10 Video Game Reboots That Saved Dying Franchises

3. Mortal Kombat

While a lot of the games on this list were in need of a reboot because they moved too far away from what they originally were, Mortal Kombat needed a clean break because it was too much Mortal Kombat.

Throughout the 2000s, new MK games were being pumped out at a ridiculous rate, but the core fighting wasn't really changing. The developers had nailed the gory 3D fighting system early on, and the only thing new games had to offer were gimmicks like Mortal Kombat Chess, different fatalities and characters.

The story had also bloated beyond belief, to the point where just about every world-ending threat had arrived and been bested. There was nowhere to really go, only the die-hard fans understood what was going on, and too many characters and fighting styles had made the core combat itself unwieldy.

It took the publisher going bankrupt to get the studio to rethink their plans, but in 2011 they opted to cut the fat, travel back in time and pick up with a fresh slate. The 3D fighting returned to 2.5D, the character list was refined, and the story mode became the major new hook.

It worked a dream, and Mortal Kombat has been at the top of its game since.