Defunct Franchises Xbox Should Acquire to Spark Interest

In October of 2023, Xbox owners Microsoft finalised the purchase of Call of Duty makers, Activision Blizzard, in what is currently the gaming industry’s biggest ever deal. While this created a major stir in the gaming community, I felt little to no interest in the takeover, as despite its popularity, the Call of Duty franchise for me has dwindled over the years. Its persistence in beating Fortnite for battle royale supremacy has led to less focus on quality campaigns and memorable multiplayer maps, which is where my interest in Call of Duty lies the most. On top of this, Microsoft announced that Call of Duty will still be available on PlayStation, giving me less reason to ever go out and buy an Xbox.

Having little to no interest in owning an Xbox currently has led me to think about what Microsoft should do to change my opinion. Instead of buying Activision, Microsoft should consider acquiring and reviving defunct video game franchises, and make them Xbox exclusives. This strategy could potentially make the Xbox a must-own console for me and many others once again, reminiscent of the Xbox 360 days.

As mentioned, my interest in Call of Duty has dwindled over the years. One of my issues with the franchise these days is that by having several game modes, including battle royale, multiplayer, zombies, and a campaign, it results in having several decent game modes, but not one great game mode.

Going forward, I would personally prefer if Call of Duty put their focus on realistic campaigns and multiplayer only, similar to the original Modern Warfare days, and moved their battle royale to another game franchise more suited for seasonal passes and colourful content.

Enter TimeSplitters, a beloved trilogy of first-person shooters back during the PlayStation 2 era. They featured good campaigns that include time traveling that offered a nice map variety, fun multiplayer with several unique game modes, and a large roster of quirky yet lovable characters, including an alien fish, a secret agent from the 70’s, & monkeys.

All these features would transition into a great battle royale game that is better suited than Call of Duty. The time traveling allows for a variety of maps and seasonal updates, game modes such as virus and flame tag offer a unique selling point that Fortnite doesn’t offer, and the large, colourful cast of characters offer great seasonal pass content worth purchasing, which would make TimeSplitters a definitive, must-own battle royale game.

Another beloved franchise from the PlayStation 2 era. Def Jam released two well-received games during 2003-2004, Def Jam: Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight for NY, before the third installment, Def Jam: Icon, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which dwindled the series with its below-average reception.

Outside of your expected WWE, UFC, and arcade fighting games such as Street Fighter, there aren’t many well-received fighting games that offer anything different these days. That’s why Def Jam would welcome a fun, differential fighting game for the genre, with its over-the-top combat that involves cool finishers and interactive crowd environments, and a roster of rappers, offering playable characters that you would never see elsewhere.

We are now into the 16th entry of the Final Fantasy mainline. A beloved series, yet one that has divided fans down the middle for many years, with its persistence in moving away from its classic turn-based combat. Final Fantasy XVI continued this trend, offering players a Devil May Cry-style combat, establishing that Square Enix is unlikely to return to turn-based combat any time soon. This leaves a big gap for the right franchise to fill.

While there are many successful Final Fantasy alternatives available that offer turn-based combat, such as Sea of Stars and Persona, most come in either the style of pixelated artwork or Japanese anime-inspired, which sadly is enough to turn some players away.

Back in 2007, Lost Odyssey, an RPG with an art style and turn-based combat similar to Final Fantasy games at the time, was released exclusively on Xbox 360. It received good reviews and, more importantly, offered Xbox owners an alternative to Final Fantasy, which was prominently featured on the PlayStation at the time.

While the franchise never took off, fast forward to today, and you still have Lost Odyssey fans longing for a new installment in the franchise. This could make for a second time lucky and a wise move for Microsoft, as having it as an Xbox exclusive would also greatly benefit the console, especially considering that as of the time writing, Final Fantasy XVI releasing exclusively on PlayStation is surely a hard pill to swallow for Xbox owners who love their RPGs.

Another annoyance I find with the latest Call of Duty games is that players are able to run around the map way too quickly for normal human soldiers. Even worse, sliding and jumping around each corner and during combat, with no effect on stamina or aim, results in unrealistic gameplay that doesn’t feel satisfying at all. This is why, once again, the makers of Call of Duty should focus more on slower, more realistic combat and move their fast-paced movement mechanics to another franchise.

Vanquish, a third-person shooter released in 2010, would suit this style of gameplay perfectly. It featured fast, fluid gameplay with satisfying slide and jump mechanics. However, despite receiving positive reviews and winning awards, including game of the year, best shooter, and most addictive game, it failed to kickstart a successful franchise, with a sequel never been made.

Fast forward to today, and Vanquish could be another second-time lucky. Its fast pace and stylish combat system in an online multiplayer setting, whether it be third person or first person, would result in great streaming content for many, offering numerous “oh sh*t moments per minute,” an award Vanquish also won.

A piece of promotional material that will always stick with me for the wrong reason. Back in 2016, Microsoft released promotional material with Xbox mascots on display, which included Lara Croft from Rise of The Tomb Raider, an Xbox exclusive at the time, Master Chief from Halo, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, and a car…

While the car represented the well-established Forza series, having an image of a generic-looking sports car next to three iconic characters only highlighted that Xbox lacked exclusive games and mascots when compared to Nintendo and Sony, and fast forward to 2024, it still remains the same.

While there aren’t many defunct video game series that can compete with your Mario or Kratos, one franchise that could at least offer Xbox more variety in their mascots and line of exclusive titles is the Banjo-Kazooie series.

A series of platform games that featured a male bear named Banjo and his friend, a large female red bird named Kazooie. The first and second entries in the franchise, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, both received high praise, with both scoring 90%+ on Metacritic for the Nintendo 64, showcasing that the series could compete with the likes of Mario and Zelda when done right.

Banjo-Kazooie would also offer Xbox a pair of colourful new mascots, offering more variety to their current lineup, which is largely characterised by sci-fi and serious aesthetics.

By reintroducing these 5 video game franchises to modern gaming, Xbox would offer more variety and reasons to own an Xbox console. TimeSplitters could provide a battle royale experience with a great seasonal pass that would attract both old fans of the series and new audiences. Def Jam would offer a fun alternative to fighting games, with celebrity rappers endorsing the console. Lost Odyssey would provide a large RPG title for the console, filling the current void left by the absence of Final Fantasy XVI. Vanquish would offer an entertaining game that would certainly be worthy of streaming for players. And last but not least, Banjo-Kazooie would add a couple of extra faces to the console, ensuring that cars won’t be needed on any promotional material anymore.