Every series has a rhythm.

Where the numbers come from

I pull every release from IGDB, the open video game database. I only count mainline entries — the numbered sequels and major installments. Remasters, ports, DLC, expansions, and season passes are left out, because they don't tell you the series is truly moving forward.

What counts as a release

I skip anything that was mobile-only — the iOS and Android spin-offs. If a console or PC game later picked up a phone port, it still counts. This keeps the timeline focused on the releases most people mean when they talk about a franchise.

The math, briefly

For each series I measure the gap between every mainline release and average them, with the most recent gaps counting most: each earlier gap counts 70% as much as the one after it. A series that shipped every year in the '90s and then went quiet for a decade is judged by the decade, while a series that's been yearly all along stays yearly.

Then I compare how long it's been since the last game to that typical wait. On the timeline, each past release is judged the same way against the rhythm the series had at the time. That ratio — how far into the expected cycle we are — is what sorts each franchise into a stage.

The stages

• Fresh0–25%

  A new entry just landed. You're at the start of the cycle.

• Current25–60%

  Mid-cycle. The series is partway through its usual wait between releases.

• Due60–150%

  Late-cycle. The series is in or near its usual release window — a new entry is due.

• Overdue150%+

  Well overdue. Half a cycle or more past the usual gap between releases.

• On ice—

  Gone quiet. The series has been shelved, so there's no next entry to wait for.

• Unknown—

  Only one release so far. There's no rhythm to measure yet.

Percentages are how far a series is through its typical release cycle. A franchise with only one release stays Unknown until there's a second to measure against.