8 Dead EA Video Game Franchises That Deserve A Comeback

Physical sales of last year's Battlefield 5 were less than half than that of its 2016 predecessor, but why? Was it the ridiculous minority movement that tried (and failed) to boycott DICE's latest shooter that led to the drop-off, or is the simple answer - that franchise fatigue is beginning to set in - more likely? In truth, there's no definitive reason, but Battlefield 5's heavily iterative nature only lends support to the latter being responsible. If EA wishes to sidestep a repeat performance this year, there's an easy remedy staring it right in the face.

2010's Bad Company 2, a purposefully scaled-down affair in order to accommodate consoles, remains one of the most fondly remembered entries in the series to date, both for its tighter focus and for being the first instance of a Battlefield title to feature environmental destruction. Levelling entire outposts and buildings to flush out enemy squads holed up within offered a level of emergent tactical play that has since become a lesser focus of DICE's design process, in favour of hyper-realistic warfare.

EA might not think it so, but there's room in the market for the best of both worlds. If mainline Battlefield titles are yielding diminishing returns, give it a well-deserved rest and bring back the more arcade-focused sister franchise for a change.