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

4. Fable

A lot of the franchises that defined the original Xbox have struggled through a process of rebirth only to persevere across multiple console generations. Gears of War wrapped up its trilogy and then finally found its footing again with Gears 5, Halo never quite captured Bungie's original magic again, but still proved itself with Halo 4 (and to a lesser extent 5), but Fable hasn't been so lucky.

In fact, the series couldn't even round out its original trilogy without faltering. The first two games were great RPGs (even if they were overshadowed by Peter Molyneux's big mouth), but the third made the fatal mistake of trying to be more "streamlined", which in video game terms always means gaining more mass-appeal by gutting features fans love.

That release soured many on the fantasy series, and it was clear Microsoft had no idea what to do with the property going forward. The next two titles were the Xbox Arcade Fable Heroes and the Kinect-centric Fable: The Journey, both of which were essentially just cashing in on the branding.

Developer Lionhead folded during the development of Fable: Legends, which was planned for the Xbox One, but rumours suggest Microsoft is reviving the series with a new studio for a proper Fable 4, which will hopefully buck this losing streak.