10 Huge Video Game Franchises That Are Doomed To Fail

The Watch Dogs series sure is a strange beast. Though the original 2014 release received mixed reviews from critics it was a strong commercial success, leading to a sequel releasing just two years later.

Ironically despite being a much better game with a more colourful, less-serious style, Watch Dogs 2 sold 80% less than the original game in its launch week, though by last year had still impressively sold 10 million copies.

After the second game's iffy launch, though, Ubisoft made the decision to change things up again for last year's Watch Dogs: Legion, which despite its intriguing multi-protagonist setup released to mild reviews and just 54% of Watch Dogs 2's physical launch sales.

Now, it's important to factor in the uptick in digital purchases since 2016 and also the fact that some may have chosen to play the game on Ubisoft+ instead, but with the lukewarm response from players and press alike it really feels like the IP is massively losing ground.

Ubisoft will clearly be fine with the glut of AAA franchises at their disposal, but given Legion's soft commercial performance out of the gate and lack of major sales figures released since, the series is probably letting out its death rattle right now.