15 Video Game Franchises That Tried Something Wildly Different (And Failed)

Bethesda's post-apocalyptic Fallout series is one of the most popular RPG franchises on the market. The series has gradually evolved past its isometric roots into the more well-known FPS games that have become renowned for large open world maps, memorable NPCs and choice-driven gameplay that can impact the narrative in meaningful ways.

Fallout 4 was seen as something of a high point for the series, so many wondered how the formula could keep evolving. In 2018, the developer released Fallout 76, but its safe to say it didn't quite go down as well as past entries.

Instead of another single player story-driven RPG, Fallout 76 is an always-online multiplayer survival game. At launch, there were no human NPCs to interact with in the vast wasteland in which the game is set. Bethesda wanted the players themselves to be the inhabitants. This concept, though ambitiously optimistic, simply didn't align with what players wanted from a Fallout game.

The world felt empty. Without a narrative in the traditional sense, players felt rudderless, wandering around the desert without really knowing why they were there. Add in plenty of Bethesda's trademark bugs and glitches at launch, and it was a recipe for failure. The backlash was so bad, Bethesda was forced to backpedal, adding in human NPCs and a much more cohesive narrative in a DLC update.

Nowadays, Fallout 76 is a much better game. With numerous post-launch updates coming off the back of player feedback, Bethesda has shown it is much more in tune with its fan base. The franchise's popularity was not damaged at all with this blunder either, with an Amazon Prime TV series cementing its pop culture status.