A recent video from the gaming commentary channel gameranxTV has compiled a list of 20 game franchises that the channel argues were ruined by the actions or inactions of their publishers. Titled "20 Game Franchises RUINED By Publishers," the video runs over 38 minutes and walks through each entry with specific examples of decisions that the channel says damaged or destroyed the long-term health of these series.

The list includes some of the most celebrated names in gaming history, from long-running classics to more recent blockbusters. Here is the full list of franchises covered, in the order they appear in the video:

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Metal Gear Solid
• GoldenEye 007
• Mass Effect
• Dead Space
• Duke Nukem
• Unreal
• Halo
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
• Crash Bandicoot
• Deus Ex
• Rainbow Six
• Lost Planet
• Parasite Eve
• Thief
• Prince of Persia
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Ultima

The video begins with an intro and then immediately dives into the Batman: Arkham series, which launched with 2009's Arkham Asylum and was widely praised for its combat and storytelling. The franchise later stumbled, in gameranxTV's telling, due to publisher-driven decisions that diluted the brand.

Metal Gear Solid makes an early appearance. The series, created by Hideo Kojima, ended its mainline story with Metal Gear Solid 4 and later saw a controversial entry in Metal Gear Survive, which many fans rejected. The video likely attributes that decline to Konami's shifting priorities.

GoldenEye 007 is on the list despite being a single iconic game rather than a long series. Its inclusion likely reflects the failure of later Bond games to recapture the magic, which the channel pins on publisher mismanagement.

Mass Effect, a beloved sci-fi RPG trilogy from BioWare (published by Electronic Arts), had a famously divisive ending in Mass Effect 3 and then a troubled spin-off in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The video probably points to EA's release schedule and development pressure.

Dead Space, another EA-published series, was a critical and commercial success before the publisher shifted the third entry toward action-heavy gameplay, alienating survival horror fans. The franchise went dormant after that.

Duke Nukem is a cautionary tale: the long-delayed Duke Nukem Forever spent over a decade in development hell before finally releasing in 2011 to poor reviews, effectively killing the franchise.

Unreal, the series that started as a first-person shooter and later became the engine that powers countless games, is on the list. The video may discuss how the game side of Unreal was abandoned in favor of the Unreal Engine licensing business.

Halo, Microsoft's flagship first-person shooter, has seen a string of controversial entries since developer Bungie left the series. The video likely covers 343 Industries' rocky tenure and the mixed reception of Halo 5 and Halo Infinite's launch.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was a dominant sports franchise until publisher Activision oversaturated the market with annual releases, leading to the infamous Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, a broken game that killed the series.

Crash Bandicoot, once a PlayStation mascot, struggled after the original developer Naughty Dog moved on. The video probably discusses Activision's handling of the property after acquiring it, including the poorly received Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex and later the N. Sane Trilogy revival, though the latter was a success.

Deus Ex, the cyberpunk RPG series from publisher Square Enix and developer Eidos-Montréal, had a strong comeback with Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, but the latter's sales led the publisher to put the series on hold indefinitely.

Rainbow Six, originally a tactical shooter, evolved into a live-service hero shooter with Rainbow Six Siege. The video may argue that Siege's success changed the identity of the franchise, for better or worse.

Lost Planet, a Capcom third-person shooter, started strong but suffered from sequels that abandoned the series' cold environments and unique mechanics, leading to its disappearance.

Parasite Eve, a cult classic JRPG from Square (now Square Enix), had only two proper sequels before the publisher abandoned the series, ignoring its fanbase.

Thief, the stealth classic from Looking Glass Studios, saw a reboot in 2014 published by Square Enix that was poorly received, effectively ending any hope of revival.

Prince of Persia, Ubisoft's action-adventure series, peaked with the Sands of Time trilogy but then faltered with the 2008 reboot and a failed movie tie-in. Ubisoft has not released a new mainline game since 2010.

Banjo-Kazooie, the collect-a-thon platformer from Rare, was acquired by Microsoft, which has not produced a new entry since the 2008 Xbox Live Arcade game Nuts & Bolts, a series of low sales and fan disappointment.

Star Wars: Battlefront, the series rebooted by EA in 2015, was criticized for its lack of content and heavy monetization. The sequel, Battlefront II, faced massive backlash over loot boxes and pay-to-win mechanics, leading to government investigations.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's mascot, has had an extremely uneven history, with many poorly received games in the 2000s like Sonic '06 and Sonic Boom. The video likely blames Sega's rush to meet release deadlines.

Ultima, one of the oldest RPG series, ended after Ultima IX was buggy and poorly received, and creator Richard Garriott left publisher Electronic Arts under acrimonious circumstances.

The video does not provide a simple fix for each franchise. Instead, it catalogs the mistakes — over-saturation, shifting focus to mass appeal, broken launches, and creative interference — that gameranxTV argues are the fault of publishers, not developers. The channel encourages viewers to share their own examples of ruined franchises in the comments.

While the video's claims are subjective — many of these series still have passionate fanbases and occasional revivals — the list serves as a reminder that the business side of gaming often clashes with the creative side. For every success like God of War's soft reboot, there are entries on this list where publisher decisions contributed to a franchise' decline.

Whether you agree with gameranxTV's picks or find omissions (where is Call of Duty? Far Cry?), the video offers a comprehensive overview of how easily a beloved series can be misdirected by the people who own the rights.