10 Fatal Video Games That Killed Popular Franchises

Released in 2003, Deus Ex: Invisible War was the long awaited second instalment in the Deus Ex franchise, and was generally considered a success upon its initial release. Praised by critics for its engaging narrative, open-ended gameplay and branching moral choices, the game was regarded as a adequate sequel, and a huge graphical improvement over the original.

However, due to Ion Storm’s dire financial situation at the time, Invisible War actually resulted in the closure of Ion Storm: Austin, a significant branch of the company. Public opinion of the game was also beginning to shift, becoming steadily less positive over time. A planned spin-off entitled Deus Ex: Clan Wars was later reworked and repurposed into Project: Snowblind in order to disassociate the game from the failing franchise.

In 2011, the series was revived with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and has since enjoyed a considerable degree of success, earning multiple awards and being unanimously praised for its visuals, its gameplay and its story. With that said, the Deus Ex franchise was dormant for almost a decade, and would have remained that way had it not been for the efforts of Eidos Montreal.

Funnily enough, Invisible War actually sold about as many copies as the original, but was still held responsible for the demise of the entire franchise. Ultimately, the game was expected to accomplish too much, and it just couldn’t live up to the publisher’s expectations.