10 Fatal Video Games That Killed Popular Franchises

As previously mentioned, THQ declared bankruptcy in 2012, and was in pretty dire shape prior to its eventual closure. In desperation, the company began sinking money into its most profitable franchises, hoping to generate huge returns on its investments.

The company also began axing franchises that failed to meet the company’s unrealistic expectations. In 2012, THQ shelved two franchises indefinitely: Red Faction and Darksiders, both of which have since been acquired by Nordic Games, though there are currently no existing plans to bring either of them back to life.

In the case of the latter, Darksiders was rumoured to have had a budget of over $50 million, which made no sense given the modest success of the original. Unsurprisingly, Darksiders 2 failed to make its money back, and was considered a commercial disappointment. In fairness, the game was doomed from the start, and even though it outsold the original considerably, it simply couldn’t satisfy the unreasonable demands of its publishers, THQ.

Prior to the release of Darksiders 2, a third instalment was being planned by the developers of the series, Virgil Games. It was scrapped shortly after, and both Virgil Games and THQ were checked into the mortuary, never to be seen from again.