In some cases, however, franchises which expand beyond their limits actually do so for the better - just look at these (sometimes surprising) examples!
Tomb Raider’s Reboot: Lara Has Issues
Perhaps not an extension so much as a reimagining, who can forget the way fans reacted when Lara Croft’s brand new personality came into play in the 2013 reboot - gone was the swashbuckling, no-nonsense adventurer; in was the brooding, quieter and pensive Lara with a past.
While it was necessary for Tomb Raider to make itself relevant again (and it worked - the franchise is still going strong today) a lot of fans really struggled to recognise this new Ms Croft.
World of Warcraft Becomes a ‘Movie’
Yes, you read that right - a ‘movie’. What we saw sure looked like a on-screen movie - there were actors, there were backgrounds, there was probably some kind of storyline...what we couldn't get our head around was just why one of the most popular MMORPGs - as in, multiplayer, with all players doing their own thing - needed a movie made about it. What’s worse - it was universally panned when it was released.
Aliens Becomes a Gaming Hit...And an Online Slot
Ridley Scott’s Alien was first a successful film franchise, before breaking into the online gaming scene pretty strongly. While we all want to blast a few aliens here and there (we hear it's therapeutic), there’s a less violent incarnation of the famous Alien, where you might actually win something for your trouble - and that’s in the Aliens online slot game. It’s actually pretty fun, and you can play it at some pretty rewarding online casinos, too.
Halo - Read All About It (Really)
If you've never heard of Halo, then you've either been a) living under a rock, or b) a time-traveller from the future, but not even b) because Halo will still be going as strong as ever in the future, and so you've probably been living under a rock.
The Halo franchise is so popular that it even now has a set of novels - three of them, to be exact - telling of the origin story, behind the game itself. They’re actually a pretty good read - if you can rip your eyeballs away from the game long enough, that is!
If the above is surprising, to you, then the franchises have done their job - to keep themselves popular and gaining new fans in a variety of ways. Because think about it - if you hold a certain game or character or franchise dear, you're going to want it to be around for a while, right?
Therefore, it's only natural that a franchise tries to prolong its lifespan and interest by gaining new fans - and to do so, it means they have to venture into some pretty weird extensions of themselves. Be that a movie, a book or even a restaurant, then so be it.
