There’s nothing more painful than watching Netflix run your favorite series to the ground and squeeze an extra season or four out of something that has a completely good ending.
You can blame the corporate greed, lack of originality, or the naivite that prevents showrunners from saying “stop,” but the outcome is the same.
I feel the same way about many popular gaming franchises. Not because they are popular. Because unless you’re trying to become an annoying 2012 hipster, that’s not why you’re going to hate it, but because there are actually some exhilarating and innovative things coming out.
These are franchises that have run great, and that’s exactly what makes them great. It is not a real need to get another entry for any of these series. So, if you really want to experience something new, play something else for a month or two before going back to the classics.
10
grand theft auto
A big deal
The GTA 3 did not invent the segment accurately, but calling it the father of all modern open world games is not an exaggeration. Rockstar has been a hit since then after a hit, but the company lost all momentum after the GTA 5.
In the 13 years between it and GTA 6, the franchise gradually transformed from an open-world single-player Mayhem to a chaotic, crime-caused version of Second Life.
Considering that it takes time and money to build a GTA 6, it would take more than it took to build a Burj Khalifa. It’s unlikely that a rockstar would want to gamble in GTA 7 anytime soon. And honestly, they shouldn’t.
For all intents and purposes, GTA 6 aims to be the definitive game of the series. Certainly, things like visual fidelity are constantly evolving, but the depth of gameplay looks like the best you can get from this range of games.
Rather than waiting another decade for the sequel, Rockstar needs to be all-in to the GTA 6, leaving that as proof of how good things are.
Never buy Skyrim again
If Rockstar takes a little too long to follow up on GTA 5, the gap with Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls is nothing but forever.
Skyrim was released in 2011. At least that was the first time. This game quickly solidified the location at the top of the RPG ladder. It’s easy to see why you should do it there.
Naturally, Bethesda wanted to follow up with something worth it, Elder Scrolls 6 has been released in 2018, but is expected to be announced. To the surprise of no one at this point, the company is not following anything meaningful.
However, I was the opinion that waiting was worth it until Oblivion remaster came out. But what should I wait now?
Remaster-Cum-Remake proves that all forgetting is better than Skyrim, and having it on the technical edge only solidifies this.
meanwhile Elder Scrolls 6 can certainly compete in the high-tech space, it’s hard to believe it can live up to the hype From a story and gameplay perspective.
If you’re really on another TES release, be your beloved and take Morrowind to the current Gen, ummm?
8
Sims
Own death in DLCS
Once upon a time, we talked about how Sims evoked feelings of warmth. The concept of a life simulator was innovative, but it was deeply familiar to you as the little freaks you build and manage are so familiar to you in your daily struggles.
However, since the release of Sims 4, most conversations about it have been about bugs and ridiculous pricing for expansion packs.
After a drive failure nuks my save, I moved from Sims 3 to Sims 4 by almost inertia (Rip Teddy Twink, Gone couldn’t be forgotten).
Don’t get me wrong now, I like “new” games. Since its release in 2014, I have spent too much time. The decision to make EA’s base game free is one of the best moves to keep it relevant.
The problem is that this arrangement works pretty well. Sims 4 has more mods than there is drive space in the world, and its expansion covers almost every aspect you can think ofand the game received enough updates to evergreen it.
It’s difficult to think of the hypothesis that Sims 5 brings to shake up most players, especially considering that many have never even left Sims 3. Why do you bother to start over?
7
far cry
It’s far from its roots
It doesn’t sound like a boomer, but I had to be there to understand the impact that the original Far Cry artwork had on impressive children reading the game’s magazines.
Against the background of a fiery tropical paradise, there is very little religious experience where one can see Jack Carver appearing from the sea with bloody MP5s.
Crytek delivers games that match the marketing hype, followed by a bold look at the dirty world of sub-Saharan African mercenaries. It was a privilege to not be able to dig into the Leodi Caprio Shift accents 10 times with Blood Diamond.
This appetite for facing controversial or rough topics has become a staple in the Far Cry serieshowever, this series has lost its source in recent years.
The franchise began to gain heat due to a lack of innovation as early as Far Cry 4, but it compensated for it with writing. The Far Cry 5 is a flawed masterpiece, but aside the unparalleled acting chops of Giancarlo Esposito, the Far Cry 6 rides mostly.
Ubisoft has yet to pronounce itself about the future of Far Cry. That’s the best thing. The series peaked a long time ago, and everything that comes out now simply dilutes the amazing legacy it has left behind.
6
Speed is needed
Too little, too late
There was once a time when the remix of neon lights and storm riders was the coolest thing humankind has invented. The need for speed had a chokehold in the street racing style, but for a while it seemed impossible to stop it.
Unless you read this in 2005, you know that you weren’t already. At the end of that decade’s tail, EA was dangerously close to killing the franchise thanks to the miserable release of Needs for Speed: Undercover.
The output after the 2015 NFS reboot felt very repetitive and uninspired. At one point, the EA decided that tied up a car upgrade to a looted box would be a great idea, but needed speed: Heat.
For a while, it seemed like the Criterion-Codemasters tag team could ultimately return the series to its glory era, but that hope died quite early in 2025.
Pulled out of the race to tackle Battlefield’s single-player content, Codemasters was thoroughly destroyed until the WRC series officially died.
Given the amount of quality racing games from teams that aren’t trying to pull the old franchise from the brink, it’s time to put this old friend on the ground before that legacy gets even blacker marks from a failed revival attempt.
5
Mass Effect
AndRomeDon’t please
Most entries in this list primarily refer to conceptual issues, but Mass Effect has more grounded issues. Specifically, the eternal struggle between bioware and the oppressive nails of corporate greed in the form of electronic arts.
These days, every few months, I feel like I get more news from an ull of offensive personnel on Bioware. The message may then follow: “We’re still alive and we may get a sequel before Mass Effect ends.”
The turbulence of EA’s Bioware followed Veilguard’s disappointing sales performance, already sending the Dragon Age into hibernation. The rest of the company is still committed to making the new Mass Effect game come true.
Now, Mass Effect games are huge by default, and the franchise has named it by tackling technical challenges head on to deliver a unique RPG experience. I have no worries about the passion and expertise of the crew left behind at Bioware, but There are too many for such reduced teams to tackle.
In an ideal world, EA looks at the big picture and repeatedly shows BioWare the resources worthy of creating a new mass effect game worthy of the series. However, realistically, it may be better to retire a franchise at a high price.
4
Final Fantasy
What about the “last” part?
William Faulkner once said in writing that you must kill all your beloved ones. Great advice for aspiring novelists, but Square Enix can benefit as well.
Final Fantasy XVI never got billed as a bad game, but it lacks in Aura compared to almost all of its predecessors. But that’s not the game’s fault.
After Final Fantasy XV was released in 2016, The highlight of the Final Fantasy series was the long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy VII.
Final Fantasy gives the director the freedom to introduce a new world and story that is completely independent of each other. And Takadajima follows that at this point the franchise does more harm than good for innovators.
When a game like Final Fantasy XVI is announced, it is not compared to other medieval fantasy titles. The new Final Fantasy is measured in both the quality and commercial success of previous games in the series.
Without the name of Final Fantasy, Square Enix wouldn’t have set such unrealistic sales targets. And we’re going to talk about it as a fantastic, standalone fantasy game.
Just like Ellis, it may have been time to die Final Fantasy after all. Remake Final Fantasy VIII before pulling the plug.
3
call of duty
There’s no more nonsense in tacticool
Activition’s flagship shooter went into the scene as a better version of EA’s Medal of Honor, but quickly fell into a rhythm suitable for common EA sports titles.
Call of Duty influenced in 2003 due to the film’s fusion of action and acceptable levels of historical accuracy, but reinvented it into a special forces and spy action thriller with modern warfare and Black Ops franchise.
This success also locked Call of Duty into the cycle of games that almost come out every year, After the Black Ops 2 was announced in 2012, the series was inconsistent.
Yes, the 2019 Modern War reboot was decent, but the sequel was awful. Black Ops 6 deserves a cry of its imaginative approach, but it’s hard to believe the sequel can keep it up.
Given that Call of Duty’s core audience is only multiplayer, Activison may retire from the franchise as no one cares about the campaign and lore. We roll the traditional mode into Warzone and call it one day.
2
Kingdom Hearts
1000 deaths by xehanorts
Let’s start with the difficult facts: Kingdom Hearts 2 is undoubtedly the best video game ever made. Tragically, rather than following up with something of the same caliber, Square Enix took 14 years to make a sequel with the emotional depths of drywall.
Needless to say, Tityawanra is a genius and shows that he still has it in his recent work in the title of Final Fantasy, but it will be nearly impossible to get excited about Kingdom Hearts 4.
The series already shows signs of Birth By Sleep’s decline. This is a game where I played almost the same story three times just to get a discounted version of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
I was initially very invested in Kingdom Hearts X mobile games, but eventually started losing the plot. Drawing mobile games that are too long to make more money is nothing new, but these boning plotlines are usually not part of the AAA release.
Kingdom Hearts 3 ended with a disappointing note. The Kingdom Hearts 4 teaser looks like a high school parody from Final Fantasy XV. Sorry, Mr. Nomura, it’s time to give this a break.
1
assassin’s creed
How to kill inheritance
There was a time when the assassin beliefs were entirely about the age-wide conflict between the assassins and the Templars, and everything else revolved around it.
All Assassin Creed fans have certain points that the series feels like they’ve lost the plotand there is a valid argument for all of them. I feel that most people mark the Odyssey as a point without revival, but honestly, my vote goes to Black Flag.
Whatever your choice, there is no denying that the game slowly descended from a somewhat grounded assassin simulator to mythical nonsense. That’s not to say that all Assassin’s Creed Games are bad these days (though that applies to the shadows), but that’s no longer an Assassin’s Creed.
Take a black flag, for example. Ubisoft has released one of the best pirate games in history. It was still closer to the original than a successful game, but the premise and execution of Black Flag was not comparable to what came before.
Rather than investing in established lore, Ubisoft has transformed Assassin’s Creed into a Call of Duty or FIFA game. A normal release, on the surface, it’s a bit different, but it’s basically the same with a new bug and a price tag of $79.99.
Ubisoft has proven once and again that it can create beautiful open worlds, and it would be better to make a standalone historical game with talent, rather than plundering even more of the legacy of the Assassin’s beliefs.
