10 Huge Video Game Franchises That Are Doomed To Fail
1. EFootball
The Pro Evolution Soccer franchise is one of the most lucrative video game IP of all time, though the release of 2019's game saw the franchise re-branded as "eFootball PES."
The recent follow-up, however, removed the PES branding entirely, which wouldn't be a bad thing were it not that eFootball 2022's release was an abject disaster.
The free-to-play football game was universally panned for its wonky, glitchy graphics and atrocious gameplay, such that it became the worst-rated game on Steam just a day after launch with a shocking 92% negative reviews.
Given that the game was monetised through in-game "premium" content, it's unlikely that few frustrated fans ended up giving Konami any money at all. And so, it's difficult to picture eFootball 2022 ever turning a profit.
While it's entirely possible the game could be whipped into shape with updates, Konami might be better off just focusing their energies on a relaunch with next year's title, because the damage done here - reputation-wise above all else - just seems too catastrophic to recover from.
Then again, it may well be that the franchise as a whole has been irreversibly damaged beyond redemption. It'd be a sad fate for a series that's been championed in the past for boasting superior gameplay to its more popular rival, FIFA.