10 Video Game Developers Who Killed The Franchise They Were Handed

10. Ninja Theory - Devil May Cry

A near-immortal half-demon who feared nothing and wielded a sword about as tall as him, Dante had swagger for days, and would happily insult giant lava spiders before slicing them in two.

We all fell in love with gaming's finest demon slayer, and after seven years of titles and a five year hiatus, Dante and Devil May Cry were handed off to Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory. The world waited with baited breath as to what this rebooted edition might look like in 2013... and the results were just about the most off-putting thing we could've imagined.

Almost like a fundamental misunderstanding of the character, 2013's Dante wasn't "loveably cocky" like Han Solo - he was just a !*$%. Spending his time complaining, staring at the ground or directly insulting the fans by mocking an albino wig that referenced his older hair colour, this version of Dante felt like playing some arrogant a-hole who thinks everyone loves them... but it's actually quite the opposite.

People went from WANTING to like this reboot to actively detesting the design at first look, only for things to get worse when they started playing. Such a financial reality saw Capcom reduce sales expectations by 800k units, alongside canning any direct continuations.