10 Video Game Franchises Ruined By Studio Takeovers
Redefining the meaning of the phrase "hostile takeover".
Making a game without any further complications is an already pretty intense concept - even if you have a team of a hundred odd talented wonder-folk working on it flawlessly. But this ideal scenario is usually not the case, as countless tales of game developer drama have made clear to us.
And this is doubly true for those working on existing franchises. It's unclear what is more difficult: being a studio that's already been working on a franchise but that is halted or stymied due to a company takeover, or being a studio that's been tasked with taking over a franchise.
Both are fraught with danger, and have proved damaging for even series you'd think would be impossible to undermine - although, mercifully, many have since seen themselves redeemed with a tasteful reboot or improved future instalment.
However, even though it can be undone, this still often creates a lose-lose-lose scenario. Talented developers can be fired for changes that weren't their fault, companies can lose money on IPs they thought were guaranteed cash, and players can find their favourite franchises transformed in ways that alienate or just outright insult them.
10. Spyro
With the recent remake of the original trilogy still fresh in our hearts and minds, it can be easy to forget that there was a time when people didn't think of our favourite talking dragon with complete fondness.
But this was very much the case when Toys For Bob got the license for Spyro and released Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.
The funny thing is that it wasn't a bad game by any means. What is was, however, is the start of Toys For Bob taking their new successful Skylanders IP and running it clean into the ground. Since its creation in 2011, there have been thirteen Skylanders games, and a whole lot of said games are mobile cash grabs.
Unfortunately, the fact that Spyro was associated as starting all this chaos put many off the dragon that gave them so much nostalgia - even though the game itself was pretty fun - ruining the franchise for countless people until it was rebooted once more in 2018.