10 Thoroughly Mistreated Video Game Franchises

There are few things more frustrating than when a beloved game series with thousands of fans just doesn't get treated with the amount of respect it deserves. Sometimes it seems to happen for no reason - the games get fantastic reception and a loyal following, only for the developers to throw that way.

Of course, creating games and managing a franchise is hard and anyone on the outside looking in probably has no idea what all goes into it, but sometimes the mistakes seem so obvious, you have to wonder what they were thinking.

Whether from refusing to make new games, making new entries that completely ignore what people liked, or just disregarding the fans entirely, some titles just don't get treated right.

It seems like the quality of the series doesn't even matter, they can still fall victim to terrible mismanagement.

No franchise is ever really safe from being treated terribly, but these entries are some of the most notable ones that have suffered from poor decisions. Some of them may have recovered from the treatment, but the bad times will always stick in people's memories.

By all accounts, Rayman should have been the face of Ubisoft. Perfect as a mascot, the series has had some incredibly beloved games starring the limbless wonder, as he platformed his way through several fun adventures.

But then Rayman hit a roadblock he couldn't get past for a long time:

The Rabbids.

Created as the main enemies for a mainline Rayman game, it got cancelled/reworked into a Wii minigame collection, and that started the full-on Rabbids takeover of the series. Rayman was barely seen for years as the Rabbids invaded everything they possibly could, with their own games, cameos, and even their own cartoon series.

Eventually though, Rayman came back in glorious 2D platformers, earning high praise as some of the best of its genre. However, that glory didn't last long, as after two games Rayman was regulated to mobile, with auto-runners and a brand new adventure of the hero being miniaturized.

The mobile games themselves are fine, but with how loved the character is, it's a shame that Ubisoft seemingly refuses to do right by him.