History StillbornFranchise / VideoGames

* {{Exaggerated|trope}} with ''VideoGame/{{HYENAS}}'' - due to ''Creator/{{Sega}}'' experiencing significant financial losses, the game itself have a TroubledProduction, and significant controversy over its advertising, the game was canceled just a few weeks before release.

* Sacnoth was already planning sequels to ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHearts Koudelka]]'' and there were also talks of a Platform/NeoGeoPocket port at some point but the game's middling reviews and sales put an end to all of it. Instead, they decided to develop a more conventional RPG that eventually led to the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' trilogy.

** The name of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'' alone confirms there were plans for more games with other characters (by some accounts, Raiden was to be next). Unfortunately, the first game turned out to be ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero'' and no others appeared.

* ''VideoGame/ShogoMobileArmorDivision'', due to being overshadowed by the launch of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' a few weeks later, received neither the announced {{Expansion Pack}}s or a sequel. Which was a shame because Shogo was actually similar to Half Life in that both were early first person shooters with an actual narrative, cutscenes, and levels that exist to progress the plot without any shooting. And Shogo even came out first. But Half Life just did everything better, so Shogo was quickly forgotten.

* Neither ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' nor ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' are dead by any means. However, their crossover series ended after its first installment -- ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. Between the game being OvershadowedByControversy over DLC packs that were already on the disc and the BribingYourWayToVictory gem system, the lukewarm-to-negative reception of the game itself, and the underwhelming sales, the intended sequel ''Tekken X Street Fighter'' has yet to materialize (other than Akuma being a GuestFighter in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' and Ryu, Ken and Kazuya Mishima being playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''). Notably, Capcom had very big plans for this one--they assumed it would sell as much as the most recent ''Tekken'' and ''Street Fighter'' games ''combined'', fandom overlap be damned, and had a roadmap to keep releasing new gem packs for years to come. Instead, they ended up spending most of the game's post-launch window doing damage control, eventually releasing a patch that at least put the game in a good state before shifting focus back to ''Street Fighter''. The official statement is that the game has been [[{{Vaporware}} shelved with about 30% of the work already done]], and in 2021, Harada had to dispell rumors that the game was cancelled that rose from his words being misinterpreted.

* ''VideoGame/{{Vexx}}'' was developer Acclaim Entertainment's attempt to create a 3-D platforming mascot in the same vein as VideoGame/CrashBandicoot or VideoGame/BanjoKazooie. Early versions of the game were named ''Clip and Mischief'' and starred the titularly-named duo. Unfortunately, halfway into development, Creator/NaughtyDog would announce the much-anticipated ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'', a strikingly similar 3-D platformer, and Acclaim hastily began to alter their game to differentiate it. Now named ''Vexx'', the game now featured a single protagonist in a much darker, edgier setting than its competitors. Ultimately a lack of time and funding due to the troubled finances of its developer led to around half the game's levels and mechanics being cut and the game was released to middling reception and very poor sales. As if that wasn't enough of a death knell, Acclaim Entertainment filed for bankruptcy not long after, and subsequent attempts to revive the company all failed miserably.

!!General:
* This trope happened plenty of times with video game compilations where a CompilationRerelease that ends its title with "Volume 1" never actually gets a "Volume 2". Some examples are ''Sega Ages Volume 1'' for Platform/SegaSaturn, ''Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 1'' for Platform/Nintendo64, ''Sega Smash Pack Volume 1'' for Platform/SegaDreamcast, ''Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1'' for Sega Dreamcast, ''Jaleco Collection Vol. 1'' for Platform/PlayStation, ''Toaplan Shooting Battle 1'' for [=PlayStation=], ''Capcom Coin-Op Collection Volume 1'' for Microsoft Windows, and ''SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1'' for [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]], [[Platform/PlayStationPortable PSP]], and Platform/{{Wii}} (not counting PSP exclusive ''SNK Arcade Classics 0'' which was [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]]). However, a particularly amusing subversion exists with the ''Platform/XboxLive Arcade Unplugged'' series. While the numbered series itself is restricted to only a Vol. 1, this was ''not'' the only entry in the line, with three more unnumbered entries going under different names.
!!Specific Examples: