I can see why they took the risk to change with the times. Spending 4+ years to create a game targeting the (at the time) smallest audience doesn't sound like a

I can see why they took the risk to change with the times. Spending 4+ years to create a game targeting the (at the time) smallest audience doesn't sound like a great business venture. Though maybe they should've made it an Ultima spin-off like Underworld, instead of the official VIII. Interestingly, we've seen some great success stories of franchise games shifting play style. Off the top of my head: Yakuza 7 Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy VII Remake and FFXV.