10 Fatal Video Games That Killed Popular Franchises

Originally released back in 2001, Red Faction was a fairly forgettable shooter that emphasised destructible environments and linear combat. It was followed up in 2002 with Red Faction II, which was similar in both tone and style to the original. After that, the series disappeared for half a decade, finally returning in 2009 with Red Faction: Guerrilla, which was a huge success both critically and commercially.

The sequel, Red Faction: Armageddon was almost the complete opposite, damaging the series irrevocably with its poor sales, and forcing THQ to shelve the franchise entirely. It was also partly responsible for the closure of the company, seeing as how THQ declared bankruptcy the following year after suffering $40 million in total losses.

Of course, Armageddon can't be held entirely responsible, and was only one of numerous contributing factors, but it still played a role in the company’s eventually closure.

Currently, the rights to the franchise are in the hands of Nordic Games, so we might actually see the franchise revived at some point in the future. Until then, the series is done and dusted, and is unlikely to make a reappearance any time soon. Guerrilla might have been a surprise success, but Armageddon undid that success in one fell swoop, stopping the franchise dead in its tracks.