When a franchise hits, its developers can think of many ways to branch out and keep it alive. It's amazing that so many franchises from the 80s and 90s are still around today because the developers somehow manage to rejuvenate interest between releases.
Some franchisees aren't so lucky and haven't gotten a game in ages, like Wild arms and Kid Icarus. Then there are franchises that are still good, but have probably already reached their watershed recently, or years ago. Can these franchises make a cultural impact again, or have they reached their peak and can't expand any further?
Call Of Duty
An annual tradition
The first ones Call of Duty games were popular as World War II shooters of their time, but Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare changed everything. The modern setting and RPG mechanics were introduced into innovative multiplayer shooters as a whole. Year after year, Activision puts out a new entry with small tweaks and innovations. For a good decade, fans couldn't get enough.
Now, Call of Duty almost feels like an annual tradition that comes and goes like a holiday. There are certainly those who want to celebrate it, but at this point, Call of Duty no longer feels special despite consistent, stable play.
The Legend of Zelda
Hard to innovate on perfection
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reinvented the wheel for Zelda series as the franchise's first true open world game. It revamped the series and the genre as a whole with mechanics like the paraglider and the stamina meter. Its direct sequel, tears of the kingdom, was just more of the same with building mechanics piled on top, and Echo of wisdom was a top-down version of the open world design.
Both of these games were great and praised when they were released, but Nintendo will need to produce something beyond imagination to surpass the feeling that new Switch owners experienced when they launched Breath of the Wild for the first time and was fascinated.
Assassin's Creed
They finally went to Japan
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
-
October 29, 2013
Assassin's Creed Shadows finally giving fans what they've been wanting ever since Assassin's Creed the series began in 2007: a trip to Japan. That game isn't the pinnacle of the series, but it fulfilled a wish.
It's hard to say exactly where the fandom branched out, as some games are more popular than others. One could argue that Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is the last game that brought together all types of players and dominated the year of its release. Assassin's Creed Origins really raised the bar by introducing RPG mechanics. Either way, while the series still has fans, it really doesn't have as much cache in the video game world as it once did.
Super Smash Bros.
Can you go beyond Ultimate?
Super Smash Bros. had one of the best commercials when it was released on the N64. The idea of iconic Nintendo and third-party characters getting it was fun, but also fun to play.
Nintendo went all out Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in terms of characters, including not only EVERY character from the past, but also new ones, like Sora from Kingdom Hearts. While a new entry with cool guest characters would pop up in discussions online, the surprise of bringing everyone back again seems like an impossible task to repeat.
God Of War
How many times can Kratos be angry?
God of war was a late addition to the PS2 and surprised everyone with its level of violence. The original trilogy was beloved by fans, with the third game being the highlight as a kind of end to Kratos' journey. It didn't seem like there was any juice left in the tank until the 2018 sequel/reboot.
2018's game was popular, but did it, or its sequel, draw more players than previous entries? The only possible way to surprise new players is if the next game dropped Kratos in favor of a new character or religious pantheon, but for some it certainly wouldn't be God of war longer.
Mario Kart
Not all series need to be open world
Super Mario Kart dazzled SNES players and offered a crazier racing game to get into. For decades, fans believed Mario Kart 64 was great until Mario Kart 8 Deluxe completely destroyed sales charts year after year. It has been well supported over the years, from new tracks to additional drivers, including non-Mario characters like Link from the Zelda series and Isabelle from Animal Crossing.
Technically speaking, Mario Kart World is a bigger game thanks to the open world design, but is it really better as a game? It is an evolution of the concept, but not a revolution. Short of having an even bigger open world or more characters in the next game, it's likely that Nintendo has nowhere else to go with Mario Kart.
Final Fantasy
Will there ever be a final?
Final Fantasy had two highlights of the series that could both be claimed as the pinnacle. Final Fantasy 7 got more players involved in RPGs, leading to the success of the PS1 among other hit titles. Final Fantasy 10 is beloved for various reasons, and the PS2 era overall is probably the last great generation for the series.
Since then, Square Enix has seemingly been more obsessed with nostalgia by bringing back its best Final Fantasy work through remakes and remasters. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a great game, but it drew on the past and only reminded players of what the franchise used to be, and not what it is today.
Can't do better than Kojima
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is the last game that Hideo Kojima worked on before leaving Konami. Since then, Konami has mostly focused on re-releases along with a spinoff of Kojima's last work via Metal Gear Survive.
They have yet to innovate what Kojima started back in 1987, and it's hard to imagine anyone at Konami stepping up to the plate and creating something new, as they'd have some gigantic shoes to fill. So, that one Metal Gear franchise, beyond remasters and remakes, may be dead, at least for Kojima fans.
