History BlackmailBackfire / VideoGames

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': It happens on occasion that blackmail will get involved in someone's murder plot. Usually, it's a victim killing their blackmailer, but exceptions exist.
** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'':
*** Redd White has a vast blackmail empire that all but guarantees him immunity from legal recourse. Mia solves that problem by compiling information on people who committed suicide because of his blackmail, which could ruin his life if it got to the press. [[spoiler: He kills her before she can use it, but that doesn't actually ''stop'' her, courtesy of her little sister Maya and student Phoenix.]]
*** DoubleSubverted in the third case. [[spoiler:The victim finally snapped from years of life-destroying blackmail and tried to kill his blackmailer- but then proceeded to ''lose'' the subsequent struggle, being pushed to his death on a sharp fence post. However, the case ends with the culprit admitting their involvement, so he has some consolation in that his killer is going to jail.]]
*** The bonus case. [[spoiler: Damon Gant's 'ace in the hole' was a piece of a murder victim's jacket that had Ema Skye's fingerprints, and threatened Lana that he'd use it to get Ema convicted of murder. When the evidence ''does'' come up during Lana's trial, Phoenix is able to turn it against him by proving that the cloth had been cut from the jacket ''before'' the victim's death ([[AbsenceOfEvidence it should've had blood on it, but didn't]]), ergo the only thing it proved was that Gant had set Ema up before murdering the victim himself.]]
** The final case of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' features this. [[spoiler:The defendant of this case, Matt Engarde, actually ''is'' guilty of murder as he hired the assassin who killed the victim and had said hitman hold Maya hostage to ensure you get him acquitted. He also recorded the murder to use as blackmail information in the future. Unfortunately, not only did he consider blackmailing a known assassin--a questionable move ''at best''--but said assassin, Shelly de Killer, has a strict code of honor and considers the trust between him and his client to be sacred. In the best ending, you reveal the contents of the recording to de Killer (you haven't seen the tape, but previous talk with the defendant and other corroborating evidence has already made it clear what it is). The recording proves that the Engarde not only didn't trust de Killer at all but was also about to backstab him, a major BerserkButton for de Killer, and so he breaks the contract, releases Maya and announces his intentions to go after Engarde next. At this point, [[MortonsFork Engarde is stuck between a rock and a hard place]]: if he's found guilty, he gets sent to prison and possibly gets the death penalty; and [[CruelMercy if he's found not guilty, he will be hunted down by de Killer]]. Engarde ultimately chooses to confess.]]
** The anime adds an earlier case of blackmail; [[spoiler: Mimi Miney didn't initially want to resort to killing Dr. Turner Grey to protect her identity, just fake the channeling. Her accomplice Morgan Fey blackmailed her into murdering him and framing Maya because she wanted Maya out of the way so her daughter Pearl could take Maya's position.]]
** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'': Kane Bullard used his security company to gather info about his clients and be discount Redd White. This backfired when he realized [[spoiler: Luke Atmey was the mastermind behind the 'gentleman thief' Mask [=deMasque=] and blackmailed him, which prompted Luke to kill him and frame Ron [=DeLite=] for it.]]
** ''VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2'' reveals that most of the series plot points happened because somebody got killed for attempted blackmail. [[spoiler: Isaac Dover realized that his partner, pastry chef Dane Gustavia, had lost his sense of taste, and tried to blackmail him with the information (along with kidnapping Dane's son, who served as his taste-tester), but Dane killed him instead.]] That's the case that instigated the [[ThatOneCase DL-6]] Incident, which serves as a turning point in most of the main characters' backstories.
* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', Dennis tries to manipulate the protagonist and Dr. Mosely to get what he wants. [[spoiler:Instead, he ends up dead, his belongings destroyed, and his digital accounts wiped clean.]]

** ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'': The second game reveals that most of the series plot points happened because somebody got killed for attempted blackmail. [[spoiler: Isaac Dover realized that his partner, pastry chef Dane Gustavia, had lost his sense of taste, and tried to blackmail him with the information (along with kidnapping Dane's son, who served as his taste-tester), but Dane killed him instead.]] That's the case that instigated the [[ThatOneCase DL-6]] Incident, which serves as a turning point in most of the main characters' backstories.

** The final case of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' features this. [[spoiler:The defendant of this case, Matt Engarde, actually ''is'' guilty of murder as he hired the assassin who killed the victim and had said hitman hold Maya hostage to ensure you get him acquitted. He also recorded the murder to use as blackmail information in the future. Unfortunately, not only did he consider blackmailing a known assassin--a questionable move ''at best''--but said assassin, Shelly de Killer, has a strict code of honor and considers the trust between him and his client to be sacred. In the best ending, you reveal the contents of the recording to de Killer (you haven't seen the tape, but previous talk with the defendant and other corroborating evidence has already made it clear what it is). The recording proves that the Engarde not only didn't trust de Killer at all but was also about to backstab him, a major BerserkButton for de Killer, and so he breaks the contract, releases Maya and announces his intentions to go after Engarde next. At this point, Engarde is stuck between a rock and a hard place: if he's found guilty, he gets sent to prison and possibly gets the death penalty; and if he's found not guilty, he will be hunted down by de Killer. Engarde ultimately chooses to confess.]]

*** The bonus case. [[spoiler: Damon Gant's 'ace in the hole' was a piece of a murder victim's jacket that had Ema Skye's fingerprints, and threatened Lana that he'd use it to get Ema convicted of murder. When the evidence ''does'' come up during Lana's trial, Phoenix is able to turn it against him by proving that the cloth had been cut from the jacket ''before'' the victim's death ([[AbsenceOfEvidence it should've had blood on it, but didn't]]), ergo the only thing it proved was t that Gant had set Ema up before murdering the victim himself.]]

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has several examples:

*** Redd White has a vast blackmail empire that all but guarantees him immunity from legal recourse. [[spoiler:So the ghost of the woman he killed for spending years digging up dirt on said empire ultimately gives him a taste of his own medicine and threatens to publicize said dirt unless he surrenders — which, after an immensely satisfying VillainousBreakdown, he does.]]
*** DoubleSubverted in the third case. [[spoiler:The victim finally snapped from years of life-destroying blackmail and tried to kill his blackmailer... whom instead killed him in self-defense. However, the resulting scrutiny ultimately leads you to nail the killer anyway, thus avenging the victim after all.]]
*** The bonus case. [[spoiler:You ultimately use Damon Gant's own blackmail tool as the critical evidence to defeat him.]]

** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'': [[spoiler:Luke Atmey killed someone for blackmailing Atmey over his own blackmail of the GentlemanThief that Atmey claims to invoke GreatDetective against.]]

** Even better is the entire scenario is a chain of this. [[spoiler: Principle Kobyakawa, lightly. blackmails Makato into rooting out the phantom theives because of his connection to the conspiracy. She proceeds to blackmail the Phantom Theives not to get what the Principle wants but to take care of the crimal pressure targeting shujin academy students, who are being blackmailed until it's obvious something's wrong. Makoto joins the Phantom Theives, the Principle gets left high and dry on information, and the criminal syndicate that falls apart was sending money to the conspiracy the Principle was a part of. None of this is a major blow to the conspiracy itself but they weren't the blackmailers in this particular scenario.]]