10 Video Game Cash Cows The Industry Can’t Stop Milking
These franchises will never be put to rest.
The video game industry is a business, with the best and biggest franchises raking in absolute fortunes. It’s only natural that in this capitalist world, when companies get a sniff of something good, they tend to go a little overboard in trying to make as much money as they possibly can.
Sometimes, this works out alright for gamers, as we get more releases of our favourite franchises, with big budgets and lots of development work going into each title. Other times, however, it goes a little too far.
Game companies know that certain franchises are going to sell really well no matter what, purely based on brand recognition and fan loyalty, so they milk these cash cows for all they’re worth, churning out one release after another, choosing iteration over innovation, and rarely sparing a thought for player satisfaction.
Some of these franchises will surely keep on going for many more decades, while others might eventually be put to rest. But as long as they keep making money, there can be no doubt that game companies will keep on milking these highly lucrative franchises for as long as they can.
10. Street Fighter
The first Street Fighter was released back in 1987, but it was Street Fighter II that established the one-vs-one fighting gameplay that the series would become famous for. It's one of Capcom's biggest franchises, selling millions upon millions of units and appearing on every device imaginable.
In the 90s in particular, Capcom became known for milking the Street Fighter name for all it was worth, releasing an absolutely insane amount of spin-offs and 'Super Ultra Mega Deluxe' editions of pre-existing games. We had the regular Street Fighter games, then the Alpha and EX series, as well as the Marvel crossover games, and more.
The Street Fighter name then went quiet for a little while until making a big comeback with Street Fighter IV, which was released to widespread critical acclaim, but players were a little frustrated when an updated edition, Super Street Fighter IV, was released soon after, and the game went on to receive an Arcade Edition and Ultra variant too!
Then came Street Fighter V, which has also had its own Arcade Edition, and Capcom is set to release the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection later this year, containing a dozen different SF games from the past.