed Kinect-based control scheme]], which utilized the movement of the player's ''entire body'' for input and was the only control method available for gameplay and menu navigation (compared to the previous two games, which use traditional controllers and use or offered traditional control schemes). Not helping matters was the earlier release of ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'', a general Sega-themed racing game that received far better reviews than any of the existing ''Riders'' titles at the time and outsold the sequels.
** The [[LicensedGame licensed games]] for the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' spinoff animated series, ''Rise of Lyric'' and ''Shattered Crystal'', ended up taking TheProblemWithLicensedGames to a whole new nadir, with both entries becoming the worst-reviewed and worst-selling games in ''the entire Sonic franchise''. While this miraculously didn't stop a third ''Sonic Boom'' game -- ''Fire & Ice'', from the developers of ''Shattered Crystal'' and considered [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a marked improvement]] over it -- from seeing release, it largely flew under the water in terms of sales, making the prospects of future ''Boom'' games afterward rather unlikely; compounded by ''Rise of Lyric'' in particular [[CreatorKiller dealing a critical blow to the studio that made it]]. [[note]]Tellingly, ''Fire & Ice'' was initially slated for release for 2015 -- one year after the release of the first two ''Boom'' games -- before being delayed into 2016, leading some to theorize that ''Fire & Ice'' had started development before ''Rise of Lyric'' and ''Shattered Crystal'' were released, and only existed due to contractual obligations.[[/note]] The reception towards the ''Boom'' games has also been blamed for [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor the entire Boom series gradually stalling out]]; with both the titular television series and its [[ComicBook/SonicBoom line of comic books]] (which while not [[ScrewedByTheNetwork without their own troubles]], were both much better-received than the games) ending without much fanfare in the immediate following years.
* The ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'' franchise was initially hit with the horrendous ''Super Monkey Ball Adventure'', a failed attempt at [[VideoGame3DLeap making the series a 3D platformer]] that was panned for its confusing gameplay and poor controls. While the franchise was able to recover with ''Banana Blitz'', a reboot on the Wii that ended up receiving better reviews and sold reasonably well, it prompted the series to shift its focus to mobile devices for a few years. Unfortunately, the series returned to gaming platforms with a string of unremarkable installments (the Wii sequel ''Step and Roll'', ''Super Monkey Ball 3D'' for the Nintendo 3DS, and ''Banana Splitz'' for the [=PlayStation=] Vita) that were all heavily reliant on gimmicky control schemes and proceeded to run the formula into the ground. Neither game was considerably well-received by reviewers or audiences, consequently resulting in the series pushing out ''Super Monkey Ball Bounce'' -- a ''VideoGame/{{Peggle}}''-[[FollowTheLeader cloned]] pachinko-styled game for smartphones -- before disappearing for good. An HD remaster of ''Banana Blitz'' was eventually announced for Nintendo Switch, [=PS4=], and Xbox One, though it was released to unremarkable reception. It would take two years after that for the series to finally make a true return with the announcement of ''Banana Mania'', a CompilationRerelease / VideoGameRemake of the original two games and ''Deluxe'' for the [=PlayStation=] 2 and Xbox.
* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' died off after the third installment. The first game is considered good by many while the second game is an EvenBetterSequel for fans and critics. However, the third game has numerous problems that plague non-Japanese players due to [[BadExportForYou several changes made overseas]]. [[DifficultySpike The difficulty is cranked up]] to the point where harder difficulty levels mean you take more damage while enemies gain bigger health bars, beating the game on the easy difficulty [[EasyModeMockery gets you mocked for it and denied a real ending]], and the plot is sloppily censored and rewritten. Along with beat-'em-up games dying off as other genres picked up, Sega saw no reason to make another ''Streets of Rage'', yet they went out of their way to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers order a cease and desist on a group of fans]] working on a fan remake of the franchise. Similar to the ''Alex Kidd'' example above, the series was eventually loaned out to other parties (Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush) to get a new game going in 2020's ''Streets of Rage 4''--the first of its kind after ''24 years''.
* ''[[VideoGame/VirtualOn Virtual On MARZ]]'' killed its series. The game was [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changed]] from a 3D FightingGame to an arena-based BeatEmUp (of sorts, ''Virtual On'' has guns), it became single-player, has a horrible, generic anime-like plot, and the English version is plagued by BlindIdiotTranslation. Ironically enough, most of the cameos ''Virtual On'' has gotten elsewhere (outside of indie circles) are more heavily based on ''MARZ'' than any other part of the series, namely in ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Super Robot Wars Alpha 3]]'', in which the robots have human voices. The game also features Hatter, who only appears in MARZ. The series later managed to get a CrossOver with ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and still makes occasional cameos in other games.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series suffered a temporary case that could've very easily wounded up as permanent with the release of ''VideoGame/YakuzaDeadSouls''. Sega heavily marketed the game in the west to [[FollowTheLeader ride the wave of the zombie genre's popularity]] at the time, but after performing so poorly, Sega began to think the ''Yakuza'' series had failed overseas and started to pull the plug on the western releases' presence. It wasn't until Sony partnered with Sega and released ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'' digitally in the west as a Hail Mary that the series was saved outside of Japan, with ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' [[BreakthroughHit finally solidifying the series as an international franchise]].
* During the early 2000s, Sega made new, Xbox-exclusive installments of previous franchises. While a lot of these installments are pretty good, these franchises were never seen again because they suffered from awful sales due to Microsoft not launching their consoles in many countries worldwide, and because the console's target demographic really didin't line up with Sega's game output:
** ''VideoGame/CrazyTaxi 3: High Roller''. While it got decent reviews (and even then, they aren't as positive as the highly-acclaimed first two games), it sold poorly. Other than a few ports of the first game on modern systems, another ''Crazy Taxi'' game was not seen until the free-to-play ''City Rush'' was released more than ten years later.
** ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio Future'', despite receiving large amounts of praise and a huge cult following, didn't sell well (then again, it was kind of Sega's fault; they chose to advertise the Gamecube port of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' more, making it very rare to see the JSRF commercial). When it and ''Sega GT 2002'' were packaged with Xboxes during the Holiday season of 2002, it boosted sales, but still wasn't a top-seller, and the series never got a third installment.
** ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Orta'': Just like ''Shenmue II'' and ''JSRF'', it got lots of praise and a big cult following, but suffered from bad sales. Plus, a majority of the console's demographic wasn't into rail-shooters or fantasy settings anyway. The series went dormant until a remake of the original game released in 2020. Luckily, said remake was well received (at least after a series of patches) and sold well, resulting in a remake for the second game to be announced. If this trend continues, the series may hopefully have a bright future.
** ''Shenmue II'' suffered from awful sales and ended with an unresolved cliffhanger for over a decade.

[[folder:Sierra]]
* ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' was never supposed to be part of a series, and the team that made it was disbanded before Sierra realized they had a hit on its hands. Once they saw how well it did, though, they decided to kick off an entire series with a sequel, ''Return to Krondor''... which, unsurprisingly, is [[ObviousBeta woefully unfinished and underpolished]], making this a bad enough experience for Feist that he's been unwilling to risk a repeat experience.
* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth III'' was a commercial and critical failure and is widely thought to be responsible for the end of the ''Empire Earth'' series [[CreatorKiller and Mad Doc Studios]]. Mad Doc [[BuryYourArt even removed any trace of the game from their website]] before getting bought by [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive Rockstar Games]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}} 2'' didn't exactly flop, but it had a TroubledProduction and the finished article failed to deliver on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the promises of its early trailers]]. Sales were modest and critical reaction mixed at best, and despite rumours that they were open to the idea of a third game, Relic never quite got around to it before the company was wound up. But all is not lost, because the original ''Homeworld'' development team ended up forming their own company and started working on a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts called ''Hardware: Shipbreakers''... at which point Creator/GearboxSoftware, who'd acquired the ''Homeworld'' IP at publisher THQ's bankruptcy auction, offered them a deal to make it [[VideoGame/HomeworldDesertsOfKharak an official prequel]], released in 2016. An [[https://www.fig.co/campaigns/homeworld3 official crowdfunded sequel]] from the same studio is now in the works, due for release in 2022.
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity'' started with a ''very'' unwelcome GenreShift, taking a franchise that prided itself on emphasizing a creative, non-violent option whenever possible and making a hack-and-slash third-person action game, with a DarkerAndEdgier tone that [[ShooOutTheClowns sharply veers from the gentle humor]] and fairy-tale style of the previous seven games. Among those who didn't like the game's new direction were Creator/DavidsonAndAssociates, the owners of Creator/{{Sierra}} who were best known for {{edutainment game}}s; company owners Bob and Jan Davidson, both devout Christians, were outraged over both this game and Sierra's ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria}}'', and the resulting ExecutiveMeddling (including Davidson trying to make their own version of the game) [[TroubledProduction did production no favors]]. What really iced the cake is that ''none'' of the [[BadassFamily Daventry royal family]] get speaking parts -- the PlayerCharacter might as well be from a different franchise entirely. Some fan sites [[FanonDiscontinuity refuse to call it]] a ''King's Quest'' game at all, the Sierra ''King's Quest Collection'' [[CanonDiscontinuity quietly ignores it]], and Roberta Williams herself was so dissatisfied with it that she refused to call the game ''King's Quest VIII'', [[StoppedNumberingSequels removing the numeral from the title altogether]]. ''Mask of Eternity''[='=]s dubious status is reflected in the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'', as [[spoiler: you will receive full points whether or not you choose to knight Connor (acknowledging him as part of ''Mask''[='s=] story arc)]]. Altogether, it caused the series to pause until [[VideoGame/KingsQuest2015 the episodic reboot in 2015]].

[[folder:Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment]]
* The ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' games were put on ice [[NoExportForYou in the west]] after lukewarm sales of ''Ape Escape 3'', but a total franchise killer appears to have happened with the 2011 Playstation Move title, which was a ContinuityReboot that couldn't find an audience at all. There have been no signs of life from the franchise since, aside from a brief tease in 2016.
* ''VideoGame/CoolBoarders 2001'' is the lowest-grossing entry in its franchise aside from the original game, and the last game released (to date) for the series. It features an infamous SequelDifficultySpike comprised of NintendoHard trick challenges within the tutorial course and first stage, focuses more on realism than any of the prior installments, and got lost in the shuffle during a glut of similarly-themed snowboarding games. Two other attempts to jumpstart the franchise bombed as well - ''Cool Boarders: Code Alien'', an entry released the year before in Japan, never sold well enough to make the jump to North America, and ''Cool Boarders: Burrrn!'' (released as ''[[DivorcedInstallment Rippin' Riders]]'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast) failed to make any impact. It got so bad that a planned sequel to ''2001'', ''Sold Out'', had to be canned in early production, and ever since that event, the series hasn't seen another installment, sending UEP Systems‘ famous art of snowboarding down into limbo.
* ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'' has generally received mixed to positive reviews, but nonetheless, it's probably going to go down in history as the game that sank the ''Everquest'' franchise. Its graphical requirements were high for the time it was released, nearly prohibitively so. Aside from that, it was released at the same time as ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. ''[=EverQuest's=]'' player base was split in half. Moreover, ''[=EverQuest 2's=]'' original player base of approximately 500K hemorrhaged within the first year, many of whom switched over to the more popular ''[=WoW=]'' rather than returning to [=EQ1=]. A planned sequel, ''[=EverQuest Next=]'', was cancelled, with the developers claiming that the game ''just wasn't that fun''. Aside from the cancelled sequel, the ''Everquest'' franchise hasn't released any new games since 2005's ''Champions: Return to Arms'', the tie-in novels stopped being written in 2006, and the tabletop RPG being produced by Creator/WhiteWolf is out of print.
* ''VideoGame/GravityRush'' was a WideOpenSandbox ActionRPG that began life as an intended KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, before later seeing an UpdatedRerelease on the far-more successful UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 when it became clear the handheld was doomed in the West. Both versions did well enough, but its [=PS4=]-only sequel (''VideoGame/GravityRush2'') suffered poor sales due to it coming out in an unusually crowded first quarter of major releases alongside higher-profile games such as ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', and ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', all of which overshadowed it. While the developers had originally expressed plans to make a third installment for the UsefulNotes/Playstation5, a triple-punch combination of Sony shutting down ''2'''s online servers only a year after release, creator Keiichiro Toyama leaving the company in 2020 to create his own studio, and Sony effectively shutting down developer's Japan Studio just months later suggest that it is unlikely we'll see more gravity-manipulating adventures featuring Kat.
* ''VideoGame/JetMoto 3'' is a decent game, but it sold poorly, resulting in the planned fourth game being [[{{Vaporware}} cancelled]]. So far, there are no plans to revive the series.
* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'' was once being pushed as one of Sony's mascot properties, with two very successful games. However, [[BTeamSequel the third installment]] was handed off to a different team, got ChristmasRushed, and had to work on both [=PS3 and PS4=], which resulted in an ObviousBeta. This also meant the main advertised feature of the game, its online multiplayer, didn't really work, as a result of the massive amount of bugs, lack of crossplay, and clumsy netcoding. The series took a break for the rest of the console generation, returning on the [=PS5=] with the 3D platformer ''Sackboy: A Big Adventure''.
* The poor reception to the ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'' UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita sequel ''Road Trip'' due to its lack of online play may have killed the ''[=ModNation=]'' series outright, as nothing else has been released since then and the online servers for the original game were shut down on October 10th, 2018.
* ''VideoGame/{{MotorStorm}}: Apocalypse'' was, by all accounts, a very good game and a solid sequel in what was emerging as a venerable racing franchise, one with a very creative twist on the usual formula at that. There was just one problem: that twist, that the off-road racing would be taking place in a city being destroyed by an earthquake, made the game [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents extremely difficult to market]] in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 10, 2011, which happened just ''six days'' before its planned release. The game saw its release in Japan (and New Zealand, which also suffered a major earthquake in Christchurch in February) [[NoExportForYou canceled outright]], and delays and InvisibleAdvertising in other markets, leading to its understandable failure despite great reviews. Since then, the only new ''[=MotorStorm=]'' game has been an RC spinoff for the [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita Vita]] that was already in production, the franchise having remained dormant since 2012 through no fault of its own.
* ''VideoGame/PaRappaTheRapper'' became an instant hit when it was released and invented the RhythmGame genre. ''VideoGame/UmJammerLammy'' continues the trend that ''[=PaRappa=]'' started, but it didn't sell quite as well due to [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks being more or less the same]] as ''[=PaRappa=]'', including being [[NintendoHard just as difficult]]. While ''[=PaRappa=] the Rapper 2'' isn't a bad game, the game was given lower scores than the two games before it due to not changing the formula, and was also criticized for being [[ItsEasySoItSucks too easy]]. Aside from the games being rereleased on the PSP and [=PlayStation=] Network, the franchise was done for when the RhythmGame genre moved on. Parappa appeared as a fighter in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' and Sony released a remastered version of the first game in 4K graphics for the [=PlayStation=] 4, but there seems to be little interest in continuing the series.
* In a rare console example, the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PlayStation Vita]] was a franchise killer for Sony's handhelds. While their first foray into handheld gaming, the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, did have its issues, it ultimately sold a respectable 80 million units throughout its lifespan, coming the closest of any handheld console towards putting a dent in Nintendo's near-monopoly of the handheld market. And then the PS Vita came out and undid all of Sony's efforts with the PSP. While it eventually saw modest success in Japan, it was a complete failure internationally; selling only an estimated 16 million units in its entire lifetime. Sony would eventually give up on creating games for it or even promoting the system after a few years, and they have since then made it clear that they do not see any future in the dedicated handheld market, instead offering accessories to support Remote Play for their home consoles instead.
* While the ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}'' games never achieved the success of ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', or ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'', they got good reviews and a faithful fandom and became, together with ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'', one of Sony's flagship shooter franchises during UsefulNotes/{{the Seventh Generation|OfConsoleVideoGames}}. That ended in 2012 with the PS Vita GaidenGame ''Resistance: Burning Skies'', which fans and critics saw as a dull retread that was compromised by the Vita's limited hardware. Since then, there have been no new ''Resistance'' games.
* The two ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' games that were released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable (''Logan's Shadow'' and ''Dark Mirror'') are respected by critics, but according to [[http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Syphon-Filter-Series/Sad-news-No-more-Syphon-Filter-games/td-p/2853845?start=0&tstart=0 Sony Bend Studio's John Garvin]], the games didn't sell well enough to justify any further entries in the series.
* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' seems to have met this with ''[[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime Thieves in Time]]''. Problems included repetitive gameplay, poor level design, long loading times, Dimitri getting DemotedToExtra with no lines, despite his voice actor still being credited, [[spoiler:Penelope's sudden FaceHeelTurn, and a big cliffhanger ending]]. Other talks concerned an animated movie that got scrapped after the BoxOfficeBomb of the [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank2016 Ratchet and Clank film]], discouraging Sony from doing animated films on their characters, followed by talks over a television series that has been in DevelopmentHell since 2017. Other than those however, nothing has been heard from the Cooper Gang ever since.
* The 2012 reboot of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' was built heavily around its online multiplayer mode, but unfortunately, the servers were barely functional at launch, leaving only the game's rather bare-bones single-player campaigns and couch multiplayer modes, which many felt weren't worth $60 by themselves. As a result, the game met mixed reviews and was a sales disappointment, and there hasn't been a ''Twisted Metal'' game since, albeit [[Series/TwistedMetal2023 a TV adaptation]] did premiere in 2023.

[[folder:Square Enix]]
* ''VideoGame/ActRaiser 2'' is an InNameOnly sequel that lacks the original game's popular Sim Mode, and the ungodly SequelDifficultySpike only made things worse. As a consequence, there hadn't been another game in the series since. Things changed when on September 23, 2021, a full remake of the original ''[=ActRaiser=]'' titled ''[=ActRaiser=] Renaissance'' was announced and released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, and mobile devices, igniting hope in the fans of the series.
* ''VideoGame/FrontMissionEvolved'' crashed and burned ''hard'', and its poor ratings and sales more or less ended the future of ''Front Mission'' series for a long time. A new entry in the series, ''VideoGame/LeftAlive'', received a surprise release eight years later, but also turned out to be a critical dud which looked to kill the franchise for good until 2022, when Square Enix announced remakes of the first three games for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
* The ''VideoGame/IvaliceAlliance'' games, a spinoff of the main ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series that (technically) originated from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' being set in the land of Ivalice, started off as a very well-received spinoff series for the franchise that lasted well into the early 2000s, with even the main series getting in on the action with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. However, the dual combination of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' not selling or reviewing as well as its predecessor, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', and the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' re-release (''War of the Lions'') also not doing well, along with TroubledProduction and eventual cancellation of ''Fortress'' ultimately killed the side series and caused it to be stuck in mobile game spinoffs without any major games being made for it since 2007. Not helping matters was many of the original creators for the spinoff series leaving, causing a lack of creative vision for the project to stand on. The series and lore are still referenced in other games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' or spinoffs, but no new games for the project itself have ever been released (especially those [[NoExportForYou released outside of Japan]]), and any attempts at making a SpiritualSuccessor have resulted in failure.
* ''VideoGame/UnlimitedSaga'' was released in 2002, after a ''very'' long wait for a new entry in the ''[=SaGa=]'' franchise. While the game's art and music are amazing, the gameplay is questionable at ''best''; an over-reliance on the incredibly gimmicky "Reel System" (which is used for everything from attacks to ''leveling up'') and [[ObviousBeta a skipped beta phase]] means the game has a patched-together feel. It received generous reviews from Japanese publications, but only mediocre ones from American sources, and ended up with miserable sales. As a result, the only new ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'' games to be released for a while were remakes of existing games in the series, with ''VideoGame/SaGaScarletGrace'' finally breaking the streak in 2016 (and an UpdatedRerelease, ''Ambitions'', being released internationally to a generally positive reception).
* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series got hit with this hard after the negative reception of ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMana'', which resulted in the series being stuck in limbo for nearly a decade (barring a few mobile ports of ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' and two spin-offs) and the departure of series creator Koichi Ishii from the company. This all changed in 2016 when the series was revived with a third remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'', followed by a remake of ''Secret of Mana'' in 2018, a CompilationRerelease for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and a high definition remake of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' in 2020.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' was intended to be a 6-part series, but said game proved to be such a stressful development, that instead of splitting the game into two as some within the company suggested once it became clear that the game couldn't tell the full picture of what the developers wanted, the team decided to finish the game as best as they could. Despite positive reception, and being considered a cult classic, the series was effectively dead since the creators left Square due to different views on development. A revival was attempted in the form of a spiritual sequel known as ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'', but that too fell through, as listed under Bandai / Namco.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:THQ]]
* On November 6, 2012, THQ released a statement saying that ''VideoGame/DarksidersII'' needed to have sold over ''4 million'' copies for them to even ''consider'' continuing the franchise, but it only sold 1.4 million. This is likely more because of the dire financial situation THQ was in at the time than the quality or reception of the game, however, as both games received good reviews, but the company had to file for bankruptcy only a month or so after the ''Darksiders'' statement regardless. Its new publisher, Nordic Games (who won a last-minute bid for the series and its developer in the THQ auction, and has since rebranded itself Creator/THQNordic) and new developer Gunfire Games (a group containing some of the old Vigil Games staff) released [[VideoGame/DarksidersIII a third Darksiders game]] in 2018.
* The death of the ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'' series can be blamed squarely on ''two'' lackluster sequels - ''Big Willy Unleashed'' for the Wii, and then ''Path of the Furon'' for [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 - developed in 2008 after the original developer, Pandemic Studios, was snapped up by Creator/ElectronicArts. Neither game managed to successfully capture the spirit of the first two games, and they sold and reviewed terribly as a result. It took another decade, following the death and revival of THQ, for the first two games to receive ports, and a remake of the first game followed in 2020.
* The ''MX vs. ATV'' franchise was killed off after the various changes in gameplay to ''MX vs. ATV: Alive'' left fans cold. A new game, ''MX vs. ATV: Supercross'' was released in 2014 under [[ChannelHop new publisher]] Nordic Games (which now publishes the properties it acquired from the THQ fire sale under the "THQ Nordic" banner; long story), time will tell if that game brings the series back from the dead.
* Though there were several games after it, ''Nicktoons: Globs of Doom'''s poor reception not only ended the ''VideoGame/NicktoonsUnite'' series, but also dealt the death blow to the ''Nicktoons'' line of licensed games as a whole. After ''Globs of Doom'', THQ gave up on Nicktoons {{licensed game}}s and handed the rights to [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive 2K Games]], who barely did anything with the license following the release of ''VideoGame/NicktoonsMLB'', [[RogerRabbitEffect a crossover between Nicktoons characters and real MLB players]] which received a mixed reception. Creator/{{Activision}} bought the rights from 2K shortly afterwards, and despite releasing a few decent Nicktoons games in the meantime, managed to kill the line of Nicktoons games again with the poorly-received ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' tie-ins ''Plankton's Robotic Revenge'' and ''[=SpongeBob=] [=HeroPants=]''. Both games were criticized for their formulaic nature and poor gameplay, and it would take a little over three years for new video games based on Nickelodeon franchises to be unleashed into the world, as THQ Nordic announced rereleases of various older Nicktoons games on current consoles. The revitalization of the Nick video games didn't start off well, with the first game released (albeit by a different developer), ''VideoGame/NickelodeonKartRacers'', receiving an [[SoOkayItsAverage underwhelming reception]]. However, the remake ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom Rehydrated'' was received very well (moreso by fans than critics) to the point that it spawned a sequel, and ''Kart Racers'' also received two sequels that improved on the original's flaws as well as the fighting game ''VideoGame/NickelodeonAllStarBrawl''.
* The ''VideoGame/PurrPals'' series (the company's answer to ''{{VideoGame/Nintendogs}}'' that was published alongside the also-defunct Crave Entertainment) ended after the 3DS outing ''Purr Pals: Purrfection'' sold poorly, with THQ's subsequent bankruptcy painting an even more uncertain future for the series.
* ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' met an untimely end with the underwhelming reception of ''Armageddon'' and the multiplayer-focused ''Battlegrounds''.[[note]]the latter being based on the successful ''Red Faction: Guerilla''.[[/note]] Most of the negative reception from ''Armageddon'' came from it switching from the open-world destruction that made ''Red Faction: Guerrilla'' a hit to a generic underground corridor shooter. Ironic, considering the plan according to the developers was to bring the game back to its roots (the first two games are linear shooters). THQ's return as THQ Nordic led to a remaster of ''Guerilla'' in 2018, though there is no news on a new installment.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ubisoft]]
* The killer of the ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' franchise is not usually thought to be the game that is commonly regarded as the worst counting both the original series and the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' spin-off series, ''Might & Magic IX'' -- IX was a rushed mess of a game, but before criticism of the game could grow too large it became apparent the ''reason'' for IX being released in the state it was in was that 3DO was in its death throes, and soon went bankrupt. What ''is'' usually considered the killer is the dual blow of the ill-fated revival ''X'', which wasn't a ''bad'' game but failed to gain enough of an audience for Ubisoft to maintain support (it did not help that even some fans of ''Might & Magic'' lost interest when it turned out ''X'' was going back to turn-based square movement style of overworld exploration that had been dropped after ''V''), and ''Heroes: Might and Magic VII'', which ''is'' a contender for worst ''Heroes'' game, and after its support was cut short has put the ''entire'' overall ''Might & Magic'' franchise in jeopardy.
* ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'' is this for the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series. While the game has gotten great critical reception, it sold poorly, even worse than ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' did (which was already considered an AcclaimedFlop), and the series hasn't gotten a new game in years as a result, not counting some mobile game spinoffs. The departure of Creator/MichelAncel from Ubisoft further drives the nail in the coffin. The franchise technically lives on through its MorePopularSpinoff ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids'' and its namesake characters, who have received an [[WesternAnimation/RabbidsInvasion animated TV series]] and a [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle crossover]] with ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' that was generally well-received, enough to warrant [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsSparksOfHope a sequel]] in 2022, which has Rayman act as the main character in the "Rayman in the Phantom Show" DLC.
* While the poor reception of ''VideoGame/SilentHunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic'' may have ended up killing that series regardless, the always-online DRM requirement and the ensuing mass piracy of the game made absolutely certain that there would be no more entries in the series.
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCellBlacklist'' sold the least out of any game in the series, and as a result, outside of a cameo by Sam Fisher in ''VideoGame/GhostReconWildlands'' and a mobile game, the series hasn't seen an installment in years. While Blacklist tried to win back fans who were turned off by the more action-focused gameplay of ''Conviction'' and succeeded to an extent, it's still a [[BrokenBase divisive]] entry due to things like still being more action-focused than the first 4 games with scripted combat sequences (which ''Chaos Theory'' and ''Double Agent'' removed), Eric Johnson replacing Michael Ironside as Sam's voice actor and sounding 30 years too young for the role, lack of humor, a lackluster soundtrack and Spies vs Mercs and [[DemonicSpiders aggravating dogs which are a nightmare to sneak past]] (there's a reason dogs were removed as enemies after the original ''Splinter Cell'' and ''Pandora Tomorrow'' until this entry). However, Ubisoft has announced a remake of the original game in 2021, so the franchise may bounce back again.
[[/folder]]

* ''Kinect Sports'': The 2014 game, ''Kinect Sports: Rivals'', did this to Rare’s ''Kinect Sports'' series. The game received mixed reviews from critics, and Rare was reported to have suffered a significant loss on the project, [[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-16-rare-kinect-rise-and-fall and as former Rare designer Gavin Price pointed out]], the game missing the Xbox One’s launch likely did not help. Combine this with Microsoft dropping the Kinect, and it's safe to say Kinect Sports is in the grave for good.

[[folder:Bandai / Namco]]
* Namco's 1985 arcade game ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}'' is little more than a CultClassic (even if it predates ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' by one year), but ''Baraduke II'', which came out 3 years later, was a bomb that relegated the series to obscurity.
* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos: Origins'' came out near the end of the [=GameCube=]'s lifespan, four months before the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} launch. Despite improving massively on the flaws of ''Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean'', it was overlooked due to launching so close to next-gen consoles and didn't sell particularly well, followed by the rumored UsefulNotes/NintendoDS installment getting cancelled, remaining dormant until a remastered rerelease of the games for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023.
* ''VideoGame/GundamBreaker'' was a surprise hit, leading to the sequels ''Gundam Breaker 2'' and the highly-regarded ''Gundam Breaker 3''. Unfortunately, ''VideoGame/NewGundamBreaker'' took the series in a whole new direction (it was geared to take advantage of the "live service" or E-sports boom Bandai believed was coming) that was so badly received that game shops were flooded with used copies within the '''first week''' of release, leading to the depressing sight of entire shelves of unsold brand-new copies of ''New Gundam Breaker'' alongside used copies. The Steam version was held back for patching (and the Steam version is indeed improved over the [=PS4=] original), but the damage was done and the series was effectively dead in the water, at least where consoles are concerned. ''[[VideoGame/GundamBattleGunplaWarfare Gundam Breaker Mobile]]'' was released on mobile phones and in comparison was much better received thanks to likable characters and ties to the much-loved ''Gundam Breaker 3'', but the backlash to ''New Gundam Breaker'' was so severe that Bandai initially released the game under the name ''Gundam Battle: Gunpla Warfare'' out of fears the name ''Gundam Breaker'' had been permanently tainted.
* The 2008 UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} remake of ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}: Door to Phantomile'' bombed so badly in sales that it not only killed any possibility of the proposed ''Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil'' remake getting greenlit, but put the entire game series on ice, as no new ''Klonoa'' games would be announced or released for 14 years. It did live on as a webcomic on Platform/ShiftyLook for a bit, but then Shifty Look closed down, sealing the coffin on the series until an animated film was announced in October 2016, which was also cancelled in January 2019. In February 2022, a remake of the main two games in the series was announced and released in July of the same year. Time will tell what Klonoa's future will be.
* ''VideoGame/PacMan'''s platforming spin-offs have had this happen ever since the release of ''[[VideoGame/PacManWorld Pac-Man World 3]]'', which was largely [[ContestedSequel contested]] by fans in comparison to its fan-favorite predecessor, ''Pac-Man World 2''. Pac-Man wouldn't return to 3D platforming until the release of ''VideoGame/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures'' and its sequel, both tie-ins to the [[WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures reboot cartoon series]]...only for the games to sell poorly as well. Since then, the series has refrained from venturing into 3D platforming territory again until 2022, when a VideoGameRemake of the first ''World'' game was announced.
* The ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' series was derailed by two titles: ''Ridge Racer'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita and ''Ridge Racer Unbounded'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was panned heavily across the board by reviewers for being [[ObviousBeta a total rush job]] of a game[[note]]for what it's worth, ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was released as a launch title for the platform, which may indicate [[ChristmasRushed how the game got in that state in the first place]][[/note]], with a hideous lack of base content and modes compared to past titles (with the first pack of DLC containing material [[BribingYourWayToVictory that could have easily been added to the base game]]), offering no new material (all of the courses and vehicles being recycled from ''Ridge Racer 7''), and a poorly-implemented online mode that determines a player's speed based on their experience level, which automatically renders any race UnwinnableByDesign for newcomers. Meanwhile, ''Unbounded'', while nowhere near as bad as ''Ridge Racer Vita'', was decried by most of its critics as [[FollowTheLeader a mash-up of several other arcade racers]], [[InNameOnly without having any of the traditional aspects that made the series popular]] (never mind that [[NoExportForYou it skipped a release in its home country in Japan]]). Neither was received very well, and no new games for the series have come out since those two titles.
* Once one of the top-tier fighting games, the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series hit quite the bump in the road with 2012's ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. From a character standpoint, it removed over a dozen fan-favorite characters and [[ReplacementScrappy replaced less than half of them with less-popular ones]], who either received [[SpotlightStealingSquad too much attention]] (in the case of Sophitia's children) or [[FlatCharacter no development at all]] (Z.W.E.I., Viola, and especially Xiba being notable examples). The quality of the story also suffered greatly due to ExecutiveMeddling (reports state that ''three-quarters'' of the planned story had to be axed [[ChristmasRushed just to get the game out on time to capitalize on the end-of-January market]], with Project Soul's budget and staffing being cut by Namco mid-development), resulting in a pointless 17-year TimeSkip that was admitted to be arbitrary by the game's director Daishi Odashima. Additionally, a story riddled with IncestSubtext, {{Contrived Coincidence}}s, functional immortality for much of the cast, and the majority of the remaining cast's individual story arcs being LeftHanging with no true ending, combined with several gameplay modes and features removed from the last several games, [[ContestedSequel made this game divisive at best]], even for a fanbase that found the [[CharacterCustomization character creator]] (cosmetic-only, as opposed to affecting playstyles as was the case in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'') [[JustHereForGodzilla to be a redeeming factor]]. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', released in October of 2018, [[AuthorsSavingThrow was an attempt]] to WinBackTheCrowd and, [[https://www.dualshockers.com/soulcalibur-6-could-be-last/ according to producer Motohiro Okubo,]] Project Soul's last shot due to the damage incurred from ''V''[='s=] controversial reputation; if ''VI'' didn't succeed, then the whole franchise would vanish, thereby cementing ''V'' as the FranchiseKiller. Fortunately, it seems to be doing rather well so far, having a very solid launch [[note]]the game sold over 400,000 units its first week and had surpassed the 1 million mark in roughly a month's time; compare this to ''V'' taking over three years to scrape by 1.3 million units solid[[/note]], being one of the highest-rated fighters of its generation (an 84 on Metacritic), and getting enough acclaim and attention to be included as part of the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]] lineup.
* Despite being regarded by players as a solid brawler/slasher, the 2010 ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' remake ensured practically 100% that the franchise had reached its end, with its mixed critical reviews and underwhelming commercial performance (the latter of which was made even more painful by the game’s utterly TroubledProduction) being the nail in the coffin for what was already a niche series to begin with. Considering that the original 3 ''Splatterhouse'' games were included as unlockables, it's safe to say that the developers saw this coming.
* Although ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' was meant to be a six-part series, it ended after three games. None of the games individually are primarily responsible for the premature end, but altogether the games didn't perform as well as expected. ''Episode II'' performed so poorly that one of the selling points for ''Episode III'' was that it (debatably) coherently summarizes ''Episode II'', removing the need to play it to understand the story. ''Episode III'' was received much better, but not enough to keep the series going beyond that point. Eventually, after Creator/MonolithSoft was bought out by Nintendo, they created yet another [[SpiritualSuccessor successor]] to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' and ''Xenosaga'' called ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', which was much more successful and became its own series.
[[/folder]]

* Although it isn't exactly ''bad'', ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter'' is [[InNameOnly such an incredible deviation]] from the rest of the ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'' games (a series that's usually ''very'' big on continuity, to boot) that the series came to a screeching halt. Even when another company offered to buy the license to make a new ''Breath of Fire'' game, Capcom refused. Eventually, Capcom released a Japan-exclusive sixth installment for PC and smartphones, but although Ryu and Nina were present, it looked and felt like part of a completely different series, and closed down quickly without much fanfare.
* The VideoGame/CapcomVs line of games hasn’t seen a new release since 2017’s ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite.'' The underwhelming sales and controversies around both it and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' are likely the reasons. While Capcom has been okay with their characters being in other games, Capcom has put their focus onto ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6.'' Tellingly, the former never had any non-Capcom characters join the roster.
* Due to poor sales and, more specifically, ExecutiveMeddling, the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' series hasn't seen a new release since 1998. Until his departure from Capcom in 2020, Yoshinori Ono (''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' producer) had been working vigorously towards a new installment, but the low sales of ''Darkstalkers Resurrection'' (a downloadable re-release of the second and third games released March 2013) effectively ensured the series would remain shelved. Fingers are often pointed at the [[CapcomSequelStagnation extremely underwhelming duo]] of ''Vampire Savior 2'' and ''Vampire Hunter 2'' for quickly stripping away what life the franchise once had.
* ''VideoGame/DeadRising4'' was roundly criticized by series fans for seemingly [[LowestCommonDenominator "dumbed-down"]] gameplay and a DenserAndWackier plot, and strongly underperformed in sales. Some time after the game was released, it came out that originally, Capcom Vancouver was trying to re-invent the series in a DarkerAndEdgier direction inspired by ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'', ''without'' telling the main branch. When shown to them, Capcom hated it, denied them the reboot, and fired most of the staff as a result. The remaining development team were then told to go back and re-do it as normal, only now with severely reduced production time and having to reuse the assets they had planned for the reboot; which led them to cut out ''a lot'' of the series staples. After an UpdatedRerelease, Capcom [[CreatorKiller shut down its Vancouver studio]] (which had made every game in the series since [[VideoGame/DeadRising2 the second]]) and canceled all of their projects, making it unlikely that a fifth ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' game (which ironically was in pre-production at the time) will be released in the foreseeable future.
* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis 3'' stretches WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief beyond all hope of recovery when it puts [[RecycledINSPACE dinosaurs on a spaceship in the future]]. That's not even getting into the gameplay, which proved to be lackluster due to the inclusion of anti-gravity without the controls to make it bearable and only intensified by the camera issues, or the plot, which [[AbortedArc discards the running story of the previous games]] despite the fact that ''Dino Crisis 2'' ends on a cliffhanger. Its chances weren't helped by the fact that it was an Xbox exclusive, and after its 2003 release Capcom has stayed silent about any potential follow-ups.

* ''Battle Assault'': The 2004 game, ''Battle Assault 3 starring [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Gundam SEED]]'', is another case of a VideoGame3DLeap that killed off a fine series, though this game was fairly well received.

[[folder:Atari -- Infogrames]]
* The poor critical reception of ''Videogame/AloneInTheDark2008'' killed off the series for several years, as even a rerelease on UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 to fix some of the bugs from the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} version couldn't save it. It's even worse when you consider that even though the game developers delayed the release of the game for three years to try to stave off the bad publicity generated by Creator/UweBoll's failed [[Film/AloneInTheDark2005 film adaptation]], [[RetCanon some elements from the film still made it into the new game]]. Things got even worse with 2015's ''Alone in the Dark: Illumination'', which by comparison made the 2008 game look like ''VideoGame/UntilDawn'', which released ''the very same year''. It was mercilessly panned by critics, with some calling it one of the worst games of all time, and one that could definitely be said to have murdered the troubled franchise once and for all, to the point that the franchise was later bought by Creator/THQNordic from Atari. They finally announced a new entry, [[VideoGame/AloneInTheDark2023 a full reboot of the original game]], in 2022. Time will tell if this revives the series or not.
* After Atari's buy-out of Creator/HumongousEntertainment, the company tried to continue the ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'', ''VideoGame/PuttPutt'', and ''VideoGame/PajamaSam'' series. ''Putt-Putt''[='=]s last game, ''Pep's Birthday Surprise'', isn't all bad -- it has some poor voice acting, has way too much recycled content, and is boring, but it's at least playable compared to ''Pajama Sam: Life is Rough When You Lose Your Stuff!'', which has poor voice acting for Sam, a lame plot, and LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading, among other flaws. They didn't sell or score well enough to continue onward. As for the ''Backyard Sports'' series, it continued to get an even worse treatment before it also saw its coffin sealed shut--no games for it have been announced since they lost the last leg the series was standing on (the major sports licenses) and saw their two attempts to win audiences back (''Sandlot Sluggers'' and ''Rookie Rush'') fail miserably.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'' series this suffered with ''[=Driv3r=]'', an ill-advised attempt to follow in the footsteps of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''. The game suffers from poorly implemented shooting mechanics, unfair difficulty, [[ObviousBeta loads of bugs]], and a rather thin story that ends on a CliffHanger with the protagonist {{flatlin|e}}ing after being shot by the BigBad. Then Infogrames made an InNameOnly sequel, ''Parallel Lines'', that doubled down on copying GTA. While it wasn't quite as broken as ''[=Driv3r=]'', it still got a tepid reception from fans and critics. It took several years (and [[Creator/{{Ubisoft}} a new publisher]]) for the franchise to return to form with ''VideoGame/DriverSanFrancisco'', which has taken strides to distance itself from ''[=Driv3r=]'' and ''Parallel Lines'' by going back to the style of the original two games, but Ubisoft's lack of confidence in the franchise led to it being retooled into ''VideoGame/WatchDogs''.
* ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion'' and ''Master of Orion 2'' are classics in the turn-based strategy genre. A toxic combination of ExecutiveMeddling, sequel-averse developers, and some other bad decisions resulted in a ''Master Of Orion 3'' that bears a striking resemblance to doing one's taxes and is about as much fun. The game bombed ''hard'' on release, and since then there has been little hope that the series will be revived. Brad Wardell of Stardock expressed interest in making a fourth game in 2008, but his comments were mere speculation and there has been no follow-up. The rights to the series were later acquired by ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' developers Wargaming, so the series might live again, for the time being. A fourth game, [[RecycledTitle helpfully titled]] just ''Master of Orion'', was finally released in 2016. While not too badly received, it was generally criticised for being a functional but bland game that added nothing new to either the series or the genre as a whole, which had seen something of a revival around that time.

[[folder:Atari -- Midway Games]]
* ''[[VideoGame/Area51FPS Blacksite: Area 51]]'' is an interesting chicken-or-the-egg case. While the game is so atrociously bad that it ensured no future ''Area 51'' games would be made, the game's ObviousBeta glitches and other signs of having been rushed out the door are an indication that Creator/MidwayGames was already on the brink of collapse. Sure enough, [[CreatorKiller the entire company folded]] soon after the game's release. Lead designer Harvey Smith [[http://www.wired.com/2007/11/montreal-2007-h stated]] that the game was badly rushed, the team at times having only four days to fix and polish a level, and that "it went straight from alpha to final" in the last few months before release. While there were elements that he liked (such as the political commentary), overall he felt that the game deserves the reception it got, saying "this project was so fucked up."
* Following Midway's departure from the arcade business, the ''VideoGame/{{Cruisn}}'' arcade racing series didn't have much of a future after the release of ''Cruis'n Exotica'', the third and then-final ''Cruis'n'' game made for arcades and ported to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64. Midway nonetheless made attempts to continue the series specifically for game consoles to no success. The first attempt, ''Cruis'n Velocity'' on the GBA, was hardly known and even less remembered. The second attempt several years later, ''Cruis'n'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, became widely recognized as one of the most wretched games released for the platform, and for good reason--it was a [[DolledUpInstallment dolled-up]] PortingDisaster of Midway's ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' arcade game, [[SerialNumbersFiledOff with all references to the film within the game scrubbed out]]. ''Cruis'n'' Wii was met with critical drubbing and abysmal sales[[note]]This can actually be attributed to manufacturing problems that happened at the time of the game's release, though the negative reviews couldn't have helped at all either[[/note]], and escorted the series into hibernation. It would take [[CreatorKiller Midway's bankruptcy]], [[ChannelHop the license to the series reverting to series owner Nintendo]], and ''nine years'' for the series to resurface in ''any'' format with 2017's ''Cruis'n Blast'', a new arcade game licensed out to developer Raw Thrills (who produced the aforementioned ''Fast and Furious'' arcade game).
* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}'' was a fairly decent hack-and-slash arcade-style adventure series, until ''Seven Sorrows'' came along. Developed by Midway's San Diego studio after the former Atari Games had been closed down, it is an ObviousBeta, with a lot of old standby techniques gone (like not being able to shoot potions), and none of the "new features" touted for the game anywhere. Any plans for the franchise after that were effectively shelved until Warner Bros. rebooted the series on PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 a decade later, and while it scored better than their ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' reboot (see below), player and critical reaction was mixed.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' killed the original ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' continuity. By that point, each new game introduced new characters whilst continuing the storyline from the [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1992 first game]]. Unfortunately, ''Armageddon'' suffered from what many critics saw as an underwhelming storyline, complex button sequences that the player would have to master in order to execute a [[FinishingMove fatality]], and a recycled game engine from the two previous ''Mortal Kombat'' games resulted in the game falling into ContestedSequel status. The underwhelming reception, combined with Midway's continued financial problems, resulted in the game selling around 800,000 units less than its predecessor, ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception''. The next game after ''Armageddon'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'', remains [[BrokenBase one of the most polarizing entries]] in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise. After Midway sold its properties, including ''Mortal Kombat'', to DC parent Creator/WarnerBros, the ''MK'' team (which largely survived Midway's collapse) decided to give the series a proper ContinuityReboot with ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', firmly returning the series to its TwoAndAHalfD fighting roots. Interestingly, [[WordOfGod Ed Boon himself]] stated that the franchise killing was deliberate, using ''Armageddon'' with the intent to [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun wiping everything clean so he could restart the franchise fresh in the future]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Rampage}}'' kept trucking on despite repetitive games in the second half of the 2000s, but ''Rampage Through Time'' is considered to be a major deathblow, as the competition-based gameplay style was not at all appreciated by fans or critics of the series. The series tried to sneak back into the mainstream with ''Rampage: Total Destruction'', but that idea of a reboot failed, too, stopping the series cold. The closest the series has gotten to a revival is the ''Film/Rampage2018'' film and the tie-in arcade game for the Dave & Buster's restaurant/arcades.
* After a six-year hiatus due to Midway leaving the arcade industry, the ''VideoGame/SanFranciscoRush'' series came roaring back with ''L.A. Rush'' for [=PlayStation=] 2 and Xbox. Despite praise for the realistic handling of the vehicles, critics and players complained over the restricted customization of the vehicles as well as veering away from the JumpPhysics trope that defined much of the series in favor of a more generic, street racing formula. Sales failed to impress, and after a [=PlayStation=] Portable port failed to take the game anywhere, Midway shelved the series. Warner Bros., who currently owns the ''Rush'' franchise, has no plans for future games at the moment.
* ''VideoGame/SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run'' was intended to be a tie-in to a cancelled movie. Needless to say, the game flopped belly up, and an attempt by Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/TravellersTales TT Fusion]] to reboot the series in 2013 with a [[MilestoneCelebration 30th anniversary]] game did even worse and killed the series off completely. At least [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=VVPFi1ikbeQ the theme song]] was awesome.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bandai / Namco]]
* Namco's 1985 arcade game ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}'' is little more than a CultClassic (even if it predates ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' by one year), but ''Baraduke II'', which came out 3 years later, was a bomb that relegated the series to obscurity.
* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos: Origins'' came out near the end of the [=GameCube=]'s lifespan, four months before the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} launch. Despite improving massively on the flaws of ''Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean'', it was overlooked due to launching so close to next-gen consoles and didn't sell particularly well, followed by the rumored UsefulNotes/NintendoDS installment getting cancelled, remaining dormant until a remastered rerelease of the games for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023.
* ''VideoGame/GundamBreaker'' was a surprise hit, leading to the sequels ''Gundam Breaker 2'' and the highly-regarded ''Gundam Breaker 3''. Unfortunately, ''VideoGame/NewGundamBreaker'' took the series in a whole new direction (it was geared to take advantage of the "live service" or E-sports boom Bandai believed was coming) that was so badly received that game shops were flooded with used copies within the '''first week''' of release, leading to the depressing sight of entire shelves of unsold brand-new copies of ''New Gundam Breaker'' alongside used copies. The Steam version was held back for patching (and the Steam version is indeed improved over the [=PS4=] original), but the damage was done and the series was effectively dead in the water, at least where consoles are concerned. ''[[VideoGame/GundamBattleGunplaWarfare Gundam Breaker Mobile]]'' was released on mobile phones and in comparison was much better received thanks to likable characters and ties to the much-loved ''Gundam Breaker 3'', but the backlash to ''New Gundam Breaker'' was so severe that Bandai initially released the game under the name ''Gundam Battle: Gunpla Warfare'' out of fears the name ''Gundam Breaker'' had been permanently tainted.
* The 2008 UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} remake of ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}: Door to Phantomile'' bombed so badly in sales that it not only killed any possibility of the proposed ''Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil'' remake getting greenlit, but put the entire game series on ice, as no new ''Klonoa'' games would be announced or released for 14 years. It did live on as a webcomic on Platform/ShiftyLook for a bit, but then Shifty Look closed down, sealing the coffin on the series until an animated film was announced in October 2016, which was also cancelled in January 2019. In February 2022, a remake of the main two games in the series was announced and released in July of the same year. Time will tell what Klonoa's future will be.
* ''VideoGame/PacMan'''s platforming spin-offs have had this happen ever since the release of ''[[VideoGame/PacManWorld Pac-Man World 3]]'', which was largely [[ContestedSequel contested]] by fans in comparison to its fan-favorite predecessor, ''Pac-Man World 2''. Pac-Man wouldn't return to 3D platforming until the release of ''VideoGame/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures'' and its sequel, both tie-ins to the [[WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures reboot cartoon series]]...only for the games to sell poorly as well. Since then, the series has refrained from venturing into 3D platforming territory again until 2022, when a VideoGameRemake of the first ''World'' game was announced.
* The ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' series was derailed by two titles: ''Ridge Racer'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita and ''Ridge Racer Unbounded'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was panned heavily across the board by reviewers for being [[ObviousBeta a total rush job]] of a game[[note]]for what it's worth, ''Ridge Racer Vita'' was released as a launch title for the platform, which may indicate [[ChristmasRushed how the game got in that state in the first place]][[/note]], with a hideous lack of base content and modes compared to past titles (with the first pack of DLC containing material [[BribingYourWayToVictory that could have easily been added to the base game]]), offering no new material (all of the courses and vehicles being recycled from ''Ridge Racer 7''), and a poorly-implemented online mode that determines a player's speed based on their experience level, which automatically renders any race UnwinnableByDesign for newcomers. Meanwhile, ''Unbounded'', while nowhere near as bad as ''Ridge Racer Vita'', was decried by most of its critics as [[FollowTheLeader a mash-up of several other arcade racers]], [[InNameOnly without having any of the traditional aspects that made the series popular]] (never mind that [[NoExportForYou it skipped a release in its home country in Japan]]). Neither was received very well, and no new games for the series have come out since those two titles.
* Once one of the top-tier fighting games, the ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series hit quite the bump in the road with 2012's ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. From a character standpoint, it removed over a dozen fan-favorite characters and [[ReplacementScrappy replaced less than half of them with less-popular ones]], who either received [[SpotlightStealingSquad too much attention]] (in the case of Sophitia's children) or [[FlatCharacter no development at all]] (Z.W.E.I., Viola, and especially Xiba being notable examples). The quality of the story also suffered greatly due to ExecutiveMeddling (reports state that ''three-quarters'' of the planned story had to be axed [[ChristmasRushed just to get the game out on time to capitalize on the end-of-January market]], with Project Soul's budget and staffing being cut by Namco mid-development), resulting in a pointless 17-year TimeSkip that was admitted to be arbitrary by the game's director Daishi Odashima. Additionally, a story riddled with IncestSubtext, {{Contrived Coincidence}}s, functional immortality for much of the cast, and the majority of the remaining cast's individual story arcs being LeftHanging with no true ending, combined with several gameplay modes and features removed from the last several games, [[ContestedSequel made this game divisive at best]], even for a fanbase that found the [[CharacterCustomization character creator]] (cosmetic-only, as opposed to affecting playstyles as was the case in ''SCIII'' and ''SCIV'') [[JustHereForGodzilla to be a redeeming factor]]. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', released in October of 2018, [[AuthorsSavingThrow was an attempt]] to WinBackTheCrowd and, [[https://www.dualshockers.com/soulcalibur-6-could-be-last/ according to producer Motohiro Okubo,]] Project Soul's last shot due to the damage incurred from ''V''[='s=] controversial reputation; if ''VI'' didn't succeed, then the whole franchise would vanish, thereby cementing ''V'' as the FranchiseKiller. Fortunately, it seems to be doing rather well so far, having a very solid launch [[note]]the game sold over 400,000 units its first week and had surpassed the 1 million mark in roughly a month's time; compare this to ''V'' taking over three years to scrape by 1.3 million units solid[[/note]], being one of the highest-rated fighters of its generation (an 84 on Metacritic), and getting enough acclaim and attention to be included as part of the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]] lineup.
* Despite being regarded by players as a solid brawler/slasher, the 2010 ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' remake ensured practically 100% that the franchise had reached its end, with its mixed critical reviews and underwhelming commercial performance (the latter of which was made even more painful by the game’s utterly TroubledProduction) being the nail in the coffin for what was already a niche series to begin with. Considering that the original 3 ''Splatterhouse'' games were included as unlockables, it's safe to say that the developers saw this coming.
* Although ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' was meant to be a six-part series, it ended after three games. None of the games individually are primarily responsible for the premature end, but altogether the games didn't perform as well as expected. ''Episode II'' performed so poorly that one of the selling points for ''Episode III'' was that it (debatably) coherently summarizes ''Episode II'', removing the need to play it to understand the story. ''Episode III'' was received much better, but not enough to keep the series going beyond that point. Eventually, after Creator/MonolithSoft was bought out by Nintendo, they created yet another [[SpiritualSuccessor successor]] to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' and ''Xenosaga'' called ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', which was much more successful and became its own series.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/TurokEvolution'' managed to kill off the ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' franchise, no thanks to silly elements such as Tobias Bruckner, the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot cyborg cowboy riding a Tyrannosaurus Rex]], along with the game's numerous other problems. It's probably no coincidence that publisher Creator/{{Acclaim}} went bankrupt shortly after the release of this and ''BMX XXX''. The 2008 ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' relaunch isn't a ''bad'' game, exactly -- it just had the bad luck to be an average shooter during a time when great shooters were glutting the market. A sequel was planned, but was cancelled after Disney shut down developer Propaganda Games and their rights to make Turok games later being revoked by IP holder Classic Media, who were bought by Creator/DreamWorksAnimation and later became [=DreamWorks=] Classics.

* ''VideoGame/VirtualHydlide'', the attempted reboot of ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' in 3D, killed off a series that had been moderately well appreciated in Japan during the 8-bit era. The game ran into problems with its VideoGame3DLeap, featuring a SpritePolygonMix with ugly digitized photographs, and an atrocious frame rate that makes the game physically painful to play at times.
* This nearly happened to the ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series via ''VideoGame/YsVLostKefinKingdomOfSand'': the game isn't ''bad'', per se, but was only available on the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] (with a franchise that has deep roots on the PC and UsefulNotes/PCEngine), has very bland, generic visuals that look like every other game of its era (which is worse in context since the setting is ''supposed'' to be exotic) and the music is all simple MIDI-synth (when ''Ys'' had become famous partly due to its powerful CD-supported Red Book-audio soundtracks). Fan backlash in Japan was intense to the point that developer Creator/{{Falcom}} took seven years before the next ''Ys'' [[VideoGame/YsVITheArkOfNapishtim title]] was released. What prevented the death of the franchise was the good performance of {{Video Game Remake}}s for the first two games, which were already in development when ''Ys V'' came out and were put out to recoup development costs. Note that decades later, ''Ys V'' still has not been officially released outside of Japan.
* With the surprise success of ''VideoGame/ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'', Creator/LucasArts decided to take a similar property in development and [[DolledUpInstallment rework it into a sequel]]. ''Ghoul Patrol'' was a bomb, with tedious, confusing gameplay and none of the original's fun spirit. A Virtual Console re-release of the original game was all that has been done with the property since; until the newly-reformed games division of Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} announced an UpdatedRerelease of both games in 2021.
* ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon 2'' underwhelmed critics and gamers alike and wasn't as popular as its predecessor game. After several years and four expansion packs, Microsoft put the franchise on hold and ended its contract with developer Blue Fang Games, [[CreatorKiller which would ultimately collapse the studio]] and make the scenario of a reboot unlikely. Microsoft then successfully rebooted the franchise with Frontier Developments in 2013, releasing an updated ''Zoo Tycoon'' to Xbox 360 and Xbox One and later Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

* ''Battle Assault'': ''Battle Assault 3 starring [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Gundam SEED]]'' is another case of a VideoGame3DLeap that killed off a fine series, though this game was fairly well received.

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'' got a few sequels in the 90s (''Part 2'', ''Junior'', ''Symphony'' & ''Memories''), all of which were well received.[[note]]''Symphony'' in particular is often seen as an EvenBetterSequel to the original game.[[/note]] Then ''[[{{Sequelitis}} Classic Bubble Bobble]]'' was released in 1999, complete with a horrible camera, bad controls and physics & lots of FakeDifficulty. ''Classic'' was ravaged by fans and critics, resulting in the bubble dragons taking a long hibernation as other than a trio of games from 2005-2007 that didn't get much attention and a lot of ports/remakes, the series wouldn't get another major title until the release of ''Bubble Bobble 4 Friends'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo Switch}}; ''20 years'' after the release of ''Classic''.

* ''Corpse Party: Blood Drive'' of the ''VideoGame/CorpseParty'' franchise ''[[DamnedByFaintPraise technically]]'' [[DamnedByFaintPraise didn't kill the franchise]], but the fallout of that game was bad enough to have left the series in such a state of stagnation that it might as well have been. Billed as the GrandFinale to the Heavenly Host saga fresh after the {{Anthology}} VisualNovel ''Book of Shadows'', ''Blood Drive'' was utterly trashed critically and commercially, retroactively ruining the first game for many with the amount of [[FanDislikedExplanation Fan-Disliked Explanations]] that paint the game in a worse light in hindsight. While the original, ''much'' more highly-regarded ''Corpse Party'' and even the [[ContestedSequel divisive, but still liked]] ''Book of Shadows'' still has its fandoms, the backlash to ''Blood Drive'' saw any potentially new installments to the franchise be driven to a screeching halt for the foreseeable future. The original ''Corpse Party'' may still get ports to this day, but there hasn't been a new entry to the ''Corpse Party'' franchise that wasn't a milking of the first game in almost '''ten years'''; with the first chapter of ''VideoGame/CorpseParty2DeadPatient'' being released in 2013 and only seeing one polished-up port of the first chapter since then. As a result, it's not unreasonable to suggest the series would qualify as a FranchiseZombie hadn't the ports of the first game become literally the ''only'' thing still keeping the series relevant and alive.
* ''Crystal Kingdom Dizzy'' ended up being this for the ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' series of [[UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum Spectrum]] games. A full-priced title with a drop in quality from the previous budget titles, its relative failure meant the planned next game, ''Wonderland Dizzy'' would never be released.
* While ''VideoGame/ChameleonTwist'' was never a critical favorite, it did have its fair share of fans, rendering it a CultClassic. The same cannot be said for the [[ContestedSequel sequel]] however as the levels have now been made into complete marathons, the camera in the boss battles is even worse and the chameleons were given new, ugly designs in the western versions of the game. It sold poorly, bombed even harder critically (though it still has its fans) and put the chameleons to rest for good.
* By the mid-90s, Creator/IdSoftware was already losing interest in the ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' franchise, especially after Tom Hall left the company in August 1993. However, the 2001 UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor reboot is often pointed at as the final nail in the coffin for the franchise; it received a mixed reception and sold poorly[[note]]By 2009, eight years later, it was estimated that the game had sold only approximately 50,000–60,000 copies since its release[[/note]]. In 2019, Creator/{{Bethesda}} announced a new ''Commander Keen'' game for [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]] in an attempt to revert this, but negative reception led to it being quietly cancelled, leaving the franchise up in the air.

* ''Disney Infinity 3.0'' ended up being this for the ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity'' franchise, as some versions of the game [[BadExportForYou failed to receive much of the game's DLC content]], which combined with increasingly expensive costs in keeping the series alive, resulted in Creator/{{Disney}} announcing that the series would cease production in June 2016. It also ended up [[CreatorKiller shutting Disney Interactive Studios down as a publisher and led to the temporary closure of developer Avalanche Software]], who was later purchased and reopened by Creator/WarnerBros the following year.

* ''Dungeon Siege III'' was this to the much beloved ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege'' franchise. From the bizarre decision to jump ports from [=PC=] to consoles, to the lore change that many fans derided as [[Main/FanonDiscontinuity non-cannon]], alongside the ''major change in game mechanics'' [[note]]Went from a slow, methodical, tactical gameplay with a large party roster to a Diablo-esque fast-paced fight sequence.[[/note]]. Many fans were immediately ''put off'' with the change to the point of describing DS III as [=DSINO=] (Dungeon Siege In Name Only). Mixed in with the unfortunate timing of being released right next to Diablo III and you have a game that performed so badly that Dungeon Siege had not had another sequel for over a decade, with the only relevant 'update' being a much-derided crossover skin for ''The Sandbox Game'' of all things. To this day, fans of Dungeon Siege ''utterly loathed'' Obsidian Games for how much they butchered the franchise to death.
* ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'' is this for the ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' series, since its failure [[CreatorKiller wiped out Junction Point]] entirely. A big reason is the fact that critics complained that ''Epic Mickey 2'' failed to fix any of the problems of its predecessor and added new issues on top of it.
%%* ''Fade To Black'', the 1995 sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Flashback}}'', was unsuccessful in its attempt to [[VideoGame3DLeap move the series from 2D to 3D]], and a full HD remake of the original game released in 2013 also failed to find much success. New series publisher Microids attempted to release a proper sequel 31 years after the original in 2023.
* The much beloved franchise, ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'', unfortunately met its end in 2015 after a string of dissapointing sequels. Whilst F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was a ContestedSequel, it at least was still competently made to have its own fanbase. Unfortunately, the switching of developers from Monolith to Day 1 Studios saw massive change in not just the tone from horror to 'bro-shooter', but also in the plot. A plot that many fans disowned and discredited. Indeed, it is widely accepted by now that F.3.A.R. placed the franchise to a near irrecoverable decline due to said controversial change as well as controversy on massive developer crunch. But it was the release of F.E.A.R. Online that put the final nail in the coffin, as the idea of a free-to-play multiplayer-only F.E.A.R. game was so out-of-left-field that many fans viewed it as an abomination. Suffice to say, F.E.A.R. Online barely lasted less than a year before it shut down and the franchise has gone quiet ever since.
* The ''VideoGame/FireProWrestling'' series seemingly came to a halt after the release of the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} game, which discards the series' traditional sprite graphics in favor of the Xbox Avatar system, cuts out a ''lot'' of the customization options, and trades the timing-based gameplay for button-mashing brawls. Nothing new was heard of the franchise after [[Creator/SpikeChunsoft Spike's merger with Chunsoft in 2012]] (the same year the Xbox 360 ''FPW'' was released) until 2017, when a new game, ''Fire Pro Wrestling World'', was released on UsefulNotes/Playstation4 and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* The ''Infinity'' series of visual novels by KID (''VisualNovel/{{Never 7}}'', ''VisualNovel/{{Ever 17}}'', etc.) were doing well in spite of ExecutiveMeddling and financial issues. A spin-off installment, ''VisualNovel/TwelveRiven'', sold less than spectacularly, putting an end to the series and bankrupting KID. KID was later bought off by [=CyberFront=], which released an official sequel called ''VisualNovel/{{Code18}}'' without the involvement of the series' previous writers.

* The ''VideoGame/JadeCocoon'' series came to an end after only two games. While the first was only a modest success, it nevertheless turned heads for its high-quality animation and character designs (provided by Katsuya Kondo of Creator/StudioGhibli fame), containing professional voice acting in a period where that was virtually unheard of, a dark and moody story, and being a decent monster breeder following a wave of them with the runaway success of Pokemon. The sequel, while certainly not a bad game, featured completely reworked gameplay, a generally irreverent and campy tone to its story, a much more outlandish setting and character designs, and was an early title for the new and expensive [=PlayStation=] 2. To varying degrees, all of these things contributed to it alienating much of it's installed base and selling about a third as many copies as the original, and aside from a rerelease of the first game on the Japanese PSN, Genki hasn't done anything with the franchise since.

* ''Kinect Sports'': ''Kinect Sports: Rivals'' did this to Rare’s ''Kinect Sports'' series. The game received mixed reviews from critics, and Rare was reported to have suffered a significant loss on the project, [[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-16-rare-kinect-rise-and-fall and as former Rare designer Gavin Price pointed out]], the game missing the Xbox One’s launch likely did not help. Combine this with Microsoft dropping the Kinect, and it's safe to say Kinect Sports is in the grave for good.
* The Western version of the first ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' game was a surprise hit in Britain, and ''Renegade'' became a {{spinoff}} series. The first two games were beloved by UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum owners, but the third game -- with its bizarre TimeTravel plot, graphics that are monochrome even by the computer's low standards, and gobs of FakeDifficulty resulting from poor controls, missing moves, and strict time limits -- drew an end to the series (though, as it was titled "''Renegade III: The Final Chapter''", they were probably planning to end the series there anyway).
* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry: Magna Cum Laude'' stumbled into, but ultimately survived its [[VideoGame3DLeap transition into 3D]]. Its follow-up game, ''Box Office Bust'', was put in DevelopmentHell before Sierra's parent company Vivendi Games was merged with Activision to form Creator/ActivisionBlizzard, which led to Sierra's new owner Activision dropping the game completely and selling the entire ''Leisure Suit Larry'' intellectual property to Creator/{{Codemasters}}. Once they decided to completely restart ''Box Office Bust'', the new developers discarded the series' traditional point-and-click formula in favor of an action-adventure game with platforming, shooting and brawling elements. The result is one of the worst-reviewed games to ever appear on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/Xbox360, unintentionally making it [[{{Pun}} the most apt title]] for a failing game. Creator Creator/AlLowe, who hated the changes Sierra made to the series with ''Magna Cum Laude'' (which, along with ''Box Office Bust'', was made without his involvement), [[http://www.allowe.com/games/larry/history-of-larry/box-office-bust.html actually thanked]] Activision for washing his and their hands of "the latest disaster" to hit the series. Larry wouldn't get back on his feet again for several years after that until the releases of ''Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded'', a remake of the original game, and ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryWetDreamsDontDry'' in 2018.
* ''VideoGame/LunarDragonSong'' did this for the ''Lunar'' series, stemming from poor sales, bad reviews, and absurd gameplay mechanics (you can choose to receive experience or items from monster battles, but not both). There hasn't been a non-remake ''Lunar'' title since ''Dragon Song'''s release.
* It's debatable whether ''[[VideoGame/MagicalDrop Magical Drop F]]'' actually killed ''Magical Drop'', as despite being obviously undercooked and badly-balanced, Creator/DataEast was already in dire straits when ''F'' released. It's not debatable that attempted revival ''Magical Drop V'' only served to bury it even further into the ground. ''Magical Drop V'' is a glitchy mess that still has poor balance, lacks the Endless mode that was standard in three [[UpdatedRerelease and a half]] of its four predecessors, has lopsided AI that goes from braindead to PerfectPlayAI seemingly on a whim, has lame writing (including hints that the developers' entire knowledge of the characters came from a blatantly {{Fanon}}-laden wiki), and overall felt like a side project to developer Golgoth Studio's oft-delayed ''Toki'' remake. The game [[CreatorKiller took Golgoth Studio down with it]], forcing ''Toki'' to be finished and released by a different team, and retailed at $1 for years until being [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes taken off stores]] in 2020.
* ''VideoGame/{{Myth}} III: The Wolf Age'' isn't especially terrible, though it's significantly worse than the first two, and used the much-reviled (and long-since dead) Gamespy Arcade for multiplayer instead of {{Creator/Bungie}}.net, killing all hopes for a fourth installment.

* Creator/{{Codemasters}}' separate [[VideoGame/OperationFlashpointCodemasters successor]] to the original ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint'' series went down the drain after its second installment, ''Red River''. Unlike the first one, ''Dragon Rising'', ''Red River'' takes what makes the series unique, throws nearly all of it out and turns itself into a generic ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' clone, a move that appealed to fans of neither series. Worse yet, ''Red River'' doubled as a CreatorKiller, since Codemasters promptly [[http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/62139/Codemasters-Shuts-Down-Guildford-Studio-Known-For-Operation-Flashpoint closed down its Guildford studio]] after the game's failure. Meanwhile, OFP's original creators, Bohemia Interactive, are still going strong with their ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}}'' series.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' series was sunk by ''VideoGame/OverlordFellowshipOfEvil'', a dull ActionRPG that looked and played like a cut-rate ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}''/''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' clone with tenuous-at-best ties to the previous games in the series (Rhianna Pratchett as head writer, as well as the presence of the Minions were the only things that made it into ''Fellowship'' intact). Critical reception was uniformly (and sometimes harshly) negative.

* The poor reception to ''[[VideoGame/FantasticNightDreamsCotton Rainbow Cotton]]'' killed the ''Cotton'' franchise for two decades. Besides a 2003 adaptation of a real pachinko table and an obscure mobile port of the original game, the series would only come back in 2021 when multiple new developments and ports of the older games (except, tellingly, ''Rainbow Cotton'' itself[[note]]amusingly enough, ''Rainbow Cotton'' would eventually be announced for a 2024 release[[/note]]) would be announced for its [[MilestoneCelebration 30th anniversary]].
* The ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}'' franchise is an odd case, as their franchise killer was ''NOT'' a bad game at all. If anything, VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath was critically acclaimed and highly praised when it first came out. Unfortunately, its poor marketing meant that Strangers Wrath underperformed. The underperformance was so bad that it killed the franchise for ''over a decade''. Indeed, Oddworld is ''infamous'' for the amount of cancelled titles that was originally planned after Strangers Wrath (We are seriously talking about ''[[JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient 8 entire games]]'' that was never released due to the poor economic performance of Strangers Wrath and troubled production between Oddworld Inhabitants and its various publishers). Thankfully, Oddworld has rebloomed into a renaissance of sorts with the release of New 'n' Tasty, their first proper reboot in 2014, and then Soulstorm, their first ''actual'' re-imagining of one of their old titles in 2021 (Not reboot, a re-imagining, as in, ''a completely different game from the ground up'').
* ''VideoGame/RogueSquadron III: Rebel Strike'' suddenly introduced half-assed ThirdPersonShooter levels to the series, among other negative aspects, resulting in much backlash. Then ''VideoGame/{{Lair}}'' [[CreatorKiller put the final nail in Factor 5's coffin]].
* ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon 3'', which [[VideoGame3DLeap made the switch from isometric DigitisedSprites to full 3D graphics]]... and experienced problems in the process. The franchise was dormant for a decade afterwards, until an attempt was made to revive it... first as an AllegedlyFreeGame for mobile devices, then with the visually impressive but [[ObviousBeta buggy and content-deficient]] ''Rollercoaster Tycoon World''. Reviews were almost universally negative and apart from a couple of barely-noticed mobile spin-offs, nothing has been heard since.
* ''Majin Tensei'' is a decently-received ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' spin-off in the Strategy RPG genre, which ended up doing well enough to receive one more successful [[VideoGame/MajinTenseiIISpiralNemesis sequel]]. Then came ''Ronde'' for the Saturn. Development was farmed out to Access while Creator/{{Atlus}} worked on other games, resulting in a game so legendarily awful that the release of a preview demo caused literally ''thousands'' of canceled preorders -- numbers that were virtually unprecedented in Japan at the time. Not only did it kill the ''Majin Tensei'' series (the only release in the series since is a cell phone game that came out 10 years later), but Atlus wouldn't release another Strategy RPG ''[=MegaTen=]'' until ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', ''twelve years later'', which has entirely different gameplay from the earlier series to boot.
* While Creator/{{SNK}} had previously attempted to move the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' franchise into the third dimension with ''Samurai Shodown 64'' on the Hyper Neo-Geo 64 arcade board with limited success (it received average review scores, but new characters Shiki and Asura have appeared in other SNK games, such as ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''), most of the other games in the series were strictly 2D until they tried again with ''Samurai Shodown Sen'' (an {{interquel}} to the ''[=SamSho=] 64'' games) more than a decade later. The game was a flop, with reviewers criticizing ''Sen'' for its confusing controls, poor character balancing, and ugly graphics. After SNK's return to full-time game developer, they have expressed interest in reviving or rebooting the franchise, which came to fruition with the reveal of a new ''Samurai Shodown'' game for 2019 which featured 2.5D graphics and 2D gameplay, and thankfully was very well received.

* ''[[VideoGame/MondayNightCombat Super Monday Night Combat]]'''s lukewarm reception and small playerbase killed off the ''Monday Night Combat'' series, with the developer cutting its losses and abandoning the game less than a year after it was released on Steam. The release of a mobile game set in the MNC universe coinciding with the game's final patch in March 2013, ''Outland Games'', failed to reverse the series' fortune, and the only news about the series since then has been the announcement of the closure of both ''Monday Night Combat'' and ''Super'' in May 2018 due to how much it would have cost to make both games compliant with Europe's adjusted privacy laws.
* The first two games in the ''VideoGame/StarControl'' series were quite well received, while the third one (made without involvement of Toys For Bob, the original creators) was... not. After this, the series lay dormant for over 20 years, until Stardock acquired the rights and created a reboot. However, this reboot stirred up a legal brouhaha with TFB, leading to a temporary DMCA takedown of the game on Steam. Not helping matters is that TFB has also announced their intention to create a proper sequel to ''VideoGame/StarControlII''. However, an agreement was reached between TFB and Stardock in mid-2019, allowing both parties continue their respective projects.
* ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin III - Pride of Justice]]'' was made intentionally NintendoHard, forcing players to purchase its DownloadableContent, leading frustrated players to return their copies. At the same time, the SequelGap between the two previous games in the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' ''Masou Kishin'' sub-series (''The Lord of Elemental'' and ''Revelation of Evil God'') was six years[[note]]compared to most other ''SRW'' sub-series getting sequels released one or two years apart[[/note]], too far apart to maintain fan interest. The fact that developer Banpresto billed the sequel ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin F - Coffin of the End]]'' as its last installment was evidence that interest in the ''Masou Kishin'' name had dried up. However, even if ''Pride of Justice'' ''had'' sold well enough, it was the last game to be developed by Winkysoft (developer of the ''Masou Kishin'' games) before they declared bankruptcy in 2015. Only in 2016 was the silver lining revealed: Masaki and the BigBad of ''Coffin of the End'' return in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration The Moon Dwellers'', meaning that even though the sub-series is dead, the characters still live on, especially since said BigBad was created for the ''Masou Kishin'' sub-series.

* The first ''VideoGame/ToeJamAndEarl'' on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis is a unique, well-received game that overcame initially-poor sales to become a CultClassic for the system. However, [[ExecutiveMeddling pressure from publisher Sega]] resulted in the developers scrapping the novel ''VideoGame/{{Rogue}}''-esque dungeon-crawler gameplay, resulting in the first sequel, ''[=ToeJam=] and Earl in Panic on Funkotron'', being a more typical platformer game. While ''Panic on Funkotron'' sold better than the first title and still received positive reviews, fans of the original criticized it [[UnexpectedGameplayChange as a step back from the first game]], a sentiment that's continued to hound the game in the years following its release. A third installment lapsed into DevelopmentHell and emerged years later as ''[=ToeJam=] and Earl III: Mission to Earth'' for the Xbox, in which the series [[VideoGame3DLeap made the jump to 3D]] and tried to adapt the gameplay of the first two titles. ''Mission to Earth'' sold poorly and received mixed-to-negative reactions from both reviewers and fans, due to it undergoing a flawed VideoGame3DLeap while also [[GenreShift moving away from the series' standard funk sound in favor of hip-hop]], among other things. The series went into hibernation once again until the developers were able to successfully crowdfund money to develop a fourth game, ''Back in the Groove'', which reverts to the gameplay of the original title and was met with positive reception.
* ''VideoGame/TheTombOfTheTaskMaker'', a 1998 sequel to the Mac RPG ''VideoGame/TaskMaker'', was rushed out at the last minute due to a strain on the creators (Storm Impact) in a then-struggling Mac market, along with the fact that Storm Impact was already wounded by undercapitalization (it largely consisted of three people) and a lawsuit against a software-of-the-month club which distributed their games illegally. ''Tomb'' never got past version 1.0, and even then, what did get out was mostly due to it being on a ''Magazine/MacAddict'' CD. Storm Impact closed up shop soon afterward. Find more info [[http://robotroom.com/StormImpact.html here]].