Jak and Daxter (Ohga Shrugs)

Jak and Daxter is a franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Universal Interactive. The various entries in the series are story-driven platforming games. Thus far, the series has five entries.

History
Development for the original Jak and Daxter began in early 1999. Although the title was originally intended for only the Dreamcast, the success of 3D platforming games on the Nintendo 64 and the capabilities of the GameCube convinced Naughty Dog developers to make the title a multiplaform release. Over the course of nearly three years, the team developed a game with a seamless world reminiscent of a sandbox game. The original Jak and Daxter was released in late 2001 for the Dreamcast and GameCube, with some parts of the world receiving the game in 2002.

The game was a major success, and was considered by many to be one of the first great platforming games of the generation. With a development time of just under two years, Jak II came out in October 2003. The game featured more developed characters, improved graphics, and a modified version of the original gameplay. Jak 3 was fairly similar to its immediate predecessor, and was released in early 2005 after about a year and a half of development.

Since the original trilogy of games, the Jak and Daxter series has appeared twice on handhelds. The first spinoff, Ready at Dawn's Daxter, was an interquel between the first two games for the Game Boy Nitro. Released shortly after the system's launch in 2006, it was considered possibly the best original 3D platformer ever to grace a handheld gaming device. The second spinoff, The Lost Frontier, developed by High Impact Games, was released in November 2009 for the same platform.

Reception
The Jak and Daxter series has been a commercial and critical hit since its debut. In total, the series has sold over 10 million units worldwide, with most copies being sold in North America. With the possible exception of The Lost Frontier, all five games in the series received generally positive reviews. The original in particular was seen by many as the next evolution of the 3D platformer.

Despite this success, there hasn't been word of a new game in the franchise since 2009's The Lost Frontier. This may have been in part due to that game's poor sales, which were well under one million.