Game Franchises

Franchises are able to stand the test of time and carry on appealing to audiences on a wide level for many years. Probably the most well known and successful franchise is Star Wars. A whole 30 years after the first film was released people are still interested in everything the Star Wars franchise has to offer.
In fact Star Wars was the first film franchise to really embrace the concept of merchandising. Clever use of merchandising helped Star Wars become a billion dollar franchise.

Important elements of a franchise.

The Legend of Zelda.

Five iconic elements of the Zelda franchise.
The green hat and tunic

The sword and shield.

Princess Zelda.

Link.

The Triforce.

To me these are the 5 most iconic elements of the Zelda franchise. Although there are many different games of varying visual styles these 5 things are always included. I think this is important because players know instantly that is a Zelda game without being told. It also means players know what to expect from the game before they play it and this helps them to become immersed into the world quickly, although all the game worlds are different in each title there are these iconic elements that ground them all.