20 Video Game Franchises EA Has Ruined

Sometimes, video games fail. It's part of the nature of the industry, and even well-loved franchises can eventually fall into a state of disrepair, regardless of their previous successes. No matter how great a series is, one misstep can cause chaos.However, it seems as though Electronic Arts is a publisher with a trend for damaging the beloved video game franchises that it holds under its library. Indeed, the history of EA as a whole is littered with the shipwrecks of some of the greatest titles seen in the history of video games, whether through outright destruction or by turning the series into shells of what they once were. Even franchises such as Star Wars are not able to escape publisher interference and eventual cancellation.Related: The 20 Most Disappointing Video Games of 2017As such, it's worth ing some of the intellectual properties that have never been the same after some direct involvement from EA. Here's a rundown of the franchises that EA has ruined.This Page: Dead Space, Dungeon Keeper, Ultima, Wing Commander

Dead Space

Dead Space is one of the more recent additions to the EA graveyard. The sci-fi horror series was one of the most iconic of the last console generation, with the first title in particular bringing out genuine scares through grotesque body horror and the isolation of space. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before EA turned its attention to the financial returns of the Visceral series, with the niche genre of the horror game seen as a reason for the series failing to hit targets.

Off the back of this, Dead Space started to shift. The smaller changes in Dead Space 2, such as a slightly higher action focus and a larger emphasis on character dynamics, eventually morphed into a full-on action adventure experience in Dead Space 3. That change, along with the confusing addition of microtransactions for upgrades in a single player game, left a bitter taste in the mouths of players, and in spite of solid sales the franchise yet again failed to meet EA's lofty expectations.

As such, Dead Space was put into cryostasis, and Visceral was moved onto the underwhelming Battlefield: Hardline. Before too long, Visceral itself would be gone, as people don't like linear games any more. With Visceral closed, the future of Dead Space is truly up in the air.

Dungeon Keeper

Initially developed by Bullfrog Productions, the Dungeon Keeper games were some of the most engaging and fun games in the strategy circuit. The first Dungeon Keeper was released just two years after EA had acquired Bullfrog as a studio, and by throwing the players into the role of a villain running an evil fantasy dungeon it captured the imagination of many. The game's sequel, Dungeon Keeper 2, upped the ante and continued the success of the series.

However, a third Dungeon Keeper from Bullfrog never appeared. Dungeon Keeper 2 did not meet the sales expectations of EA, and so Bullfrog was tasked with making the game more accessible. However, Bullfrog itself was slowly merged into EA UK and tasked with working primarily on licensed games such as the Harry Potter series, and so Dungeon Keeper 3 was quietly cancelled as Bullfrog disappeared.

Unfortunately, Dungeon Keeper would return in a form more hideous than anything its dungeons could have created: a mobile title with freemium microtransactions so heinous that the game barely functioned. The game itself was roundly criticised, and - as an even more depressing note - it proved to be the last game developed by the once-renowned Mythic Entertainment, whose own role had shifted into mobile development before being closed down by EA entirely.

Ultima

Ultima was once one of the most important RPG series on the market. The first game, Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness was released all the way back in 1991, and the series acted as one of the major building blocks of the RPG scene. It's fair to say that developer Origin Systems is one of the most important in the history of computer gaming, while even spin-off games such as Ultima Underworld proved hugely influential, with Underworld going on to inspire the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Deus Ex.

All that started to change when Origin was acquired by EA. Shortly after the takeover the developer released Ultima VII: The Black Gate, a game that hinted at the studio's distrust of EA as a whole, with villain The Guardian drawing clear parallels to the publisher. Although Ultima VII did well, the slow disintegration of Ultima then took place, with EA shifting the focus of the series into the MMO Ultima Online in 1997.

The disastrous launch of Ultima IX: Ascension saw EA kill off the series once and for all, cancelling all in-development Ultima projects and leaving Origin empty. Since then, there has been a couple of failed free to play spin-offs and Ultima Online continues to be maintained, but the mainline series is effectively dead at this point. At least fans of Ultima Underworld have a successor in the form of Underworld Ascendant in the works for release this year.

Wing Commander

Ultima was not the only casualty of EA's takeover of Origin Systems. Alongside the RPG series, Origin was also home to space flight simulator series Wing Commander, and the franchise was a force to be reckoned with when it came to PC gaming. Delivering cut scenes that were absolutely stunning at the time, including performances from the likes of John Rhys-Davies and Mark Hamill, the series delivered a cinematic experience beyond what gamers could expect for the time.

However, Wing Commander had the problem of sitting within a genre that was on the decline. Space combat sims were slowly losing popularity among the gaming public, and the series was further hit by the departure of creative head Chris Roberts in 1996. In the wake of Ultima IX's release,Wing Commander was also impacted, with spin-off Privateer Online seeing cancellation and effectively shelving the series.

EA tried to bring back Wing Commander with Wing Commander Arena in 2007, but the multiplayer shooter had little to tie it to the original series. Instead, fans have turned to Chris Roberts' new venture, Star Citizen, but the crowdfunded venture has been hit with numerous delays in spite of its hugely successful backing drive.

Oddworld

Although the Oddworld series only had a small amount of involvement with EA, the publisher may have caused some serious problems for the franchise. Developer Oddworld Inhabitants hit gold with Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, while Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee failed to match the success of the previous games but still kept things ticking along.

EA would become involved in the next game in the series, however, taking over as publisher for Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The game was a critical success, but the sales were extremely underwhelming at launch. The reason for this was lain at the feet of EA by Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning, who accused EA of sabotaging the game by failing with distribution and marketing . EA tried to purchase Oddworld Inhabitants off the back of the game's failure, and the eventual fallout of Stranger's Wrath left Lanning without much faith in the industry and Oddworld Inhabitants without the financial clout to continue making games.

Things seem to be getting back on track of Oddworld now, with the release of Oddysee remake Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! in 2014 and the development of Exoddus remake Oddworld: Soulstorm on the horizon. However, were it not for the misstep seen with Stranger's Wrath there's no telling how far Oddworld Inhabitants could have gone.

Need for Speed

Need for Speed was once one of the best racing franchises in the world of video games. The series was able to shift from racing simulation to arcade-style fun with ease, and across the series' history Need for Speed was a mainstay of different generations of gaming. From the original run of games through to spin-offs like Need for Speed: Rivals, the franchise managed to generally achieve a high level of quality.

There were a few missteps along the way, with EA changing developers for Need for Speed with a mixed degree of success. However, the last pair of releases have seen Need for Speed lose serious ground on its competitors. The Ghost Games-developed 2015 reboot failed to make an impression, but it was 2017's Need for Speed: Payback that really damaged the long-term future of the franchise.

Although the title made some improvements over its predecessor, EA's move towards a EA killed Need for Speed, and a real turnaround is required for the franchise to reach its previous heights.

Syndicate

Another Bullfrog Productions series, Syndicate managed to capture the imaginations of strategy fans through its dark and brutal cyberpunk world and well-developed story. The first game, released in 1993, was a smash hit, and follow-up Syndicate Wars did well to continue the series' brand of tactical play.

After Syndicate Wars, everything went quiet on the Syndicate front. For a while, Bullfrog was working on another game set in the world of Syndicate, but with EA suggesting that the company should focus on guaranteed successes the title was eventually cancelled. When Bullfrog was shelved in 2001, that seemed to be the end of Syndicate.

However, EA did give the Syndicate franchise a misjudged return back in 2012. Rather than bringing back the series as another strategy game, instead EA decided to shift the property into the shooter realm - a gamble that did not pay off. Although critics were moderately impressed with the effort by developer Starbreeze Studios, the game sold poorly, and that seems to be the end of Syndicate aside from crowdfunded spiritual successor Satellite Reign.

The Simpsons

true classics such as The Simpsons arcade game by Konami. However, there was a small run of well-ed games in the early 2000s, in the form of the Crazy Taxi-esque The Simpsons: Road Rage and the GTA-inspired The Simpsons: Hit and Run.

In 2005, EA gained the rights to make video games based on The Simpsons. Two years later, The Simpsons Game was released, developed by EA Redwood Shores (who would later go on to become Visceral Games). The game did fairly well with critics thanks to its sharp writing, and was a sales success for EA. The future looked bright for The Simpsons under the wing of EA.

However, EA shifted the focus of its use of the license. Rather than further big-budget games, with a sequel to The Simpsons Game cancelled in 2011, the company instead turned its attention to the mobile market, releasing a string of barely memorable mobile titles. Among these is the controversial The Simpsons: Tapped Out, which includes some of the worst examples of microtransactions in the mobile scene. Hopefully, another major game based on The Simpsons will one day see release.

Titanfall

The fate of the Titanfall franchise is perhaps one of the most frustrating for modern gamers. The original Titanfall was a solid multiplayer shooter with an interesting take on mech action, tainted by a lack of content and its PC/Xbox exclusivity limiting its reach. Titanfall 2 made the leap to multiple platforms, but EA's release of the game was bizarre to say the least.

Titanfall 2 was released in the week between the launch of Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the two first-person shooter juggernauts of 2016. As a result, Titanfall 2 sold poorly during its important launch window, with gamers sitting out the game in favor of sticking with a better-known FPS franchise, meaning the community at large missed out on a stunning campaign and some of the best multiplayer seen that year.

What makes this decision even more strange is that Battlefield 1 was a stablemate of Titanfall 2, and so EA was jeopardizing its own properties through these release dates. In the end Titanfall 2 underperformed, and developer Respawn Entertainment was purchased outright by EA in December 2017. The studio is now working on a new Star Wars game, but as Visceral has learned this is no longer a guarantee of survival.

Road Rash

Road Rash was one of the biggest racing franchises of the 16-bit era. The Sega Genesis-centric original trilogy impressed players with its rough-and-tumble street racing, with racers able to not only beat the opposition on the road, but also attack other riders with an assortment of weapons. It offered something different to the market, and fans lapped it up.

EA struggled when it came to bringing Road Rash into the 3D era, however. Road Rash 3D for the PlayStation was something of a fumble, with an emphasis on graphical quality coming at the cost of solid controls and - most importantly - a multiplayer mode. The lack of multiplayer meant that the game did not remain long in the memory of players, and overall the game was seen as a disappointment in comparison to the original titles.

The franchise would see two further releases, with Nintendo 64 exclusive Road Rash 64 an improvement over its PlayStation counterpart and Road Rash: Jailbreak proving to be the weakest in the series. After Jailbreak, EA shelved the property, although thankfully fans have had the Road Rash-alike Road Redemption to scratch that street racing itch.

Screen Rant

20 Video Game Franchises That EA Has Ruined