8 Video Games Ruined By Being TOO Successful

If you ever want to see a tragic example of a franchise that thought it was too big to fail but did anyway, then Guitar Hero has to be the defining one.

Everything seemed like it was going so well for the series. Ludicrous sales, critical praise, and a pulling power so intense that it captured the attention of not only gamers around the world but the mainstream at large. At one point in time everyone was playing this game, and yet because of Activision's own greed, they drove the franchise into the ground in short order.

After Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock we arguably had the perfect Guitar Hero entry, a great tracklist, tight as government NHS spending gameplay, and even dabbling with downloadable content to keep things fresh, and it was this last factor that many thought would be the main focus from this point on. A handful of mainline entries but a true push for custom setlists build from DLC tracks.

Yet Activision thought differently, churning out numerous gimmick offshoots focusing on singular bands while adding in more and more plastic instruments along the way. With Band Hero, many felt the writing was on the wall, and with a terrible setlist, questionable difficulty, and an overall casual gamer approach, the title bombed in sales and with critics.

The well had been truly drained of creativity and money, and for Activision, the latter was enough to put the series on ice for years.