10 Exact Moments That Made Fans Hate Gaming Franchises

Gamers can be a fickle bunch at times, but often their famous ire is completely justified, especially when it comes to a hit franchise they've been passionately committed to for years or maybe even decades.

The fluid, ever-evolving nature of video games means that developers don't always get things right: sometimes they follow the wrong trend, the pressures of working to a tight deadline compromises the end product, or maybe they've got a greedy publisher calling all the shots.

But whatever the root cause, these 10 video game franchises all fell apart at one very specific moment in time, whether a cringe-worthy scene that defined everything wrong with a new entry, the botched reveal of a major tonal shift for the series, a completely unsatisfying ending or a business decision that sought to nickel-and-dime players.

Some of these franchises were at least lucky enough to claw their way back into players' good books, but it wasn't without a mighty effort.

Others, however, have been dead in a ditch ever since, either limping along quietly or flat-out dead, possibly never to return...