10 Fatal Video Games That Killed Popular Franchises

There have been countless failures throughout the history of Sonic the Hedgehog, and none of them have ever been enough to kill the franchise. With that said, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 can certainly be held responsible for killing the original, ‘classic’ version of the character, the version that first premiered on the SEGA genesis back in 1991.

Released in 2010, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was an episodic series developed by Dimps, with the assistant of Team Sonic. The game was intended to revive the 2D, side-scrolling style of gameplay made famous by earlier entries in the series, and was banking heavily on nostalgia.

Ultimately, the game was a commercial success, but received a mixed critical reception from diehard fans of the series, who were disappointed by many of the changes, and the extent to which Sonic the Hedgehog 4 departed from the style of the original games.

In response to the backlash, SEGA announced prior to the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, that the game’s reception would determine the future longevity of the series. Unfortunately, Episode 2 was virtually ignored by mainstream audiences, which lead to the cancellation of the third and fourth instalments in the series, and the death of 2D Sonic.