10 Mistakes Video Game Franchises Made TWICE
9. Changing the Gameplay - Darksiders 2 and 3
Fundamentally altering your gameplay style is a risky gambit for a game franchise, but to be fair, it has worked in the past. But if you do it too many times, you run the risk of diluting your game's identity in the eyes of the gaming public. This is a trap that the Darksiders games fell into face first.
The first game is a solidly built God of War clone, featuring lots of hacking, slashing, puzzle-solving, and platforming. The second one is more of an RPG, with some Borderlands-style looter elements. Finally, the third game is a Soulslike, with all the trimmings of that genre.
None of these games are bad, but they lack a solid identity. Sure you're still hacking and slashing, but the games built around that core idea vary wildly from entry to entry. This makes it hard for people to really latch onto your series. You put in a Mario game, you know what you're getting... but put in a Darksiders game, and who knows what kind of game will pop up.
This, among many other real-world factors, is why keeping this series alive has been an uphill battle for THQ.