History AudienceAlienatingEra / VideoGames

** Others believe the era began from 2016 to 2018. These three years not only saw an increase of more match-making titles such as ''Match,'' ''Blast,'' and ''Dream Blast,'' but this also saw the release of ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie'', which received [[BrokenBase mixed reviews]] for being another video game movie adaptation. From this point forward, [[Creator/RovioEntertainment Rovio]] began focusing their attention on marketing the movie, evident by altering the icons and title screens of the older games to use the movie designs, and even using the movie designs for the base of their later titles, such as ''Action'' and ''Evolution''. They also cancelled ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' and ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsStella'' (as well as discontinuing its [[VideoGame/AngryBirdsStella video game version]], leaving it on a cliffhanger), renewed the spin-off show ''WesternAnimation/PiggyTales'' for a third and fourth season using the designs from the movie, and gave ''VideoGame/AngryBirdsGo'' a complete makeover which practically killed the game in the eyes of many fans. Most of the games released were SoOkayItsAverage at best and mediocre at worst.

A few years into the 360's lifespan, however, Microsoft's Xbox division saw a turnover of executives which led to a change of strategy. This new leadership, led by Don Mattrick (formerly of EA), shifted the company's focus from delivering high quality exclusive games to extensively revamping the console's software and services in an attempt to win over the casual users brought into the game console market by the Platform/{{Wii}}. While this approach led to some interesting developments, such as bringing Netflix streaming to consoles, it also produced a lot of ideas that simply weren't very well thought out or useful (anyone remember when they put ''Website/{{Facebook}}'' on the Xbox 360?) at the expense of the core game library. Microsoft also released Kinect in 2010 as their answer to the Wii's motion controls, and while the device was a hit initially, sales and interest in it eventually petered out (also much like the Wii) as both users and developers quickly discovered its limitations, and Microsoft's focus on it well past that point alienated the hardcore gamers that it had attracted so well in the console's early years. While Microsoft was doing all this, the Platform/PlayStation3 (whose early years had been an Audience Alienating Era for Sony documented elsewhere on this page) took the opportunity to rebuild its reputation and outpace the 360 when it came to exclusive game releases and, eventually, sales.\\\

** The Platform/{{Xbox 360}} had a fantastic first few years (hardware defects notwithstanding), and quickly became the console of choice for many hardcore gamers thanks to its innovations in not only graphics but also console features and online services, as well as a series of blockbuster games.\\\

Combined with other questionable business pursuits throughout the rest of the decade (controversies surrounding quality control in Platform/{{Steam}}, their ill-fated Steam Machines, and the [[AudienceAlienatingPremise complete alienation]] resulting from ''VideoGame/{{Artifact}}''), antipathy was brewing towards Valve and their stagnation, alongside a derisive attitude of how "Valve [[CashCowFranchise makes money]], not games" (it seriously didn't help that all the games they ''were'' developing were sent straight to DevelopmentHell, mostly due to organizational problems, victims including ''VideoGame/Left4Dead 3'' and the infamous ''Half-Life 3''). However, things appeared to have stabilized by the time of the Valve Index's release in 2019, paving the way for the surprise announcement of ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which was released in 2020 to critical acclaim and commercial success, suggesting that Valve may be on its way out of the woods.

** On the PC side of things, Microsoft’s gaming output became increasingly focused on its consoles during the mid to late TurnOfTheMillennium, to the point where they were hardly publishing any PC games at all by the start of the [[TheNewTens next decade]]. This was in spite of the company producing Platform/MicrosoftWindows and [=DirectX=], the operating system and UsefulNotes/{{API}} that the overwhelming majority of PC games run on. A big factor in this was the failure of Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Microsoft’s attempt at introducing a centralized gaming service for PC à la Xbox Live, which gamers widely panned as intrusive DRM that made playing multiplayer games a chore at best and actively interfered with playing games at worst. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Valve}} stepped in as the leader of PC gaming, with Platform/{{Steam}} offering the same kind of service that Microsoft promised with GFWL, while being much more user-friendly.\\\

** On the PC side of things, Microsoft’s gaming output became increasingly focused on its consoles during the mid to late TurnOfTheMillennium, to the point where they were hardly publishing any PC games at all by the start of the [[TheNewTens next decade]]. This was in spite of the company producing Platform/MicrosoftWindows and [=DirectX=], the operating system and UsefulNotes/{{API}} that the overwhelming majority of PC games run on. A big factor in this was the failure of Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Microsoft’s attempt at introducing a centralized gaming service for PC à la Xbox Live, which was widely panned by gamers as intrusive DRM that made playing multiplayer games a chore at best and actively interfered with playing games at worst. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Valve}} stepped in as the leader of PC gaming, with Platform/{{Steam}} offering the same kind of service that Microsoft promised with GFWL, while being much more user-friendly.\\\

* ''Franchise/StarFox'' has been stuck in a rut for a long time, with Nintendo's attempts to revive the series only seeming to bury it even deeper. ''VideoGame/StarFox'' was an SNES classic and ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' is still seen as the best game in the series (despite effectively being a remake of the original), but Nintendo have struggled with the series ever since. ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', despite being seen as a decent game, stripped away the series' signature sci-fi vehicle combat in exchange for a ''Zelda''-style action-adventure, which fans didn't warm up to (not helped by the fact that ''Adventures'' wasn't originally meant to be a '' Star Fox'' game). ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'' was seen as a step in the right direction, but the game heavily featured on-foot missions which were still divisive. ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' was entirely based around vehicle combat, but in an arena style unlike previous games and it had a highly controversial story. The 2010's saw one of Nintendo's strongest efforts to bring the series back to glory, but the results [[FranchiseKiller put the series in a hiatus that is still ongoing]]. First was a remaster of ''Star Fox 64'' for the Platform/Nintendo3DS; whilst it is seen as a great release and the definitive way to play the original, it alienated some fans who were clamouring for a continuation of the story left from ''Command''. However, ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' ended up being the last straw; a very expensive game that wasn't received well critically or commercially. Critics were turned off by the gimmicky gameplay that forced usage of the Platform/WiiU gamepad as well as the short length of the campaign, whilst fans were displeased over the game's story being another ContinuityReboot of the series, discarding fan-favourite characters such as Krystal in the process. There is still hope for the future of the series; the characters are still popular enough to guest-star in other games, Krystal made an appearance as an Assist Trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' and the long-unreleased ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' was finally given an official release by Nintendo in the SNES Classic mini-console; but the series remains dormant for now.

* ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' was going through this for most of the 2010's. ''Touch My Katamari'' was released in 2011 and panned by fans for the short length, problematic plot, and bizzare decision to fuse several of the cousins together. Being released on a [[Platform/PlayStationVita commercial failure of a handheld]] (whose audience wouldn't be interested in a game like Katamari anyway) certainly didn't help. After that, there was little activity from the franchise outside of the occasional crossover and the short run of the Shifty Look comics. Following a few years of inactivity, Namco released two mobile games in 2016, ''Tap my Katamari'' and ''Amazing Katamari Damacy''. While the latter was shut down due to low success, fans were happy to see Namco giving the franchise some attention again. The era would finally end in 2018 with the release of ''Katamari Damacy: REROLL'', along with a healthy amount of Fangamer merchandise and even a commemorative Loot Crate to celebrate the series' 15th Anniversary. With the release of ''We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie'' in the near future, the series is firmly out of the era and back on track.

** The second Audience-Alienating Era is often considered to be around 2009, when Namco decided to reboot the brand, introducing a prototype of their redesign in ''VideoGame/PacManParty'', a ''Mario Party'' clone that earned mediocre reviews and unimpressive sales. Then ''WesternAnimation/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures'' was announced, along with a [[VideoGame/PacManAndTheGhostlyAdventures tie-in video game series]] and a whole line of toys. The show gained massive amounts of negative publicity right out of the gate, and along with ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' and (occasionally) ''WesternAnimation/MegaManFullyCharged'' is often considered the poster boy for unnecessary video game redesigns.\\\

** The first was the 2012 BTeamSequel ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'', directed by Daishi Odashima, who forced a 17-year TimeSkip on the series just to introduce a new cast to replace series regulars like Taki and Sophitia. The protagonist, Sophitia's son Patroklos, wound up so hated that players just [[TooBleakStoppedCaring didn't care about the story]]. Even disregarding the lack of familiar faces, the game was ChristmasRushed with little content anywhere, and the gameplay imitated ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' ([[AuthorAppeal of which Odashima was a fan]]) to reach tournament players--but it failed at even ''that'', and the game was quickly dropped. The game's floundering sales, along with tepid fan reception, led publisher [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]] to pull the plug on the DLC, with Odashima leaving the team and disappearing into Creator/{{Sega}}'s offices. Unfortunately, the series's fortunes didn't stop sinking there.

** Fortunately, the audience-alienating era was ''completely'' wiped away in 2018, when a new and proper ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' was finally released. The game addressed ''all'' of the problems with ''V'', being a ContinuityReboot that returns to the old status quo, brings back the favorites that were missed, features more content and better story, and more original gameplay mechanics that helped the series stand on its own. It was one of the highest-rated fighters of [[UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the eighth generation]], and its sales quickly outpaced that of ''V'' with Namco reporting it as successful. However, the new head of the series, Motohiro Okubo, stated that this ''had'' to happen for ''Soul'' to survive as Namco was very reluctant to publish another mainline ''Soulcalibur'' game after everything that happened, marking most of the 2010s as this definitively.
* For many ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' fans, ''VideoGame/SpongebobSquarepantsCreatureFromTheKrustyKrab'' was the last good [=SpongeBob=] LicensedGame. After that, the audience-alienating era began when Creator/{{THQ}} focused on creating more tie-in titles to cash in on the special episodes that were airing at the time, such as ''Atlantis Squarepantis'' and ''Truth or Square'', which were either mediocre at best or just poor at worst. Then the audience-alienating era reached its ugly peak when THQ went bankrupt in 2013 and the license was handed over to Creator/{{Activision}}, which resulted in the poorly-received ''Plankton's Robotic Revenge'' and ''[=SpongeBob=] Heropants''. However, by 2018, 3 years after ''Heropants''' release, Activision officially lost the [=SpongeBob=] license, and the newly revived Creator/THQNordic managed to secure the deal with plans to release Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} games, which started with the remake ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom Rehydrated''. With the success of ''Rehydrated'' and the subsequent announcement of a new original [=SpongeBob=] platformer, ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsTheCosmicShake'', things have started to look up for the [=SpongeBob=] game franchise.

* In the 90s, Creator/{{SEGA}} was known for being the only company able to compete with Nintendo, thanks to the success of the Platform/SegaGenesis. Unfortunately, this was short lived, as what followed would be a series of blunders that is generally agreed to have started with the [[Platform/Sega32X 32X]], a 32-bit add-on for the Genesis, that left consumers confused, and killed their trust in the company. Not helping things was SEGA of America's attempt to compete with the Platform/PlayStation by releasing their next console, the Platform/SegaSaturn several months early without warning. This hurt SEGA's relationship with retailers, third party developers, and the press, and alongside the poor response to the 32X and far greater interest in the Platform/PlayStation, resulted in the Saturn being a commercial failure on all fronts.[[note]]Except in Japan, where the Saturn saw much greater success, actively competed with the [=PlayStation=], and actually manage to beat the Nintendo 64 in lifetime sales.[[/note]] SEGA attempted to [[WinBackTheCrowd win back the crowd]] with their next console, the [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]], but while sales were promising at launch, the damage was already done, and the impending launch of the Platform/PlayStation2 took all attention away from SEGA, putting them at risk of bankruptcy. This forced SEGA to retire as a console manufacturer, and start developing games for other consoles, most of which [[AcclaimedFlop while well recieved, failed to capture an audience and sold below expectations]] in spite of being on more popular hardware. SEGA would continue to struggle financially until 2004, when they merged with Sammy Corporation.
** While things were looking up for SEGA financially following the Sammy merger, the company would go through another Audience-Alienating Era following it. SEGA took a major shift to how games were released at this time, where any IP that failed to make a profit would be shelved, and the ones that actually did sell tended to be ChristmasRushed. As a result, in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh generation,]] SEGA didn't have a lot of variety with their games, and what was released were generally considered to be [[VideoGame/{{Chromehounds}} somewhat]] [[VideoGame/Yakuza3 polarizing]] [[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7 at best,]] or [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 downright]] [[VideoGame/GoldenAxe awful]] [[VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall at worst]]. Not helping matters is that several of SEGA's games around this time were [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]] much to the dismay of international fans. SEGA clearly realized this strategy wasn't working, and around 2010, things gradually started to get better.

** However, 2021 proved to be the nadir of Blizzard controversies. A series of lawsuits and news reports revealed that Blizzard had a decades-long misogynistic work culture where female employees experienced regular sexism that included both financial discrimination and sexual harassment. The harassment was so extreme that one woman committed suicide while on a company trip with an abusive co-worker. Even worse was that the company's leadership was aware of harassment yet chose to either downplay incidents, defend harassers or even retaliate against victims. The scandal lead to Blizzard employees staging strikes, sponsors pulling out from Blizzard's eSports tournaments and both the state of California and federal government investigating Blizzard for workplace violations. Given Blizzard's inclusive image and sterling reputation, as noted by the common quote "Blizzard can do no wrong", the company experienced a greater fall from grace than most. The scandal also caused Blizzard's stock to plummet low enough for Creator/{{Microsoft}} to announce a corporate buyout of parent company Activision Blizzard.

** 2018 was arguably the year when Blizzard's dark age started. That year's [=BlizzCon=] convention was {{overshadowed|ByControversy}} by the negative audience reception to the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal''. What was supposed to be a climactic announcement of a new mainline ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' game turned out to be a mobile spin-off, which infuriated fans who spent upwards of $200 in hopes to witnessing a mainline title announcement. It didn't help that developer Wyatt Cheng impulsively and insensitively asked "Do you guys not have phones?", which quickly became an internet meme. One month later, ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' saw its [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports side]] abruptly shuttered with participating professional gamers not receiving prior notification or compensation.
** While 2019 started out on a sour note with mass layoffs, Blizzard became the center of international controversy because of the "Blitzchung" scandal in October. During a ''[[VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft Hearthstone]]'' tournament, Blizzard punished e-sports player Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung by suspending him for a year and taking away his winnings after he voiced support for the 2019 Hong Kong protests during an interview. Blizzard's response spurred furious protests from not only Blizzard's audience, but also from fans of other video games, Blizzard's own employees, the general public and politicians, all accusing the company of engaging in censorship to appease the Chinese government and Blizzard's Chinese investors so their games [[BannedInChina wouldn't be banned]].[[note]]While some believed "Blitzchung" should be punished for making a political speech during a non-political interview (which is against Blizzard's rules), even they thought his punishment was disproportionately harsh and more about appeasing Chinese censors, especially since several professional ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' players received lighter punishments for racism and sexism.[[/note]] Blizzard also terminated their contract with the two livestream presenters present even though they didn't violate actual rules and were also caught off guard by "Blitzchung"'s statements given how they ducked during his statement and even cut the feed. The controversy was so severe that it not only prompted a boycott by professional ''Hearthstone'' players, but also overshadowed the release of the otherwise positively received ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft World of Warcraft: Classic]]''.

* For quite a few, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' entered one around 2017, due to several factors such as the initial hype of the game dying down, [[TroubledProduction the game's production becoming noticeably more calamitous]] and leading to rampant ScheduleSlip, and shortcomings that would later become seen as actively detrimental to both the story and gameplay, including but not limited to [[SkewedPriorities minor features such as minigames and easter egg modes being prioritized over major features such as rivals]], [[SpotlightStealingSquad excessive focus on side characters]], and [[NintendoHard needlessly brutal difficulty]] (for instance, the first rival out of a planned ten has an almost invincible bodyguard protecting her at nearly all times) becoming much more prevalent.

** Others believe the era began from 2016 to 2018. These three years not only saw an increase of more match-making titles such as ''Match,'' ''Blast,'' and ''Dream Blast,'' but this also saw the release of ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie'', which received [[BrokenBase mixed reviews]] for being another video game movie adaptation. From this point forward, Rovio began focusing their attention on marketing the movie, evident by altering the icons and title screens of the older games to use the movie designs, and even using the movie designs for the base of their later titles, such as ''Action'' and ''Evolution''. They also cancelled ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' and ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsStella'' (as well as discontinuing its [[VideoGame/AngryBirdsStella video game version]], leaving it on a cliffhanger), renewed the spin-off show ''WesternAnimation/PiggyTales'' for a third and fourth season using the designs from the movie, and gave ''VideoGame/AngryBirdsGo'' a complete makeover which practically killed the game in the eyes of many fans. Most of the games released were SoOkayItsAverage at best and mediocre at worst.

** Some believe that the decline began in 2015, where the franchise went for a push in match-making spin-off games, such as ''Angry Birds Fight!'' and ''Angry Birds POP!''. Aside from those games, this year also saw the release of the long-awaited ''VideoGame/AngryBirds2''; while it was received positively for being a worthy successor to the original, it garnered a mixed reaction for its free-to-play aspects, such as the lives system. To make matters worse, some of the older games such as the original game and ''Seasons'' got updates which sucked the fun out of them for the fans - specifically, ''Classic'' got worse physics, while ''Seasons'' had its older episodes locked behind paywalls. And it was on the game's ''5th anniversary,'' no less.

* Then came ''VideoGame/BombermanTournament'', an early UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance game and the sequel to ''Bomberman Quest''. While its Battle Game was praised, the story mode was heavily panned for essentially being a watered down version of ''Quest'' with none of its personality or good writing. The removal of ''Quest''[='s=] BossGame gameplay and the addition of the controversial Charabom mechanic (which now ''requires'' you to do extensive LevelGrinding to even stand a chance against the CPU) didn't help matters. ''Tournament'' would eventually be VindicatedByHistory, however.
* ''VideoGame/BombermanOnline'' was a late release for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, coming out exclusively in the U.S. in October 2001. It gutted the traditional single-player gameplay for a Battle Game-centric campaign (much like ''Wario Blast/Bomberman GB'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin before it]]) which was criticized for its FakeDifficulty (especially [[ThatOneBoss/{{Bomberman}} the bosses]]). While the online mode was well-received, it didn't last too long due to its very late release date.
* ''Bomberman Kart'' was a ''Land'' spin-off and the first ''Bomberman'' game on the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}}. Unfortunately, it was also a generic kart racer, which didn't sit well with fans or critics, nor did it help the perception of ''Land'' in the West. To top things off, [[NoExportForYou it was only released in Japan and Europe]].

** There was also a [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]] prequel/tie-in to the anime. Unlike the console game, it was very well received...which naturally meant that it never [[NoExportForYou left Japan]].

* ''[[RecycledTitle Bomberman]]'' on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS was released in 2005 and was the start of the series' decline heading into overdrive, as this was where the true CapcomSequelStagnation began. Racjin finally got to make a main series title! And it was essentially a clone of the ''VideoGame/SuperBomberman'' games, but with ''Land''[='s=] art style... with all of the innovation of those titles surgically removed (save for the surprisingly fun [[JustHereForGodzilla double screen battle mode]]). This worsened Racjin's reputation among western fans, to the point that some feared that the franchise wouldn't last much longer.

* Around the time of ''Act:Zero'''s release, two games were made for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable. The first of these was ''Bakufuu Sentai Bomberman'', a crossover with ''Franchise/SuperSentai''. Western fans were [[AudienceAlienatingPremise baffled by the concept]] and fans on both sides of the Pacific noted the lack of creativity in the gameplay. [[NoExportForYou It also never left Japan.]]

* Then there were '''[[FranchiseZombie four]]''' ''Land'' games--one for the [[UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable PSP]], another for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and ''two'' for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DS]]. All of them were localized (unlike the previous titles) and all of them were very poorly received (though the DS entries were VindicatedByHistory due to their mini-games being more "Bomberman-esque" than past installments). The PSP ''Land'' is widely considered to be one of the worst ''Bomberman'' games by fans as it not only has the most banal plot and [[SeinfeldianConversation dialogue]] in the series history (including the park director rewarding you for HundredPercentCompletion by [[spoiler:[[BrutalHonesty flat out telling you]] he doesn't plan on giving you anything for it [[GuideDangIt despite the effort it took to get 100%]]]] as well as heavy {{Flanderization}} for the main characters), it also recycles nearly '''''all''''' of its mini-games[[note]]to the point that they're still rendered in 4:3[[/note]], costumes, and music from ''Land 3''. Fans were convinced that Racjin would kill the franchise though Hudson at least ended the ''Land'' series after these titles.
* ''Bomberman Live'' (''Ultra'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3) was supposed to be an apology for ''Act:Zero'', being developed with American fans in mind. While critics loved it, [[CriticalDissonance fans were split]]--some loved it for its Battle Mode-centric gameplay while others hated it for that exact reason, feeling that it was falling into the same trap as ''Online'' and ''Act:Zero'' before it. Both sides agreed that the game wasn't what the series needed to get back on track. It later got a sequel in 2010...that ended up being the last ''Bomberman'' game for a few years.

* In early 2011, Hudson announced a new 3D ''Bomberman'' game for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS. Fans were excited about this new game as there hadn't been a new 3D entry since 2002. Unfortunately, when Konami fully absorbed Hudson in 2012, the first thing they did was '''cancel''' the game. Naturally, fans were livid about this, and the end result was the infamous ''Bomberman'' drought where from 2008 to 2017 there were no mainline games in the series.
* In 2017, Konami released ''Super Bomberman R'' as a launch title for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. While critics thought it was SoOkayItsAverage, fans were disappointed due to the game relying heavily on nostalgia rather than innovating the formula. While there were many updates to ''R'', a lot of longtime fans had lost interest in the game by that point. But somehow, those who still stuck regardless were numerous enough that Konami managed to greenlit ''Super Bomberman R2''.

* 2015 was one of the worst times to be an ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' fan, with the releases of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingHappyHomeDesigner'' and ''Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival''. The former was perceived as SoOkayItsAverage for its lack of any challenge or substance beyond the basic gameplay loop, while the latter was critically panned for its board-based gameplay and reliance on the Toys/{{Amiibo}}, and for not being a mainline ''Animal Crossing'' game for the UsefulNotes/WiiU. This would eventually be alleviated a bit with the ''Welcome amiibo'' update for ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewLeaf'' in 2016, but the franchise would not get another main game for another five years with ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons''; which would go on to be the best-selling entry in the series by several country miles and the second best-selling [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Switch]] game (only behind ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''[='s=] juggernaut sales), so it's safe to say the dark days of the series are long behind it.

** The [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]/[[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]] era was one at the time of its release. The flagship game of this era, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', was controversial due to its unconventional gameplay, and was criticized for its voice acting and relative lack of polish. The rest of the era was dominated with remakes and spin-off entries (''Mario Party'', ''Mario Kart'', ''Super Mario Advance'', sports titles, etc.) -- in fact, the GBA is the only Nintendo console besides the Virtual Boy to not have an original ''Mario'' platformer, other than the Game Boy Color, which had ''Wario'' games but no ''Mario'' games other than ports -- the closest being ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' -- with the only other big headers being ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'', which was still a bit divisive, and the [=RPGs=] ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga''. In hindsight, these games have been VindicatedByHistory or become {{Cult Classic}}s such as the [=GameCube=] ''Parties'', ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion1'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioStrikers'' (both of which eventually spawned their own series), and particularly ''Sunshine'', which has since been widely lauded as a worthy successor to the genre-defining ''VideoGame/SuperMario64''.

** ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' started out with three well-received games on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, but became [[StrictlyFormula repetitive and formulaic]] by the time of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube sequels; and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyAdvance'' released during the same period, while considered as alright on its own merits as a single player mission-based experience, was disliked by numerous series fans who didn't appreciate that led to it having a poor multiplayer experience [[AudienceAlienatingPremise in a franchise primarily known for its multiplayer]]. ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'', an early Wii title, got [[https://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/mario-party-8 mixed]] reviews and divisive fan reception alike, and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS'', the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS follow-up that was released the same year, was considered was considered okay but not as good as the [=N64=] games for largely similar reasons, particularly for feeling technologically dated. However, in an ironic twist of [[UnpleasableFanbase fans and critics complaining]] the games to be [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]], when the ''Mario Party'' series returned from hibernation, the mixed reception to the newer games being [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too different]] invoked a sense of VindicatedByHistory for the Nintendo [=GameCube=] titles, as well as ''8'' and ''DS'' from fans who prefer the old formula.\\\

''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour'' on the 3DS was an attempt to tide over those who felt alienated by ''9'' with more traditional gameplay, and ended up being regarded as [[SoOkayItsAverage slightly below average at best]]. ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'' for the 3DS tries to mix up the formula once more. While it is considered a decent attempt and [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a marked improvement]] over the other [=NDcube=] ''Mario Party'' titles, it was still seen as nothing more than just slightly above-average, and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyTheTop100'' was met with mixed reactions for solely focusing on the minigames and [[AudienceAlienatingPremise not having any true boards]], therefore having positive reactions from those that liked the minigames the most but not the rest. However when ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty'' was announced for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and lacked the [[ScrappyMechanic car]] and went back to the gameplay of the Creator/HudsonSoft-produced titles, fans were overjoyed.[[note]]''Super'' is actually [[OlderThanTheyThink not the first [=NDcube=]-produced installment to lack the car mechanic]]. ''Island Tour'' featured boards with each player moving separately, while the board modes in ''Star Rush'' and ''The Top 100'' were also completely devoid of the car mechanic by way of each player moving simultaneously yet individually.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'', 3 years later, completely returned to the series' roots and the gameplay of the original installments with modern visuals and audio and various [=QoL=] enhancements, featuring classic minigames like ''The Top 100'' but without the AudienceAlienatingPremise of not having any boards, and was met with universal praise, marking the series officially out of its audience-alienating era, at least for now.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': After being revived to universal acclaim through the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' by Creator/RetroStudios, the franchise stumbled into one hard starting with [[Creator/{{Tecmo}} Team Ninja's]] ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', which was widely maligned by the fanbase for its more streamlined and linear gameplay, unconventional control scheme, and notorious storyline that many felt did a disservice to the character of series protagonist Samus Aran. The game was met with middling reviews and was a commercial flop, resulting in Nintendo letting the series lie low for a while. The next game wouldn't be until six years later with ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'', a spin-off game that also saw predominantly negative reactions due to starring Galactic Federation grunts while Samus [[AdvertisedExtra would only cameo on occasion]]), utilizing a more simplified and deformed artstyle, and being a team co-op shooter. Fans were convinced that Nintendo was actively trying to kill the franchise, with some even going as far to call for the game's cancellation, and the game became the worst-selling entry in the series (behind even ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball''). Not helping matters was the DMCA takedown of the positively received FanRemake, ''VideoGame/AnotherMetroid2Remake'', which happened right around ''Federation Force''[='=]s release. All-in-all, fans were convinced that ''Metroid'' was dead... until Nintendo announced not one, but two new ''Metroid'' games the following year. [[VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns One of which]] would release just months later to widespread critical praise, [[WinBackTheCrowd restoring a lot of faith in the franchise with fans]]. And while the other game, ''Metroid Prime 4'', would see a TroubledProduction, any fears that that the series wasn't yet back in top form were banished upon the reveal and release of ''VideoGame/MetroidDread''[[note]](a game that has been rumored about since the days of the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, no less)[[/note]] in 2021, which also saw strong critical reception and quickly went on to become the best-selling game in the series. With the release of a remaster of the first ''Metroid Prime'' in late 2022 to great criticial and fan acclaim, and the rest of the ''Prime Trilogy'' poised to get the same treatment, many now view the franchise's time of turmoil as being firmly in the past.

* For much of the 2010s, the ''VideoGame/{{Wario}}'' franchise was stuck in a bit of a rut. Wario stopped getting new platforming games after ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' in 2008 (which was critically acclaimed and a commercial success but didn't meet sales expectations), while his other series, ''VideoGame/WarioWare'', experienced back-to-back flops following the release of ''VideoGame/WarioWareSmoothMoves'' in 2006. ''VideoGame/WarioWareSnapped'' was [[TechDemoGame intended to showcase the Nintendo DSi's camera]], but only ended up proving its unsuitability as a form of input with its [[ItsShortSoItSucks dearth of content]] and the game being very difficult to set up and control. ''VideoGame/WarioWareDIY'' was [[AcclaimedFlop critically acclaimed but sold poorly]] as its focus on user-generated content [[AudienceAlienatingPremise made it a tough sell]]. The UsefulNotes/WiiU title ''VideoGame/GameAndWario'' quickly [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks became controversial]] for ditching the fast-paced microgames that had been the series trademark for long-form minigames and sold worse than ''D.I.Y''. Fortunately, 2018's ''VideoGame/WarioWareGold'' proved to be a modest success in the series' native Japan and was warmly received by critics and fans alike for returning to the series' roots as well as upgrading the presentation, with full voice acting and lots of features. The game was well-received enough to successfully revive the series; a 2021 Nintendo Switch sequel titled ''VideoGame/WarioWareGetItTogether'' saw a similarly warm reception and was a much bigger commercial success, and another Switch sequel titled ''VideoGame/WarioWareMoveIt'' was announced shortly after. The platformer branch of the franchise still lays dormant, however.
* ''Franchise/StarFox'' has been stuck in a rut for a long time, with Nintendo's attempts to revive the series only seeming to bury it even deeper. ''VideoGame/StarFox'' was an SNES classic and ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' is still seen as the best game in the series (despite effectively being a remake of the original), but Nintendo have struggled with the series ever since. ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', despite being seen as a decent game, stripped away the series' signature sci-fi vehicle combat in exchange for a ''Zelda''-style action-adventure, which fans didn't warm up to (not helped by the fact that ''Adventures'' wasn't originally meant to be a '' Star Fox'' game). ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'' was seen as a step in the right direction, but the game heavily featured on-foot missions which were still divisive. ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' was entirely based around vehicle combat, but in an arena style unlike previous games and it had a highly controversial story. The 2010's saw one of Nintendo's strongest efforts to bring the series back to glory, but the results [[FranchiseKiller put the series in a hiatus that is still ongoing]]. First was a remaster of ''Star Fox 64'' for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS; whilst it is seen as a great release and the definitive way to play the original, it alienated some fans who were clamouring for a continuation of the story left from ''Command''. However, ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' ended up being the last straw; a very expensive game that wasn't received well critically or commercially. Critics were turned off by the gimmicky gameplay that forced usage of the UsefulNotes/WiiU gamepad as well as the short length of the campaign, whilst fans were displeased over the game's story being another ContinuityReboot of the series, discarding fan-favourite characters such as Krystal in the process. There is still hope for the future of the series; the characters are still popular enough to guest-star in other games, Krystal made an appearance as an Assist Trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' and the long-unreleased ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' was finally given an official release by Nintendo in the SNES Classic mini-console; but the series remains dormant for now.
* The UsefulNotes/WiiU was seen as a tragic case of UncertainAudience sinking most of Nintendo's userbase. It was an attempt to appeal to the core gamer crowd with a more powerful console, but said demographic had already long moved on to their rivals and PC for that, and Nintendo had not been able to shake off their AnimationAgeGhetto stigma.[[note]]Which took off with the [=GameCube=], but contrary to popular belief, that was not an Audience-Alienating Era because it was still very profitable for Nintendo.[[/note]] Besides, the soon impending release of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne would render any hardware advantage the Wii U offered moot. The Wii U's weaker hardware and unusual (by eighth generation standards, at least) architecture disincentivized multi-platform ports from third-party developers, ensuring that third-party support for the system was dead on arrival save for some [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 ports from very late in the seventh generation. For the casual crowd that jumped on board with the Wii, the name misled people into thinking it was just a Wii add-on, and thus sales plummeted. The one redeeming factor of the Wii U was that the separate [=GamePad=] concept ended up being the foundation of the far more successful UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. In addition, Nintendo had such massive savings that they could take the loss from this miscalculated risk which would have otherwise doomed a console manufacturer. In the end, Nintendo were forced to cut the Wii U's lifespan short in the middle of the generation, lasting only a little over four years. Despite lingering doubt from gamers and the press, Nintendo was able to replace the Wii U with the Switch, and now with a clear goal and marketing in mind (A hybrid home console that can be played on the go targeting all gamers), it was able to completely move past the AnimationAgeGhetto stigma and be able to be targeted to all interested gamers to much greater success, ending up as one of the best selling video game consoles of all time, with many Wii U games[[note]]Almost all first party ones besides the ones that heavily relied on the [=GamePad=].[[/note]] being ported to Switch (and some to 3DS).

* The ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series went through such a period during TheNewTens. After ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' underperformed in sales (largely because it was an UsefulNotes/Xbox360 exclusive in a series that was almost entirely exclusive to UsefulNotes/PlayStation consoles until then), developer Project Aces went through a series of ill-advised experiments in an attempt to expand to a new audience, most notably by ditching the series' "Strangereal" setting for the real world. The first game in this period, ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'', was criticized for the setting change but was otherwise thought as [[SoOkayItsAverage completely average entry]]; things however would really heat up with the next "main" game ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'', which went toward a more gritty ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''-esque direction and ditched many series staples for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks controversial new mechanics]], most infamously, the Dogfight Mode. Other titles released in this period included ''VideoGame/AceCombatNorthernWings'', a mobile phone spin-off thought to be [[SoBadItsGood amusingly crap]] due to its odd handling of the series' lore and a generally sloppy nature, and ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy'', a well-received remake of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' that largely went unnoticed due to being a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS exclusive and being branded in the West as a tie-in to ''Assault Horizon'' despite having little to do with it. Project Aces would later release the free-to-play title ''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'', which [[MegamixGame successfully appealed to nostalgia]] but was criticized for what many saw as [[AllegedlyFreeGame embodying the worst aspects of the F2P model]]. Nevertheless, ''Infinity'' ended up being one of the most successful games in Namco's Free to Play initiative, enough so that the series' producer Kazutoki Kono received the greenlight for a proper sequel. Despite [[ScheduleSlip repeated delays]] and [[TroubledProduction a troubled development]], ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' ended up bringing the series back in a big way, receiving nearly unanimous approval from the fanbase and breaking series launch records in multiple countries.

* In the late 1990s, Creator/{{Konami}} farmed out the development of the ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' series to Hungarian developer Appaloosa, resulting in the creation of the series' two UsefulNotes/PlayStation installments ''VideoGame/ContraLegacyOfWar'' (which also saw release on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn) in 1996, and ''C: The Contra Adventure'' in 1998. Both games were critically panned when they came out and Konami even canceled plans to localize the first of the two titles in Japan after the negative reception it received, which makes one wonder why they would give Appaloosa a second chance. It's made all the worse by the fact that ''Legacy of War'' relied on a [=3D=] glasses gimmick for sales (we're talking '50s BMovie red/blue cardboard glasses here) and massively derailed existing characters and canon, considering these followed on from ''VideoGame/ContraHardCorps'', one of the more story-heavy ''Contra'' games, it did not go well. It should be noted that both games are explicitly [[CanonDiscontinuity exiled from the Contra canon]]. ''VideoGame/ContraRogueCorps'' was panned heavily because of seemingly returning to the style of Appaloosa's games, in addition of the already destroyed reputation of Konami thanks to previous controversies.

** ''Gran Turismo 5'', the series' debut on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, was [[DevelopmentHell delayed for years]] and was reportedly [[TroubledProduction a nightmare for Polyphony Digital to work on]]. When it finally released in 2010, it was a massive sales success,[[note]]It was not only the second-best-selling game in the series behind ''Gran Turismo 3'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, it was the second-best-selling [=PS3=] game overall behind only ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''.[[/note]] but while reviews were solid, it came in for criticism for how its roster of cars was padded with vehicle models recycled from the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 games with just an HD remaster instead of new, high-polygon models. The difference between the "premium" cars that looked like they belonged in a [=PS3=] game and the "standard" cars taken from the [=PS2=] entries was obvious, starting with the fact that the premium cars were the only ones with fully-rendered interiors. When ''Gran Turismo 6'' once again used "standard" cars from the [=PS2=] games, fans criticized Polyphony for laziness, especially since the game introduced {{microtransactions}}. As such, while many saw it as a better game than its predecessor, sales of ''6'' were only half those of ''5''.
** And then came the series' lone UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 entry, 2017's ''Gran Turismo Sport'', whose early years left even many who defended ''5'' and ''6'' feeling cold. Abandoning the series' trademark "[=CarPG=]" formula, including a lot of the tuning, in favor of an online-focused model built around e-sports that required a constant internet connection was, needless to say, a [[BrokenBase bitterly polarizing move]] for much of the fanbase. It didn't help that the vehicle and track rosters were greatly slimmed down compared to past games, with many of the cars being fictional race-tuned versions of the production cars (seen by a number of fans as glorified {{Palette Swap}}s) and the game's online structure heavily leaning on them, further alienating those for whom the appeal of a simulation racer was racing and collecting real, [[SceneryPorn painstakingly-recreated]] production vehicles. Things got better over time, as Polyphony greatly expanded the number of tracks and cars available and, most importantly, added a proper single-player mode like the older games in the form of the GT League events -- all for free. The general consensus is that, by the end of its life cycle, ''GT Sport'' at least had some value for people who weren't interested in multiplayer, even if its single-player offerings were still lacking compared to competitors like ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}''. ''Gran Turismo 7'' further indicated that Polyphony has listened to the criticisms of ''GT Sport'', its single-player mode returning to the "[=CarPG=]" formula for the series' UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 debut while keeping ''GT Sport''[='=]s multiplayer content as well. As such, while some fans still criticize various design elements (its microtransactions, it remaining an always-online game, the fact that certain high-end cars are only available for a limited time), ''7'' is seen as having restored the series' pride.

* ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' was going through this for most of the 2010's. ''Touch My Katamari'' was released in 2011 and panned by fans for the short length, problematic plot, and bizzare decision to fuse several of the cousins together. Being released on a [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita commercial failure of a handheld]] (whose audience wouldn't be interested in a game like Katamari anyway) certainly didn't help. After that, there was little activity from the franchise outside of the occasional crossover and the short run of the Shifty Look comics. Following a few years of inactivity, Namco released two mobile games in 2016, ''Tap my Katamari'' and ''Amazing Katamari Damacy''. While the latter was shut down due to low success, fans were happy to see Namco giving the franchise some attention again. The era would finally end in 2018 with the release of ''Katamari Damacy: REROLL'', along with a healthy amount of Fangamer merchandise and even a commemorative Loot Crate to celebrate the series' 15th Anniversary. With the release of ''We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie'' in the near future, the series is firmly out of the era and back on track.

* ''Franchise/MegaMan'' was hit with this around the TurnOfTheMillennium, ''hard''. In the late 80's and early-to-mid 90's, ''Mega Man'' had mostly two series between ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', and while there was a fair amount of CapcomSequelStagnation for ''Classic'', ''X'' was gaining its footing on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PlayStation]]. Around the same time, there was another spinoff series in ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' doing its own thing as 3D action-adventure games. Then came ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', which was so ChristmasRushed out the door with ten months of development time that it infamously tainted the brand going forwards, around the same time that ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' kicked up. For the next few years, ''X'', ''Battle Network'' and ''Zero'' all had to compete with eachother for market relevance as the sales saw a notable growth and decline amidst conflicted consumers and split fans, and ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' would further hinder the ''X'' brand with the VideoGame3DLeap being an abject failure while ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4RedSunAndBlueMoon'' was also rushed out the door in such a drastic quality drop that all the games started selling worse after it; even a pair of attempts to reboot ''[[VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp Classic]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX X]]'' with a pair of [[VideoGameRemake 2.5D remakes]] were left to flounder and rot on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable. By the time ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' had launched in the late 00's with controversial changes to the ''Zero'' and ''Battle Network'' formulas respectively, the damage was so bad that the series saw rapidly declining sales before flatlining for almost an entire decade, even with a pair of ''Classic'' {{Retraux}} titles that did decently well. It would take until 2018 for ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' to revitalize the brand with a genuinely new release -- and that only ended up being the best selling game in the series in September 2022, ''four years later''.

** After ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' made a poorly-executed VideoGame3DLeap, the series seemed to have reached a stalemate with a largely undistinguishable (except for an expanded character roster) UpdatedRerelease for Dreamcast, ''Mortal Kombat Gold'', and the UsefulNotes/PlayStation-exclusive ''VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces'', an utterly horrible action spin-off. In the wake of this, John Tobias jumped ship from the creative team, and the series laid low as the gaming industry entered its new generation -- between ''Special Forces'' and the next entry in the series, there was a three-year gap.

** The first Audience-Alienating Era started around the mid-1980s and lasted into the early-to-mid 1990s. Around this time, the series found itself stagnating, with little except ports of the arcade games that were often considered dated compared to their contemporaries on the UsefulNotes/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. Namco would attempt to experiment with titles like the polarizing ''VideoGame/PacMan2TheNewAdventures'' and ''Pac-in-Time'', a DolledUpInstallment of ''Fury of the Furries'', but none of these made the series any more popular or relevant. The only real successful titles released during this era were ''VideoGame/PacAttack'' (a reskin of ''Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle'') and ''VideoGame/PacMania''. This Audience-Alienating Era came to an end in 1999 with the release of ''VideoGame/PacManWorld'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.

** That game, ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', in 2012, doubled down on being an ActionizedSequel in such a manner that it invited itself to be judged as a ThirdPersonShooter rather than a horror game, a genre where it was found to be wanting compared to the competition. Even Capcom later admitted in the ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' Document File that, while ''[=RE6=]'' sold well, it left a lot of longtime fans cold. The spinoffs during this time, particularly ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOperationRaccoonCity Operation Raccoon City]]'' that same year, merely fed into the perception that the series had lost the plot, with only ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations Revelations]]'' that year getting a good reception -- and that game was a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS exclusive that was only later ported to consoles. It didn't help that, during this time, indie horror games were experiencing a renaissance led by titles like ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', ''[[VideoGame/SilentHills P.T.]]'', ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'', ''VideoGame/DayZ'', and ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', which made the state of ''RE'' even more unfavorable in comparison.

* ''VideoGame/{{SSX}}'' fans may disagree as to whether or not ''Tricky'' or ''3'' was the best game, but it's generally agreed that the series started losing its touch with ''On Tour'', which was still decent but dialed back the character and zaniness that had become emblematic of the franchise. ''Blur'', the series' entry on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, brought back the larger-than-life personalities but polarized fans with its motion controls, while ''SSX 2012'' went DarkerAndEdgier in such a manner that left fans cold (even after those elements were toned down from the original ''Deadly Descents'' trailer). [[FranchiseKiller The franchise has been dormant since.]]

* The ''VideoGame/TetrisTheGrandMaster'' series got better with each new release for its first three installments. Then came the very un-TGM-like UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} title ''Tetris: The Grand Master ACE'', the tragic byproduct of The Tetris Company's and Microsoft's ExecutiveMeddling. Most of the trademark ''TGM'' gameplay mechanics have been stripped (including Master Mode, and by extension the unique ''TGM''-style leveling up and grade system), you get a variation of [[GameBreaker infinite spin]] (limit of 128 rotations and 128 movements) as opposed to ''TGM'''s "step reset" lock delay, and you need an Xbox Live Gold membership to unlock proper ''TGM'' rotation. It's considered an okay ''Tetris'' game, but a bad ''TGM'' game.

Combined with other questionable business pursuits throughout the rest of the decade (controversies surrounding quality control in UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, their ill-fated Steam Machines, and the [[AudienceAlienatingPremise complete alienation]] resulting from ''VideoGame/{{Artifact}}''), antipathy was brewing towards Valve and their stagnation, alongside a derisive attitude of how "Valve [[CashCowFranchise makes money]], not games" (it seriously didn't help that all the games they ''were'' developing were sent straight to DevelopmentHell, mostly due to organizational problems, victims including ''VideoGame/Left4Dead 3'' and the infamous ''Half-Life 3''). However, things appeared to have stabilized by the time of the Valve Index's release in 2019, paving the way for the surprise announcement of ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which was released in 2020 to critical acclaim and commercial success, suggesting that Valve may be on its way out of the woods.

** The UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} had a fantastic first few years (hardware defects notwithstanding), and quickly became the console of choice for many hardcore gamers thanks to its innovations in not only graphics but also console features and online services, as well as a series of blockbuster games.\\\
A few years into the 360's lifespan, however, Microsoft's Xbox division saw a turnover of executives which led to a change of strategy. This new leadership, led by Don Mattrick (formerly of EA), shifted the company's focus from delivering high quality exclusive games to extensively revamping the console's software and services in an attempt to win over the casual users brought into the game console market by the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}. While this approach led to some interesting developments, such as bringing Netflix streaming to consoles, it also produced a lot of ideas that simply weren't very well thought out or useful (anyone remember when they put ''Website/{{Facebook}}'' on the Xbox 360?) at the expense of the core game library. Microsoft also released Kinect in 2010 as their answer to the Wii's motion controls, and while the device was a hit initially, sales and interest in it eventually petered out (also much like the Wii) as both users and developers quickly discovered its limitations, and Microsoft's focus on it well past that point alienated the hardcore gamers that it had attracted so well in the console's early years. While Microsoft was doing all this, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 (whose early years had been an Audience Alienating Era for Sony documented elsewhere on this page) took the opportunity to rebuild its reputation and outpace the 360 when it came to exclusive game releases and, eventually, sales.\\\
All of this culminated in the disastrous reveal of the 360's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, in 2013. Almost immediately, the Xbox One triggered a major backlash due to its overly restrictive DRM and online connection requirements, perceived focus on TV services over games, and its inclusion of Kinect with all consoles, the last of which made its launch price $100 more than the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 despite the Xbox having weaker hardware. The console's disastrous reveal and launch was a wake up call for Microsoft; after E3 2013, they removed the controversial always online and DRM features, fired Don Mattrick and replaced him with fan-favorite Phil Spencer, and spent much of the One's lifespan trying to rebuild the image of Xbox, through measures such as releasing a cheaper Kinect-less version of the console in just six months, consumer-friendly features like backwards compatibility, support for cross-platform online play, and the Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service offering complimentary access to a variety of games, essentially a "Netflix for Games", and a massive spending spree on development studios to answer the criticism that they lack interesting exclusive games. It is generally agreed that Xbox was firmly out of its troubled years by 2021, with the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS selling well, a string of well-received games being released among a wide range of genres (including ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'', ''[[VideoGame/{{Forza}} Forza Horizon 5]]'', ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIV'' and ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite''), and Game Pass becoming one of the best value propositions in the industry. It's telling that the main response to Xbox's risky attempt to purchase the troubled Creator/ActivisionBlizzard was one of cautious optimism, showing just how well Phil Spencer had managed to rehabilitate the brand's image among players.
** On the PC side of things, Microsoft’s gaming output became increasingly focused on its consoles during the mid to late TurnOfTheMillennium, to the point where they were hardly publishing any PC games at all by the start of the [[TheNewTens next decade]]. This was in spite of the company producing UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows and [=DirectX=], the operating system and UsefulNotes/{{API}} that the overwhelming majority of PC games run on. A big factor in this was the failure of Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Microsoft’s attempt at introducing a centralized gaming service for PC à la Xbox Live, which was widely panned by gamers as intrusive DRM that made playing multiplayer games a chore at best and actively interfered with playing games at worst. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Valve}} stepped in as the leader of PC gaming, with UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} offering the same kind of service that Microsoft promised with GFWL, while being much more user-friendly.\\\

* In the 90s, Creator/{{SEGA}} was known for being the only company able to compete with Nintendo, thanks to the success of the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. Unfortunately, this was short lived, as what followed would be a series of blunders that is generally agreed to have started with the [[UsefulNotes/Sega32X 32X]], a 32-bit add-on for the Genesis, that left consumers confused, and killed their trust in the company. Not helping things was SEGA of America's attempt to compete with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation by releasing their next console, the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn several months early without warning. This hurt SEGA's relationship with retailers, third party developers, and the press, and alongside the poor response to the 32X and far greater interest in the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, resulted in the Saturn being a commercial failure on all fronts.[[note]]Except in Japan, where the Saturn saw much greater success, actively competed with the [=PlayStation=], and actually manage to beat the Nintendo 64 in lifetime sales.[[/note]] SEGA attempted to [[WinBackTheCrowd win back the crowd]] with their next console, the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]], but while sales were promising at launch, the damage was already done, and the impending launch of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 took all attention away from SEGA, putting them at risk of bankruptcy. This forced SEGA to retire as a console manufacturer, and start developing games for other consoles, most of which [[AcclaimedFlop while well recieved, failed to capture an audience and sold below expectations]] in spite of being on more popular hardware. SEGA would continue to struggle financially until 2004, when they merged with Sammy Corporation.
** While things were looking up for SEGA financially following the Sammy merger, the company would go through another Audience Alienating Era following it. SEGA took a major shift to how games were released at this time, where any IP that failed to make a profit would be shelved, and the ones that actually did sell tended to be ChristmasRushed. As a result, in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh generation,]] SEGA didn't have a lot of variety with their games, and what was released were generally considered to be [[VideoGame/{{Chromehounds}} somewhat]] [[VideoGame/Yakuza3 polarizing]] [[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7 at best,]] or [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 downright]] [[VideoGame/GoldenAxe awful]] [[VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall at worst]]. Not helping matters is that several of SEGA's games around this time were [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]] much to the dismay of international fans. SEGA clearly realized this strategy wasn't working, and around 2010, things gradually started to get better.
* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 launch era was not a good time for Creator/{{Sony}}, mostly thanks to how they handled the console's launch:
** Having been the king of the video gaming scene for two generations with the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]], they became overconfident, believing that their brand name would be enough to make people flock with the highly advanced and expensive [=PS3=]. This turned out to be a great folly for these reasons:

** Sony's way of promoting the console also do not sit well with their fans either. Similar to Sega's attempt to advertise the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn in the West, Sony promoted the [=PS3=] with very weird ads, which included a baby doll salivating over it. This [[WhatWereTheySellingAgain confused and frightened their fans]] instead of truly winning them over.
** Ultimately, the emergence of the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii and its rising popularity finally showed Sony just how bad they were handling the situation, as they ended up dead last in that generation's console war (even being beaten by the UsefulNotes/Xbox360). This was their final humble pie that prompted them to [[AuthorsSavingThrow finally start to fix what went wrong with the PS3]], rolling out the [=PlayStation=] 3 Slim as the way to test what should be fixed. They finally managed to end their AudienceAlienatingEra when they applied the lessons learned from the Slim to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

* The EasternRPG (or JRPG, if you want to be specific) genre went through one from about 2007 until 2012, a time period corresponding to UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. The WesternRPG was taking off like a rocket, thanks the efforts of developers like Creator/{{BioWare}} and Creator/BethesdaSoftworks, offering up fresh new stories and gameplay mechanics along with unparalleled production values. The JRPG genre, meanwhile, was largely put on the backburner at this time. For one thing, budgets were substantially reduced, thanks to Western game development largely overtaking Japanese game development in the mid-2000s. While there were [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou a few]] [[VideoGame/Persona4 noteworthy]] [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls games]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIX released]], most [=JRPGs=] at the time were criticized for having recycled plots and being too reliant on well-worn tropes like "small town boy finds himself wrapped up in a massive underground resistance movement against an evil dictator." To make matters worse, smaller companies were constantly localizing Japanese niche titles [[AmericansHateTingle that would have little chance of appeal in the states]], resulting in numerous examples of [[CriticalDissonance critic-audience divide]] (critics panned the games, while dedicated fans defended them). The fact that many popular [=JRPGs=] in this era came out on handheld systems such as the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS and UsefulNotes/PlaystationPortable further contributed to the genre's decline in the West, since audiences there had largely been introduced to the genre via graphically impressive console games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and saw handheld gaming as the domain of shorter, simpler and/or more casual games instead of lengthy [=RPGs=]. \\\
Fortunately, the genre rekindled much of its spark in early 2012, when the critically acclaimed and commercially successful ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' was finally released in the West on (of all consoles) the Wii, breathing some much needed new life into the then-stagnant genre. Later that year, the almost-as-well-received ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'' was localized on the same console. Since then, a stream of critically and commercially successful [=JRPGs=] (and Western-developed JRPG-like games) had been released, such as ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' and ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault''. ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' rose in popularity after the release of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' on the 3DS, with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' achieving similar critical and commercial success. The before mentioned NintendoHard ''Souls'' series, spearheaded by the insane success of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' would create such a popular and beloved franchise, it spawned its ''own sub-genre'' (the [[SoulsLikeRPG Souls-like RPGs]]), and go on to sell thirty million copies, to much critical and fan acclaim. The ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games proved to be [[KillerApp killer apps]] for the 3DS before achieving mainstream popularity in early 2018 with ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld''. ''VideoGame/Persona5'' stole the hearts of critics and players alike and helped push the franchise from niche to borderline mainstream given how its protagonist ended up in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. Long-awaited Creator/SquareEnix titles like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' were finally released (in late 2016 and early 2019 respectively) to much fanfare and generally positive reviews. And ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' [[LateExportForYou at long last]] received a high-definition remake and English localization, while the original game, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAdventure'', and ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' were successfully re-released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' came out and saw unprecedented international success[[note]]Despite its massive popularity in its home country, the series has mostly been niche elsewhere[[/note]]; much like ''Persona 5'' it was [[ColbertBump helped along]] when its protagonist appeared as a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. The EasternRPG genre is now alive and well, happily coexisting with the WesternRPG genre.

** 2018 was arguably the year when Blizzard's dark age started. That year's Blizzcon convention was overshadowed by the negative audience reception to the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal''. What was supposed to be a climactic announcement of a new mainline ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' game turned out to be a mobile spin-off, which infuriated fans who spent upwards of $200 in hopes to witnessing a mainline title announcement. It didn't help that developer Wyatt Cheng impulsively and insensitively asked "Do you guys not have phones?", which quickly became an internet meme. One month later, ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' saw its [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports side]] abruptly shuttered with participating professional gamers not receiving prior notification or compensation.

* In 2017, Konami released ''Super Bomberman R'' as a launch title for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. While critics thought it was SoOkayItsAverage, fans were disappointed due to the game relying heavily on nostalgia rather than innovating the formula. While there were many updates to ''R'', a lot of longtime fans had lost interest in the game by that point. But somehow, those who still stuck regardless were numerous enough that Konami managed to greenlit ''Super Bomberman R2''. But at least those games were actual Bomberman games unlike the next entry....
* ''VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}'', good God, Bombergirl. While somewhat okay in Japan, American fans loathe this game for its overuse of fanservice to the point of being FanDisservice. Adding salt to the wound was the death of Shoji Mizuno, the original character designer for Bomberman when Bombergirl was released in 2018 .The game ended up a cult following in Japan at best and [[NoExportForYou never received an official release in the West]].

** 2018 was arguably the year when Blizzard's dark age started. That year's Blizzcon convention was overshadowed by the negative audience reception to the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal''. What was supposed to be a climactic announcement of a new mainline ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' game turned out to be a mobile spin-off, which infuriated fans who spent upwards of $200 in hopes to witnessing a mainline title announcement. It didn't help that developer Wyatt Cheng impulsively and insensitively asked "Do you guys not have phones?", which quickly became an internet meme. One month later, ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' saw its [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports side]] abruptly shuttered with participating professional gamers not receiving prior notification or compensation. Thus that year ended with several fans questioning whether Blizzard was still in-touch with its audiences.
** While 2019 started out on a sour note with mass layoffs, Blizzard came under real pressure amidst the "Blitzchung" scandal of October that year. During a ''[[VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft Hearthstone]]'' tournament in Taiwan, Blizzard punished e-sports player Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung by suspending him for a year and taking away his winnings after he voiced support for the 2019 Hong Kong protests during an interview. Blizzard's response spurred furious protests from not only Blizzard's audience, but also from fans of other video games, Blizzard's own employees, the general public and politicians, all accusing the company of engaging in censorship to appease the Chinese government and Blizzard's Chinese investors so their games [[BannedInChina wouldn't be banned]].[[note]]While some believed "Blitzchung" should be punished for making a political speech during a non-political interview (which is against Blizzard's rules), even they thought his punishment was disproportionately harsh and more about appeasing Chinese censors, especially since several professional ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' players received lighter punishments for racism and sexism.[[/note]] Blizzard also terminated their contract with the two livestream presenters present even though they didn't violate actual rules and were also caught off guard by "Blitzchung"'s statements given how they ducked during his statement and even cut the feed. The controversy was so severe that it not only prompted a boycott by professional ''Hearthstone'' players, but also overshadowed the release of the otherwise positively received ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft World of Warcraft: Classic]]''.
** 2020 didn't improve for Blizzard. ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reforged'' became one of the worst video game remakes as it not only failed to match trailer footage but also ended up deleting fan mods of the original title. However, the biggest casualty of that year was Blizzard's signature HeroShooter ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic scuttled that year's ''Overwatch'' League as social distancing orders made in-person stadium events impossible. Furthermore, ''Overwatch'' experienced a sharp drop in playercount and revenue due to competition from newer Hero Shooters, most notably ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' and ''VideoGame/{{Valorant}}'', and because of Blizzard's decision to stop updating the game to work on its sequel.
** However, 2021 proved to be the nadir of Blizzard controversies. A series of lawsuits and news reports revealed that Blizzard had a decades-long misogynistic work culture where female employees experienced regular sexism that included both financial discrimination and sexual harassment. The harassment was so extreme that one harassed woman committed suicide while on a company trip with an abusive co-worker. Even worse was that the company's leadership was aware of harassment yet chose to either downplay incidents, defend harassers or even retaliate against victims. The scandal lead to Blizzard employees staging strikes, sponsors pulling out from Blizzard's eSports tournaments and both the state of California and federal government investigating Blizzard for workplace violations. Given Blizzard's inclusive image and sterling reputation, as noted by the common quote "Blizzard can do no wrong", the company experienced a greater fall from grace than most. The scandal also caused Blizzard's stock to plummet low enough for Creator/{{Microsoft}} to announce a corporate buyout of parent company Activision Blizzard.
** 2022 and 2023 marked the twilight years of Blizzard as an independent titan of gaming. 2022 saw the release ''Overwatch 2'', which while having much initial fanfare at launch as a free-to-play game, soon struggled to maintain a player base due to its controversial monetization and the belated release of its watered down PvE mode. 2023 had ''Diablo IV'' which became the best selling game in Blizzard history and earned $666 million within the first five days of release. Yet 2023 also marked the end of the ''Overwatch'' League as Blizzard's attempt to create a multination franchise-based eSports league proved financially unsustainable. The one sliver of hope for Blizzard is the pledge by new company owner Microsoft to provide a more inclusive and hands-off work environment. For now, only time will tell if Blizzard can return to glory under Microsoft's leadership.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' in 2009 was controversial not just for various thematic elements within the game itself, but also, more importantly, for what was seen in hindsight as the turning point in a long process of tilting the series away from SurvivalHorror towards ActionHorror. While this process started with ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' in 2005, it became far more apparent here, and many fans believe that it was Capcom's attempt to [[FollowTheLeader copy the success]] of ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare Modern Warfare]]''.[[note]]Ironically, ''[=RE4=]'' itself, with its revolutionary use of an over-the-shoulder camera in a ThirdPersonShooter, wound up enormously influential on ''Gears of War'' and many of the other shooters that later games were accused of trying to copy -- a point that was not lost on those ''RE'' fans who believe that ''[=RE4=]'', as good as it was on its own merits, [[FranchiseOriginalSin set off a negative long-term trend]] for the series.[[/note]] That said, ''[=RE5=]'' still has its fans, many of whom are likely to claim that it was with the next main-series game that ''RE'' lost its way.

* ''Franchise/MegaMan'' was hit with this around the TurnOfTheMillennium, ''hard''. In the late 80's and early-to-mid 90's, ''Mega Man'' had mostly two series between ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', and while there was a fair amount of CapcomSequelStagnation for ''Classic'', ''X'' was gaining its footing on the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PlayStation]]. Around the same time, there was another spinoff series in ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' doing its own thing as 3D action-adventure games. Then came ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', which was so ChristmasRushed out the door with ten months of development time that it infamously tainted the brand going forwards, around the same time that ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' kicked up. For the next few years, ''X'', ''Battle Network'' and ''Zero'' all had to compete with eachother for market relevance as the sales saw a notable growth and decline amidst conflicted consumers and split fans, and ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' would further hinder the ''X'' brand with the VideoGame3DLeap being an abject failure while ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork4'' was also rushed out the door in such a drastic quality drop that all the games started selling worse after it; even a pair of attempts to reboot ''[[VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp Classic]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX X]]'' with a pair of [[VideoGameRemake 2.5D remakes]] were left to flounder and rot on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable. By the time ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' had launched in the late 00's with controversial changes to the ''Zero'' and ''Battle Network'' formulas respectively, the damage was so bad that the series saw rapidly declining sales before flatlining for almost an entire decade, even with a pair of ''Classic'' {{Retraux}} titles that did decently well. It would take until 2018 for ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' to revitalize the brand with a genuinely new release -- and that only ended up being the best selling game in the series in September 2022, ''four years later''.

** Many have seen E3 as having gone through another beginning in the mid-to-late 2010s. With the proliferation of the Internet and social media enabling companies to drop announcements and trailers at any time via events like WebVideo/NintendoDirect and Sony’s State of Play, many started to question the need for a large, annual, industry-wide conference like E3. This resulted in both declining viewership and company participation, culminating in Sony skipping E3 2019 entirely. The conference's reputation suffered an additional blow that year when the discovery of an unencrypted spreadsheet file on the ESA's website revealed the personal information of all of the prior conference's attendees, comprising thousands of game journalists and industry professionals. While E3 2020 was understandably cancelled due to the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, the original idea of shifting towards being a primarily Internet influencer-based event was decried as pandering, and coupled with the departure of longtime host Geoff Keighley (who turned to focus on the Game Awards, which quickly became a strong alternative to E3 as a place for major game industry announcements), many assumed that dark times are ahead for E3, if the event has a future at all. These predictions would be seemingly confirmed when both E3 2022 and E3 2023 were cancelled mere months before they were set to be held (E3 2023 in particular was cancelled due to almost every major game company announcing that they wouldn't be attending), with no indication that anyone is planning to hold the event ever again. Later, in December of 2023, the ESA would announce that E3 was dead for good.

** 2018 was arguably the year when Blizzard's dark age started. That year's Blizzcon convention was overshadowed by the negative audience reception to the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal''. What was supposed to be climactic announcement of a new mainline ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' game turned out to be a mobile spin-off, which infuriated fans who spent upwards of $200 in hopes to witnessing a mainline title announcement. It didn't help that developer Wyatt Cheng impulsively and insensitively asked "Do you guys not have phones?", which quickly became an internet meme. One month later, ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' saw its [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports side]] abruptly shuttered with participating professional gamers not receiving prior notification or compensation. Thus that year ended with several fans questioning whether Blizzard was still in-touch with its audiences.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}'', good God, Bombergirl. While somewhat okay in Japan, American fans loathe this game for its overuse of fanservice to the point of being FanDisservice. Adding salt to the wound was the death of Shoji Mizuno, the original character designer for Bomberman when Bombergirl was released in 2018 .The game ended up a cult following in Japan at best and [[NoExportForYou never received an official release in the West]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}'', good God, Bombergirl. While somewhat okay in Japan, American fans loathe the series for it overuse of fanservice to the point of being FanDisservice. Adding salt to the wound was the death of Shoji Mizuno, the original character designer for Bomberman when Bombergirl was released in 2018 .The game ended up a cult following in Japan at best and [[NoExportForYou never received an official release in the West]].

* VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}, good God, Bombergirl. While somewhat okay in Japan, American fans loathe the series for it overuse of fanservice to the point of being FanDisservice. Adding salt to the wound was the death of Shoji Mizuno, the original character designer for Bomberman when Bombergirl was released in 2018 .The game ended up a cult following in Japan at best and [[NoExportForYou never received an official release in the West]].

* In 2017, Konami released ''Super Bomberman R'' as a launch title for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. While critics thought it was SoOkayItsAverage, fans were disappointed due to the game relying heavily on nostalgia rather than innovating the formula. While there were many updates to ''R'', a lot of longtime fans had lost interest in the game by that point. But somehow, those who still stuck regardless were numerous enough that Konami managed to greenlit ''Super Bomberman R2''.

** Many have seen E3 as having gone through another beginning in the mid-to-late 2010s. With the proliferation of the Internet and social media enabling companies to drop announcements and trailers at any time via events like WebVideo/NintendoDirect and Sony’s State of Play, many started to question the need for a large, annual, industry-wide conference like E3. This resulted in both declining viewership and company participation, culminating in Sony skipping E3 2019 entirely. The conference's reputation suffered an additional blow that year when the discovery of an unencrypted spreadsheet file on the ESA's website revealed the personal information of all of the prior conference's attendees, comprising thousands of game journalists and industry professionals. While E3 2020 was understandably cancelled due to the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, the original idea of shifting towards being a primarily Internet influencer-based event was decried as pandering, and coupled with the departure of longtime host Geoff Keighley (who turned to focus on the Game Awards, which quickly became a strong alternative to E3 as a place for major game industry announcements), many assumed that dark times are ahead for E3, if the event has a future at all. These predictions would be seemingly confirmed when both E3 2022 and E3 2023 were cancelled mere months before they were set to be held (E3 2023 in particular was cancelled due to almost every major game company announcing that they wouldn't be attending), with no indication that anyone is planning to hold the event ever again.

** ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' started out with three well-received games on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, but became [[StrictlyFormula repetitive and formulaic]] by the time of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube sequels; and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyAdvance'' released during the same period, while considered as alright on its own merits as a single player mission-based experience, was disliked by numerous series fans who didn't appreciate that led to it having a poor multiplayer experience [[AudienceAlienatingPremise in a franchise primarily known for its multiplayer]]. ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'', an early Wii title, got [[https://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/mario-party-8 mixed]] reviews and divisive fan reception alike, and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS'', the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS follow-up that was released the same year, was considered SoOkayItsAverage for largely similar reasons, particularly for feeling technologically dated. However, in an ironic twist of [[UnpleasableFanbase fans and critics complaining]] the games to be [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]], when the ''Mario Party'' series returned from hibernation, the mixed reception to the newer games being [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too different]] invoked a sense of VindicatedByHistory for the Nintendo [=GameCube=] titles, as well as ''8'' and ''DS'' from fans who prefer the old formula.\\\
The series then went into hibernation for several years until [=NDcube=] made ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'' and tried to WinBackTheCrowd by changing the game mechanics considerably, most notably having all players travel around the board in the same car. Again the ''Mario Party'' audience was divided, this time over whether it changed too much rather than changed too little. ''VideoGame/MarioParty10'' on the Wii U was based on this formula, and got a similar response.\\\
''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour'' on the 3DS was an attempt to tide over those who felt alienated by ''9'' with more traditional gameplay, and ended up being regarded as [[SoOkayItsAverage slightly below average at best]]. ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'' for the 3DS tries to mix up the formula once more. While it is considered a decent attempt and [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a marked improvement]] over the other [=NDcube=] ''Mario Party'' titles, it was still seen as nothing more than just slightly above-average, and ''VideoGame/MarioPartyTheTop100'' was met with mixed reactions for solely focusing on the minigames and [[AudienceAlienatingPremise not having any true boards]]. However when ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty'' was announced for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and lacked the [[ScrappyMechanic car]] and went back to the gameplay of the Creator/HudsonSoft-produced titles, fans were overjoyed.[[note]]''Super'' is actually [[OlderThanTheyThink not the first [=NDcube=]-produced installment to lack the car mechanic]]. ''Island Tour'' featured boards with each player moving separately, while the board modes in ''Star Rush'' and ''The Top 100'' were also completely devoid of the car mechanic by way of each player moving simultaneously yet individually.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'', 3 years later, completely returned to the series' roots and the gameplay of the original installments, featuring classic minigames like ''The Top 100'' but without the AudienceAlienatingPremise of not having any boards, and was met with universal praise, marking the series officially out of its audience-alienating era, at least for now.

* In the late 1990s, Creator/{{Konami}} farmed out the development of the ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' series to Hungarian developer Appaloosa, resulting in the creation of the series' two UsefulNotes/PlayStation installments ''Contra: Legacy of War'' (which also saw release on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn) in 1996, and ''C: The Contra Adventure'' in 1998. Both games were critically panned when they came out and Konami even canceled plans to localize the first of the two titles in Japan after the negative reception it received, which makes one wonder why they would give Appaloosa a second chance. It's made all the worse by the fact that ''Legacy of War'' relied on a [=3D=] glasses gimmick for sales (we're talking '50s BMovie red/blue cardboard glasses here) and massively derailed existing characters and canon, considering these followed on from ''Contra: Hard Corps'', one of the more story-heavy ''Contra'' games, it did not go well. It should be noted that both games are explicitly [[CanonDiscontinuity exiled from the Contra canon]]. ''Contra: Rogue Corps'' was panned heavily because of seemingly returning to the style of Appaloosa's games, in addition of the already destroyed reputation of Konami thanks to previous controversies.