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Video game franchises take years of dedication and effort to come up with a new game. Consider the example of Cyberpunk 2077, it took the developers, CD Projekt Red, almost nine years to create the game.
However, some video game franchises such as Call of Duty have excelled at it, and have built up a commendable track-record of launching a new title once every one-and-a-half years on average.
While there are thousands of video game franchises in the world, only a couple dozen of them have been able to leave a lasting impression on gamers. Some end up creating a legacy of successful entries, while others fail to live up to their initial expectations and cease to exist after a sequel or two.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the most popular video game franchises that haven’t released a new entry in a relatively long while.
10 popular video game franchises that haven't had a release for over four years
1) Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a story-driven RPG franchise set in a beautifully designed open-worlds similar to that of the table-top role-playing system of Dungeons and Dragons. it takes players through a voyage that is filled with non-stop combat, survival, and deep exploration.
Initially released in 1998, the video game franchise went on to launch two series known as Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance in 2013. Baldur's Gate was well received by the gaming community due to its sharp gameplay mechanics and vibrant open-world settings.
Back in 2016, the RPG franchise also launched an expansion pack with the name Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. This particular expansion pack takes the players on a journey across the events that unfolded between Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate II storyline.
Finally, after a wait of almost a decade, the RPG franchise's developers Larian Studios are planning to launch their long-awaited third main entry into the franchise in 2023.
The franchise had already given free early access to Baldur's Gate III to gamers in October 2020. In the early access version, players can play solo or co-op through the first act in trying to escape from a deadly creature in Baldur's Gate's world, the tentacle-faced Mind Flayers.
2) The Witcher
Inspired by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski's novel series, The Witcher is an action-adventure game franchise theatered around dark medieval fantasy worlds. Developed by CD Projekt, The Witcher games are critically aclaimed to be some of the most complete action-adventure games ever made in video game history.
The action-adventure franchise strikes the perfect balance between gameplay in terms of combat mechanics, open-world exploration and beautifully crafted storylines. As a result, it has sold over 50 million copies worldwide, making it one of the highest-selling action-adventure games of the 2000s.
The Witcher franchise has three independent titles and two expansion packs under its belt. Apart from these, it has a card game called Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. Recently, in 2021, the franchise also launched an independent title for mobile phones - The Witcher: Monster Slayer.
The last time the video game franchise launched an independent entry for PC and other gaming consoles was in 2015. Titled The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, players control the usual protagonist of the series, Geralt of Rivia, in a fictional world based on Slavonic mythology.
The last title was very well received when it came around in 2015. It's been a while (almost almost eight years) since the third-person action-adventure video game franchise came up with another main entry. However a few months ago, The Witcher series developers recently announced that work on Witcher 4 is in progress.
3) SimCity
Developed by EA Sports in collaboration with Maxis Studios, SimCity was a massively popular city-building simulation game when it was first released in 1989.
It revolutionized the city-building simulation genre when it first came around and was the catalyst behind several other games in the building simulation genre. Since then, the franchise has released five more titles within the series namely, SimCity 2 (1994), SimCity 3(1999), SimCity 4(2003), and SimCity 5 (2013).
SimCity 4 came out in 2003, and it took the video game franchise a decade to come up with SimCity 5 in 2013. While it hasn’t been 10 years yet, Maxis Studios is well and truly dead. EA Games still owns the IP rights of the franchise. However, there has been no recent announcement regarding the launch of a new SimCity title.
4) Quake
First released in 1996, Quake went on to become an evergreen first-person shooter (FPS) game. The scary atmosphere, coupled with grotesque-looking characters, made it a thrilling title to immerse oneself in. At Quake, it’s just a horrific and dark arena that players are thrown into. The game delivers plenty of nail-biting moments that test one’s anxiety to the core.
Since its first release, the FPS video game franchise has gone on to release nine more independent titles, the latest being Quake Champions in 2017.
Back in 2019, the franchise also launched a remastered version of the all-time favorite original Quake game, with much sleeker graphics but retaining the same gameplay. However, it’s been half a decade since the Quake franchise came up with a new independent title.
5) GTA
The GTA series etched its name in the annals of video game history through its sleek storylines and groovy characters, as well as through its huge and highly interactive open-world environment. Developed by Rockstar Games, the GTA series re-defined the entire crime adventure genre.
As of today, the open-world crime adventure franchise has launched seven independent titles; with each being based on real-life cities. The franchise's fifth main entry, GTA San Andreas, belongs in the bracket of one of the best open-world action-adventure games ever made. The open-world of San Andreas is based on real-world San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
The franchise's seventh and last main installment, GTA V, went on to become the highest-selling action-adventure video game of the last decade with over 150 million copies sold. After a long wait of almost eight years, Rockstar Games announced in February 2022 that GTA VI is on its way.
6) Fallout
Originally created by Interplay Studios in 1997, Fallout is one of the most beloved action-adventure RPG series ever created. With a total of nine installments, the video game franchise has been able to build one of the most prestigious legacies in video gaming history.
All titles in the Fallout series are set in a post-apocalyptic world, giving the video game franchise its unique marker, unlike any other action-adventure series. They gives gamers plenty of reasons to fall in love with the franchise through its impressive storylines and the unparalleled freedom to roam around the open-world.
The latest installment, Fallout 76, was released in 2018, and takes players to a post-apocalyptic world torn apart by nuclear warfare. It is the franchise’s first online multiplayer open-world game. With no major releases in the last four years, and with no major announcements about any future titles, players can expect this video game franchise to remain dormant in the upcoming future.
7) Civilization
First released way back in 1991, Civilization is a turn-based strategy video game series, also popularly known as Sid Meier’s Civilization.
The first game was developed by the legendary video game developer Sid Meier, and he has held the creative rights over the titles since then, hence the name Sid Meier’s Civilization. The game is about building an empire and withstanding the trials of time across many ages and transforming one’s empire into the grandest society.
The franchise has released six titles so far, with the latest being Civilization: A New Dawn, released in 2017. The latest and sixth installment is the deepest among all Civilization titles. It gives players a ton of political and religious decisions to make with a lot of permutations and combinations. This gives players the option to carve out a unique society out of every little tweak.
It’s been five years since the last Civilization title, and it would be interesting to see what the franchise delivers next in the otherwise dying gaming genre.
8) BioShock
Bioshock is a first-person shooter franchise created by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. The series has produced three titles so far BioShock 1(2007), BioShock 2 (2010), and BioShock Infinite in 2013. The third installment of the series breaks away from the usual underwater city open-world of the first two series and takes players to an airborne city.
The BioShock video game franchise has a cult-like following. It was especially well received for its beautifully made open-world, well-written storyline, unique gameplay mechanics, and perfectly made shock combat scenarios. With its last release coming in 2013, it’s about to be a decade since the BioShock franchise launched a new title.
9) Metal Gear
The Metal Gear Series is unquestionably the best stealth-based open-world video game franchise out there. Even with plenty of sandbox action-adventure games in the market, the Metal Gear series stands out from the rest of the pack due to the freedom it gives to its gamers to complete the missions.
In the storyline of any Metal Gear game, players can plan, adapt, and improvise their way out of a sticky situation as per their wishes.
The franchise released its first game in 1998, Metal Gear has gone on to release eleven more main titles and since then. They take players through a narrative that spans five-and-a-half decades from the Cold War era to the near future.
The latest release Metal Gear Survive was launched in 2018 by Konami Studios. The storyline of the last entry was a sequel to the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zero and precedes the events shown in Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain.
In the latest title of the stealth-based video game franchise, players get to control Commander Snake in a parallel world plagued by a strange virus that turns people into zombie-like creatures. With a gap of four years since the last Metal Gear release, time is ripe now for yet another adventure.
10) Burnout
The Burnout series is a racing video game franchise that was initially developed by Criterion Games that first came out in 2001. The series is well-known for its high-risk gaming mechanics and over-the-top crash scenes. It never failed to disappoint racing game enthusiasts, as it kept on adding new features and exciting car mechanics with subsequent entries.
The video game franchise dominated the racing game genre during the 2000s decade and went on to launch five mainline entries. These include Burnout, Burnout 2: Point of Impact, Burnout 3: Takedown, Burnout Revenge, and the latest released in 2018, Burnout Paradise Remastered is also available on Nintendo Switch.
It has been four years now since the last Burnout installment came out, making it another prominent video game franchise that hasn’t released a new entry in a while.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.
