Game Franchises That Have Long Lost Their Former Glory

Dead franchises begging for a revival is another thing, but already existing, highly popular game series’ fading away from their past glory and only becoming a remnant of what they once were is tragically another, and one that does not sit right with millions of players across the world. Over the last decade or so, therefore, some of the biggest video game IPs have deteriorated in quality, painting a future that looks nothing but grim for their respective fan bases.

Follow along with this piece as I talk about such franchises, and where exactly they fell off. Being a hardcore fan of some of these, it genuinely hurts whenever I fire up their latest iteration after having lived so many fond memories with their earlier counterparts. Then again, you don’t get always get your way in life, do you? 

Their Current State Resembles All But A Sliver Of Their Past  

Make sure to post a comment ahead in case you have a contribution to make to the listicle. 

1. Halo

So, starting off the list is pretty much a no-brainer here, considering how Halo was recognized was the video game franchise in the business at one time and a forefront brand representative of Xbox. That, however, has dwindled over time, especially with the launch of Halo Infinite, which was actually highly anticipated prior to being released. People, myself included, thought of it as a huge deal.

Then comes December 8, 2021, and things start to fall apart. Halo Infinite becomes NOT the promised game that 343 Industries vouched for, subsequently drowning in a flurry of online issues and performance hiccups that just ruined the initial experience for players across the world. And the worst part? There was a time not long after Infinite was released when 343 became clueless about fixing the game’s persisting PvP issues, spelling thorough disaster. 

Following all that came numerous departures of key people from the company, including the Creative Director, and the lead Multiplayer Designer, and then arrived the blame on Microsoft’s leadership by ex-Infinite developers. I will admit that 343 has drastically improved the face of the game since then, but here’s what still missing: Campaign development has been halted on the FPS, despite it packing a ton of potential for amazing more content. 

This form of abandonment does not feel justified for a franchise as grand as Halo.

Especially gauging how its previous iterations, namely Halo 3, Halo Reach, and even Halo: Combat Evolved, were the epitome of fun back in the day, the series should’ve only gone up from there on out. That has not been the case, unfortunately. 

2. Splinter Cell 

Arguably the greatest stealth video game franchise of all time, it’s been an eon since the gaming world saw a new Splinter Cell rendition, and I cannot express how sad that statement truly is. Heck, a remaster of the first couple of Splinter Cell titles, including Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory would do a lot of fans well, but the case for a brand-new iteration still stands. 

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has affirmed a couple of times that the Tom Clancy games aren’t being ignored, including the Splinter Cell IP, so fans can look forward to a new game down the road, but I’m not sure how that’s going to turn out in a day and age when profits are prioritized across the board.

For reference, the last Splinter Cell game, titled Blacklist, came out more than a decade ago, and that’s a problem.  

3. Need For Speed 

Don’t get me wrong, Need for Speed: Unbound is a good game in its own right, but does it live up to the standards that this franchise once set? You and me both know the answer to that, so let’s skip the small talk. Most Wanted — the one from 2005 featuring the iconic BMW M3 GTR — hit the nail on the head for what a racing game should be, period.

It nailed the atmosphere, got the vehicle handling right, sported an array of choices on that front, and even did well delivering a fairly amusing storyline. Fast-forward to 2024, however, and all we’ve got is memories of what once was. Most Wanted, Underground … these were the games that have made the teen and adolescent years of so many, 

4. Battlefield 

Last but not least, and this one genuinely does my head in, Battlefield was once hailed as one of the greatest first-person, competitive shooting game franchises when it pumped out titles like Battlefield 3, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 4. Now, you’ve got the likes of Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042, which are titles I wouldn’t like to attach to the Battlefield moniker.