10 Video Games That Saved Franchises From The Brink Of Doom

Franchise on the brink? By 2014, the Assassin’s Creed series had lost its edge. Unity launched as a buggy mess, riddled with technical issues that overshadowed its ambitious design. The annual release cycle had led to franchise fatigue, and players were growing weary of the repetitive gameplay and convoluted narratives. The once-revered series was in dire need of reinvention.

Saved by: Assassin’s Creed Origins 

In 2017, Ubisoft took a bold step with Origins, overhauling the series into an open-world RPG. Set in ancient Egypt, the game introduced a vast, immersive world, a revamped combat system inspired by action RPGs, and a compelling protagonist in Bayek. The shift to a more methodical pace, deeper character progression, and a focus on exploration breathed new life into the franchise. Origins was not just a game - it was a statement that Assassin’s Creed could evolve and remain relevant.

However, subsequent titles like Odyssey and Valhalla were initially embraced, expanding on the RPG elements, they also reintroduced issues of bloat and formulaic design. The series began to suffer from overexposure once again, with massive worlds filled with repetitive tasks that diluted the core experience. While Origins gave the franchise a much-needed second wind, the excitement sadly has been on the wane...