10 Video Game Franchises That Drastically Reinvented Themselves
6. Resident Evil
Beginning in 1996, Resident Evil has sold over sixty million copies worldwide, making it one of the most lucrative franchises on the planet, spanning over four generations of home consoles, and producing over seventy titles within that time, including numerous remakes, spin-offs and remasters.
In 2005, the franchise was reinvented significantly with the release of its fourth instalment – Resident Evil 4 – which represented something of a hybrid, somehow blending the contradictory elements of two completely contradictory genre - survival horror and action-adventure - merging the best aspects of each into a wonderful amalgam of the two.
Recently, the franchise has seemingly reinvented itself (again) with its seventh instalment, which looks nothing like anything that’s come before, appearing more as though an bold attempt at capitalising on the squandered potential of P.T.
Did it work?
Resident Evil 4 was the highest-selling entry in the franchise for the longest time, and is generally considered a tremendous success, as well as one of the most influential games in history.
With that being said, only time will tell if Resident Evil 7 can follow in its footsteps. From what we've seen so far, the game is virtually unrecognisable - despite its namesake - meaning it could go either way, but hopefully it'll be a blast.