10 Video Game Franchises Ruined By Studio Takeovers

Sam & Max is a wonderful franchise that has had worse luck with game studios than you could possibly imagine.

They first were the property of LucasArts - which was, at the time, a sure sign it'd be good. And the blend of mystery and comedy that the anthropomorphic duo brought to the table was well received, showing it capable of being a commercial success.

LucasArts would go on to cancel the sequel, Sam & Max: Freelance Police two years after they announced it, and a significant amount of time after they set developers to work on it.

Understandably frustrated, the franchise's owner, Steve Purcell, moved the rights on when the LucasArts deal expired, handing them over to Telltale Games - a studio set-up of ex-Lucas staffers specifically to make anything but Star Wars titles.

And they did a very good job with it... until further complications arose there.

When Telltale shut down, the studio that took over it continued with big names like Telltale's Batman series and The Wolf Among Us, but left Sam & Max notably out of the proceedings.

While it’s admittedly been many years since the last instalment, anyone holding out hope for another game starring the wisecracking duo should probably put those dreams to bed, at least for now.