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

After the release of Grand Theft Auto 3, plenty of copycat games started sprouting up in the early 2000s. Games like Mafia and True Crime: Streets of LA attempted to replicate the phenomenal success of Rockstar's groundbreaking title. When Saints Row was released in 2006, it attempted to put a far more satirical spin on things. As several sequels followed, the series turned into an over-the-top parody of GTA. By the time Saints Row IV came out in 2013, players were playing through missions where aliens invaded the white house without even batting an eyelid.

That 4th game signalled what many thought was the end of the series proper, aside from a couple of expansion DLCs that followed shortly after. Surprisingly though, a reboot simply titled Saints Row was released in 2022. Fans of the series were curiously eager to dive back into this whacky world where pretty much anything could happen, but when they played this new entry, they found it was a different beast entirely.

Gone were all of the series' fantastical elements like zombies or aliens. The bombastic costumes, weapons and cars were also nowhere to be found. Instead, the game presented a much more grounded open world, with run-of-the-mill characters, missions and stories. It was incredibly disappointing for legacy fans. It also exposed Saints Row's biggest weakness. Remove all of the bombastic elements, and what's left is a bland Grand Theft Auto clone devoid of its own identity. Fan and critical reception was poor, and the game's sales were so underwhelming that it subsequently led to Volition being closed down, and the series going on indefinite hiatus.