10 Video Game Reboots That Saved Dying Franchises

2. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty Modern Warfare
Infinity Ward

Just to clarify, this entry isn't saying that Modern Warfare has single-handedly saved the entire COD franchise, as there's far too many developers and sub-series fluctuating in quality that have kept it going through ups and downs over the years. However, the latest release has saved both the Modern Warfare brand as well as Infinity Ward's releases in general.

While they were once king of the hill, the studio lost its momentum following Modern Warfare 2. After that game launched, the heads of the company (along with a bunch of key employees) parted ways with publisher Activision. A whole bunch of IW's major talent was suddenly absent, and the following games struggled to reclaim the quality they were once known for.

MW3 was an unfocused mess, Ghosts was a botched attempt at a new franchise, and while Infinite Warfare was ambitious, it came at a time where fans were well and truly sick of sci-fi CODs.

Now, though, the team has finally rebuilt, and they're back with a fresh reboot of their most popular title, and the franchise has never been better.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.