10 Video Game Reboots That Saved Iconic Franchises

2. Fallout 3

Unfortunately, with the original Fallout developers and publishers hitting financial trouble in the early 2000s, everyone's favourite post-apocalyptic RPG was suffering a forceful retirement before Bethesda picked up the rights to the IP. But, unlike other games on this list, the Fallout series didn't need "saving" in the regular sense. The previous releases in the franchise had been absolutely adored by fans, with its style of gameplay scratching a specific itch that few games could at the time. In fact, the RPG had such a strong following that many viewed Bethesda's purchase of the IP to be the title's actual death sentence, rather than the financial ruin the games had found themselves in. Fortunately, these fans needn't have been worried, as since picking up the rights the new developers have moulded the Fallout series into one of the biggest names in gaming today. With the fourth instalment lined up to drop in a matter of months, it's hard to imagine a world where this cult-favourite was allowed to languish in the hands of a defunct publisher.