Well, Square-Enix was disappointed with Tomb Raider, and still made two more. OTOH, Tomb Raider didn't involve them paying royalties and licensing fees. So, who knows. It might depend on whether they actually sincerely believe these statements or not. If its mainly for internal political consumption, and nobody making the decisions *actually* insisted that it had to be The One Game That Monopolizes The Entire Industry, than they might proceed to make more "disappointing" but profitable games. OTOH, its entirely possible that the relevant decision makers actually *do* hope for each new game to be That One Game That Achieves Permanent S-E Supremacy, or are looking for excuses to defund or sell off Eidos.