5 failed video game reboots that forced the franchise to go back to the original series

It is hard to imagine a popular video game franchise becoming dormant and going for a reboot. However, if such a thing does happen, it is most often due to poor sequels or expansion packs that have overridden the appeal of the original title.

In such a scenario, coming up with a reboot is sometimes viewed as the last resort to garner fresh interest from gamers. Video game reboots often have an alternate storyline that is set in the same world but with different characters.

Some reboots expand on the original title and provide a novel look to the series. However, others fail to connect with the audience due to one reason or another.

Here is a quick rundown of five such video game franchise reboots that failed to appeal to gamers and ultimately forced the developers to go back to the original series.

Note: This article reflects the author's opinions.

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5 video game franchises with unimpressive reboots

1) Devil May Cry (2013)

The Devil May Cry series is the ultimate standard for the action-adventure genre even today. Giving rise to a sub-genre of video games called extreme combat, Devil May Cry paved the way for video games such as God of War and Elden Ring.

After the successful launches of Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3, and Devil May Cry 4, the video game franchise decided to go for a bold reboot of the original series and came up with a fresh version of Devil May Cry in 2013.

Although Devil May Cry 2013 had more fluid gameplay mechanics than the previous editions, fans of the series could not handle the new version of the series’ protagonist and the story's ending.

Fortunately, the video game's developers took note of the criticism and came back with another re-release of Devil May Cry in 2020. This time around, Dante’s original character was retained, much to the delight of the franchise's loyal supporters.

In the 2020 reboot version of Devil May Cry, Dante’s twin brother, Virgil, also the story’s antagonist, is a playable character.

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2) Sonic Unleashed (2008)

The publishers of the famous Sonic Adventure series, Sega and Gameloft, rebooted the original Sonic Adventure video game series with significant changes in gameplay mechanics. The 2008 edition of the Sonic Adventure series was named Sonic Unleashed.

The title went on to be a commercial success, selling over 2.5 million copies. However, it could not escape the stream of criticism from gamers. The title was heavily criticized for its poor gameplay mechanics and design concepts.

As a result, the Sonic franchise immediately went back to its original gameplay elements in its next title in 2099, titled Sonic and the Black Knight.

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3) Quake 4 (2005)

After the spectacular success of the first Quake game, the first-person shooter franchise decided to change the video game’s setting and backdrop in its subsequent releases. The storyline of Quake II and Quake III pitted the players against a Cyborg race called Shrogg.

While Quake III ended up becoming the highest selling video game of the franchise with over three million copies sold, gamers could not quite digest the changes in the second and third editions. This ultimately led to the downfall of the franchise.

After remaining dormant for over a decade, the franchise finally woke up from its slumber and delivered yet another first-person multiplayer shooter game, titled Quake Remastered, in 2020. In doing so, it brought back the original dark-arena-themed graphics and gameplay.

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4) Prince of Persia (2008)

Developed by Ubisoft, the 2008 edition of the Prince of Persia series was a radical shift from the original storyline. Players had the freedom to roam anywhere in the open world. However, the wall-crawling and acrobatic gameplay mechanics were nicely maintained from the previous Prince of Persia editions.

Prince of Persia 2008 saw a dramatic shift from an Islamic Persian kingdom to a Zoroastrian kingdom of a distant past, which did not quite appeal to gamers. The reboot of the game also had many design flaws and had a lack of rewarding exploration.

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5) Doom 3 (2004)

Developed by id Software, Doom is a popular first-person shooter video game series that lets players control Doomguy, a space marine. The protagonist has to fight his way through hordes of evil monsters from another realm.

After the overwhelming success of the first two Doom titles, the developers decided to convert the action-adventure first-person shooter game into a survival horror first-person shooter in Doom 3.

Although Doom 3 went on to be a commercial success with over 3.5 million copies sold, the backlash from the gaming community regarding the change in genre was immediate.

For a game made in 2004, Doom 3 did a pretty good job with excellent graphics, sounds, and atmosphere. Despite being such a well-made game, the reboot did not quite work out well.

Doom 4 was released after a gap of 12 years in 2016. The developers reverted to the original genre, making it a fast-paced action-adventure first-person shooter and winning the affection of fans once again.