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Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GVMERS Electronic Arts’ EA Sports division dominated sports-based video games throughout the 1990s, having produced multiple FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football, and NBA Live titles. However, very few of these experiences ever set the world on fire in terms of quality, with the average review rating of an EA Sports release settling in around the mid-70s. The publisher’s first venture into America’s favorite pastime with Triple Play Baseball wouldn’t change this pattern, but it did open the door for the action sports game that would—SSX. SSX debuted alongside the PlayStation 2 in 2000 and attracted a worldwide audience that guaranteed its place as one of the best-reviewed games on Sony’s flagship platform. Its development also begat the founding of EA Sports BIG, a label that produced more experimental, action-heavy sports projects than the standard EA Sports fare. The first SSX wouldn’t go down as the BIG vertical's last success story, either. In particular, the Snowboard Super Cross franchise continued to thrive for the next several years, courtesy of two sequels that received just as much praise as their predecessor. The final three installments launched between 2005 and 2012. While none enjoyed the critical acclaim afforded to the original trio, the 2012 reboot performed appreciably at launch, counting among the top five best-selling games in the United States for the month of March. Despite holding its own against juggernauts including EA’s own Mass Effect 3, SSX’s revival never earned a follow-up entry, thus leaving the brand dormant yet again for over a decade. This is the Rise and Fall of SSX. Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BGHCAWD5NDQ9N Donate via Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/gvmers Become a channel member: https://www.youtube.com/GVMERS/join Or use the thanks button on YouTube to support our work! Subscribe to GVMERS: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GVMERS Follow GVMERS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GVMERS_ Like GVMERS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVMERS Join the GVMERS Discord channel: https://discord.gg/sZApcwx Subscribe to the GVMERS subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GVMERS/

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GVMERS Blizzard Entertainment made a name for itself by taking big swings, developing video games whose day one offerings paled in comparison to what the experiences evolved into five to 10 years down the road. World of Warcraft set a particularly high bar, so much so that the studio spent years and an untold number of resources attempting to replicate such success on multiple occasions. One such World of Warcraft-like adventure, codenamed Project Titan, remained in production for seven years before company leads finally pulled the plug. A small crew within Blizzard wouldn’t let their extensive time and effort be for naught, however. From the remnants of the class-based FPS MMO arose Overwatch, another new IP that ultimately left an indelible mark on multiplayer gaming. Launched to much anticipation in May 2016, the original Overwatch took the world by storm. Its rollout as a premium title surprised even the most insightful of analysts, but Blizzard’s aggressive approach with in-game purchases quickly cleared up any confusion. To the dismay of fans, divisive monetization practices marked only the start of Overwatch’s various controversies. The forced free-to-play update that rendered Overwatch unplayable to make room for Overwatch 2 tipped the scales, and many would argue things progressively went down hill. Blizzard’s sudden cancelation of a promised PvE campaign mode, alongside disappointing Battle Passes and the esports league’s questionable outlook, poisoned the well for those who wanted better for the sequel. If and when the future will start looking brighter seems wishful thinking for a contingent of the community, especially since other Blizzard games demonstrate the studio’s habit of vacillating between the high and low ends of quality content releases. This is the tragedy of Overwatch. Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BGHCAWD5NDQ9N Donate via Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/gvmers Become a channel member: https://www.youtube.com/GVMERS/join Or use the thanks button on YouTube to support our work! Subscribe to GVMERS: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GVMERS Follow GVMERS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GVMERS_ Like GVMERS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVMERS Join the GVMERS Discord channel: https://discord.gg/sZApcwx Subscribe to the GVMERS subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GVMERS/

🕹 Break up with basic browsers. Get Opera GX here: https://operagx.gg/GVMERS3 Sponsored by Opera GX! After breaking ground with first-person shooters like Descent and redefining video game destruction with Red Faction, developer Volition, Inc. dipped its toes in a then-up-and-coming genre, the open-world adventure. Saints Row, formerly codenamed Bling Bling, served as the studio’s entry into the space, whose foundations were settled years prior by Rockstar Games’s Grand Theft Auto 3. Upon release, then, Saints Row quickly drew comparisons to the popular PlayStation 2 title; however, the so-called GTA clone introduced a few tricks not seen in other open-world games of the day. A slew of character creation options along with impressive physics significantly mixed up the gameplay possibilities, providing Saints Row a wholly unique identity. Acclaimed sequels Saints Row 2, Saints Row the Third, and Saints Row IV further separated Volition’s “gang simulator” from the pack, with each new instalment leaning deeper into the franchise’s wackier elements. And as the accolades mounted, so, too, did the commercial success, resulting in Saints Row becoming one of publisher THQ’s most profitable properties. But not even the cash made off the backs of the Third Street Saints could keep the financially troubled THQ afloat. The publisher’s bankruptcy in 2012 hardly impacted the series, though. Under the ownership of new parent company Deep Silver—and later Embracer Group—Volition produced three additional Saints Row experiences, including a 2022 reboot that never gained favour from hardcore fans. To some, the “GTA copycat” that eventually reinvented the genre suddenly lost its lustre, and for that, the brand suffered mightily. Within a year of the reboot’s debut, Volition closed up shop, leaving the future of the Saints in a state of uncertainty. This is the Rise and Fall of Saints Row. Support the channel by becoming a member: https://www.youtube.com/GVMERS/join Subscribe to GVMERS: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GVMERS Follow GVMERS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GVMERS_ Like GVMERS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GVMERS Join the GVMERS Discord channel: https://discord.gg/sZApcwx Subscribe to the GVMERS subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GVMERS/