15 Best New Video Game Franchises Of The Decade

14. Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs hasn't had an easy life. It was one of the first next-gen games players were shown, and its gorgeous graphics and fascinating hacking-centric gameplay got everyone frothing at the mouth over how the medium was going to innovate going forward.

However, the final release was mired in controversy surrounding a visual downgrade, criticisms labelled towards the overly-serious story, and The World's Most Boring Man, Aiden Pierce, who was pitched as the protagonist.

That took the focus of media headlines, but there was clearly a solid foundation for a franchise here. The hacking itself was still completely unique (if a bit undercooked), while the open world was gorgeously realised.

Ubisoft came back a few years later with a sequel which directly addressed the problems of the first game, and doubled down on everything it did well. It was awesome, but the bitter taste still remained, and fans were much more cautious about jumping back in.

That's a shame though, as it was a huge step forward for a series with so much potential yet to be tapped.