10 Reasons AAA Video Games Keep Bombing

The games industry is one built on franchises that will have players coming back on name recognition alone.

However, even within these mammoth AAA titans, innovation is needed to stop these things from becoming stale. Whether it’s having multiple and ongoing spin-off series, introducing new gameplay mechanics, or toying with genre, creativity is required if a series is to survive for long.

What doesn’t work, though, is when developers take the easy option and serve players another helping of the exact same experience as they’ve had countless times before.

The recent Saints Row reboot did just that.

Though this modern reimagining of the series put aside the over-the-top campiness from the later games in favour of the more ground approach of the first game, the fifth installment nevertheless was overflowing with all the same outdated tropes and gameplay mechanics from the 2006 original.

The same cut-and-paste objectives from the Saint Row franchise were already starting to wear thin by the time it ventured into literal hell; playing the same mission types in 2022 was just overkill.

Relying on name recognition isn't enough to guarantee success. It, therefore, wasn't a surprise that barely anyone joined the Third Street Saints on their latest crime spree.