In May 2007, something weird happened. Three major franchises released the third movie in each of their respective series in the span of a few weeks:

1. Spider-Man 3 swung into theaters on May 4.
2. Shrek the Third made an all-star showing on May 18.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End set sail on May 25.

These three movies would have different fates, each a direct consequence of the franchise era they ushered in.

By the end of 2007, the top five grossing movies were all parts of larger franchises: Pirates of the Caribbean clocked in at No. 1; then Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie in the series; followed by Spider-Man and Shrek. Finally, No. 5 was Transformers, which would go on to create an uneven cinematic universe still taking big swings to this day.

For one year and one shining moment, franchises and blockbusters were in perfect synchronicity, allowing for both new and old ideas to exist in harmony. If 2007 wasn’t the best year for blockbusters, it was undoubtedly the last great year for them.

Apple’s decision to finally take gaming seriously hasn’t entirely gone according to plan. We’ve now learned that putting console-quality games on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, has translated to only thousands of sales as opposed to millions. And on the whole, Apple Arcade just isn’t what it should be. But Apple has a solution waiting in the wings — if it wants it.