6 Beloved Video Game Franchises That Died In 2017

5. Mass Effect

Right from the get-go, something felt "off" about Mass Effect Andromeda. Even the name not being a numbered instalment brought about questions of "... but why?", rather than anything more purposeful.

Following that, a complete lack of trailers or gameplay demos was a terrible way to go, leading to a 4K tech showcase that focused on some "next generation" lighting models, only for the EA Origins early demo to tank the entire thing. Within minutes the whole world was seeing unfinished animations, broken and buggy combat, and just a supreme lack of polish.

It was disastrous.

The script had "mass-market comedy" written all over it, with both male and female character options crowbarring jokes into every possible exchange. Even post-release there was no letup, as it turned out months' worth of infighting between EA's studios resulted in nothing being finished, and EA's big-wigs actively told coders to focus on the multiplayer instead.

And what was inside the multiplayer? Microtransactions! Now at least that part of this makes sense...