It seems like only yesterday that Space Invaders was at the arcade, Super Mario Bros was a new concept and blowing into game cartridges to clean them out was a part of everyday life. However, those times are long past, and we're finally in an era where a true, solid history of gaming is behind us.

Video games have changed a lot since the early days. The biggest change is how certain titles have become franchises. These franchises have to be almost completely recreated every time we enter a new era of gaming, and unfortunately that means the deprivation or even destruction of several others.

As we enter the most competitive gaming atmosphere ever, name alone is not going to be enough to preserve even the longest-lasting video game series in the next generation or two. This can be proved by looking at how many video game franchises, which were smash hits back in the 1980s and 1990s, have had limited staying power.

Some franchises face a fundamental barrier when trying to move into a new generation. For example, the crossover from 2D games to 3D games proved to be costly for a few well-known names in gaming, because it was not possible to mirror the 2D experience in a 3D world. It's difficult to overcome obstacles like these, but they can indeed be overcome. Most of the time, a fall in popularity is the own fault of the game developers. Whether it's over-saturation of the franchise, a loss of creativity, or simply publishing a bad game, it's a fine line that all companies must face.

What it boils down to are five key trends, at least one of which all failing video game franchises fall into. For any series to be successful, it needs to avoid being grouped into any of these five categories.