When a game becomes such a huge success that it develops into a franchise, the game publishers knows they are on to a winner. Just like a well known brand name, a franchise can be almost priceless. Even considering the “don’t pre-buy” campaign which urged gamers not to by a game on the basis of it’s predecessor, but to wait and see how it is critically received, thousands, or even millions of gamers will buy a game simply because it is a series of games that they have previously enjoyed.
Let’s take a look at four of the most recognisable shooter franchises in gaming, starting with one of the biggest in the world – Call of Duty.
Call of Duty
When it comes to Single player spectacles, Call of Duty really steps up to the plate with grandiose set pieces and jaw dropping action scenes. However, the very linear nature of Call of Duty means that some gamers skip it altogether, focussing rather on the multiplayer stage, where they can pit their shooting skills and teamwork against millions of other gamers. There’s even a huge professional COD scene where big bucks can be won for dedicated players with hundreds of hours of practice behind them. If you are looking to find a franchise which sells based on it’s name alone, it’s difficult to find a bigger player than the Call of Duty franchise just look at how massive their wiki page is!
Battlefield
If it’s a long running franchise you are looking for with a massive player count and huge sprawling battles which include land air and sea – look no further than the Battlefield franchise. Starting way back in 2002 with Battlefield 1942, the series continued with Battlefield 2, Modern Combat, Battlefield 2142, Battlefield Bad Company, Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, Battlefield 1, Battlefield 5 and Bad Company 3. If that sounds a lot – it’s not, because the full list includes several less well received titles and numerous expansion packs! All in, there are over 50 Battlefield games!
When considering shooter franchises though, there are other genres of games where the main character depends on a range of weapons to level up and complete missions – action adventure games. Some of these are also extremely successful franchises, for example….
Hitman
Unlike the army shooters above, where players often operate in small tactical teams to complete their objectives, in hitman the player plays alone, completing contracts without that aid of a tactical team. Originally launching in 2000 as Hitman : Codename 47, there were 6 other Hitman games in the series, and also a number of spin-offs and collector editions. The hitman franchise also spawned into other gaming areas including a micro game where gamers could try and win money. The Hitman franchise was so successful that it even spawned 2 blockbuster movies and a television series.
Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon is a massively successful tactical shooter franchise for its publisher Ubisoft. While more recent titles from the French publisher have come under fore for using the Tom Clancy name on just about every game it releases, Ghost Recon is probably one of the few games where the Tom Clancy title sits quite comfortably. The Ghost Recon series has been running since 2001, making this year it’s 20th anniversary. Not many game franchises can boast such a long span of success. The latest two titles in the series, Wildlands and Breakpoint were leading titles for Ubisoft and formed part of the gaming as a service strategy where gamers could expect several years of support and new content for their games. Catch up with the Wildlands and Breakpoint story line if you have not already dipped into these fantastic games.
