10 Famous Video Game Franchises That Haven't Made Anything Good In Years

1. Silent Hill

Silent Hill Homecoming
Konami

From one iconic survival-horror series to another, Silent Hill's steep decline into obscurity hurts the most. The series set a new bar for atmospheric storytelling in games, acting as the mature(ish) cousin to the B-movie inspired Resident Evil.

The first chunk of games were all amazing in their own way, with 2 being one of the best the industry has seen, but after the fourth title showed cracks in the formula, it all started going downhill.

A new team was brought in which clearly didn't quite grasp the DNA of the franchise. The iconography remained, and on the surface it didn't look like the following games, including Downpour, Origins and Shattered Memories, deviated too much from the style of the previous releases, but the spark was gone.

In its place was clunky gameplay that couldn't keep up with the times, stories that were all style over substance and recycled motifs that copied the best parts of previous releases.

The worst part is, the series was due a rejuvenation after years of disappointment with Silent Hills, but Konami cancelled that game and hasn't shown any enthusiasm for reclaiming the franchise's former glory since.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.