History FandomRivalry / VideoGames

* A rather facetious example, given that the "fans" see both games as terrible, but ''VideoGame/SkullIslandRiseOfKong'' has one with ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsGollum'', another 2023 video game adaptation of an iconic multimedia franchise (''Franchise/KingKong'' and ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'' respectively) that was poorly made. ''Rise of Kong'' was frequently described as "the next ''Gollum''" from the moment the first previews were shown off, and the "fans" debate which of the two games is worse. [[HilariousInHindsight Coincidentally]], Creator/PeterJackson directed movies featuring both characters (although both games are based on novels, not the films[[note]]''Skull Island: Rise of Kong'' is specifically based off a novelization alternate continuity, independent from the films.[[/note]]), and Creator/AndySerkis played both characters.

** Later on in the series' lifetime, however, more people became accepting of ''Smash''[='s=] status as a fighting game. The real rivalry lies in the divide between the ''Smash'' community and the general UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity -- there's very little overlap between ''Smash Bros.'' and traditional fighting game players at a competitive level, leading to conflicts at events that host both ''Smash'' and other fighting games. In fact, ''Smash Bros.'' tournaments were so infamous for always running past schedule that many fighting game fans rejoiced when it was announced that it would be the last game of Finals Sunday at EVO 2019. This is particularly nasty with fans of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee Melee]]'', because it has the most entrenched community; ''Melee'' fans view general FGC fans as fickle for switching to newer games and see ''Melee'''s continued success as proof of its superiority and technical depth, while general FGC fans view ''Melee'' fans as sticking with ''Melee'' because they don't know how to play anything else and refuse to learn about other games.

* Within the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity, a rather one-sided one between ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ]]''. ''[=MvCI=]'' was a game with a troubled birth, launching with a flawed marketing campaign and some bizarrely out of touch developmental decisions (such as producer Peter Rosas dismissing ''licensed characters in a crossover fighting game'' as "just functions" in an interview, and the developers not including the Franchise/XMen on the mistaken assumption players simply "forgot" about the characters -- someone should've pointed out to them that the X-Men ''[[FailedASpotCheck have been pop culture icons for decades]]''). Other points of contention include assets recycled from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', inexplicably going from ''3''[='s=] celebrated 3v3 team system to the old 2v2, and questionable post-launch DLC practices. ''[=FighterZ=]'', on the other hand, ran a very good marketing campaign on the back of ''[=MvCI=]''[='s=] disappointments, like using 3v3 teams and a clear dedication on the part of the developers to appeal to the existing FGC. With Creator/ArcSystemWorks having also announced ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', their own crossover tag team fighting game featuring characters from ''Franchise/BlazBlue'', ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', and ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'' along with--[[UnexpectedCharacter very surprisingly]]--the fighting game debut of none other than '''[[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Team RWBY]]''', and you have fans joking that Arc Sys is just inflicting a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on poor ''[=MvCI=]'' at this point. As if things couldn't get any worse, EVO 2018 announced that both ''[=FighterZ=]'' and ''BBTAG'' would be featured in the main lineup of games while ''[=MvCI=]'' ''didn't make the cut'', marking the first time in many years a ''[=MvC=]'' entry was absent from the prestigious fighting game tournament.

* Do not mention ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' to ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' players (both games being mobile RPG games with [[BribingYourWayToVictory pay-to-win]] "gacha" systems for summoning units and equipment), ''ever.'' ''Granblue'' players look heavily down on ''F/GO'' for being particularly stingy when it comes to its gacha elements. When attacked, ''F/GO'' fans usually respond by criticising Granblue's difficult grind game, story, balancing, PvP nature, and in general the fact that it only really has the gacha over ''F/GO''. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' players also aren't terribly keen on ''F/GO'' either for similar reasons.

* MediaNotes/ConsoleWars in general. Even worse is UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole.

* While there's always been arguments over which ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' game is the best, fights between ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' fans and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' fans are particularly intense. Fans of ''V'' say that ''IV''[='s=] driving mechanics are too floaty and are hard to get use to, and hate the "friends call you up to do stuff" mechanic. Fans of ''IV'' say that the story and cast of ''IV'' are way more interesting than ''V''[=s=], as are the main missions which are more crime-oriented than ''V''[='s=], and that ''IV'' has a lot of minor details they miss in ''V'' such as the ability to pick up trash and throw it at people. There is also a UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole element to the fighting, ''IV''[='s=] PC port was a disaster, souring a large contingent of fans on the game, and ''V''[='s=] PC version was a lot better handled.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''. The rivalry originally was between ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1''. While both games are now considered classics, ''Metroid'' fans used to heavily criticize ''DKC'' for stealing the attention ''Super'' "rightfully" deserved; they released the same year, but ''DKC'' got the bigger marketing push thanks to its impressive graphics making it a great piece of ammo in the MediaNotes/ConsoleWars. It then reignited two decades later when the two fandoms found themselves fighting over Creator/RetroStudios: Retro not only helped revive the ''Metroid'' franchise after an eight-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', but they also revived the ''DKC'' franchise after a fourteen-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. As such, both fandoms saw the studio as the ''only'' one that could do their respective franchises justice, especially ''Metroid'' fans after the disappointment that was ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. So when the company decided to create ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' instead of a ''Prime 4'' as their UsefulNotes/WiiU project, ''Metroid'' fans were livid that Retro was making "[[MemeticMutation another damn Donkey Kong Country]]" instead of once again saving the ''Metroid'' series, while ''DKC'' fans stereotyped ''Metroid'' fans as entitled crybabies and loved to point out that ''DKC'' is typically a much higher-selling series than ''Metroid''. For their part, Retro would be tasked with making ''Prime 4'' eventually, while the mainline titles would see a major critical and commercial resurgence with both ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', which were developed under the guidance of series co-creator and longtime contributor Creator/YoshioSakamoto. (Which, in turn, led to a new point of a debate among ''Metroid'' fans, the question of "Who did it better?" between Sakamoto -- who also helmed the aforementioned ''Other M'' -- and Retro Studios.)

* Matchmaking systems vs. server browsers: Those who prefer matchmaking do so believing it's easier to find multiplayer games using it, while those who prefer server browsers do so under the belief that they can accompany more playstyles, especially ones involving custom maps or {{Game Mod}}s.

*** They ''hate'' {{Mobile Phone Game}}s and the people who play them, citing mobile games as UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}} designed for "casuals" with {{microtransactions}} that they consider greedy cash-grabs. [[SimpleYetAwesome Mobile phone gamers]] on other hand ''hate'' both PC gamers and console gamers for wasting money on [[AwesomeButImpractical bulky, useless parts and accessories that can't even go mobile]]; particularly in Japan, mobile gaming is highly prized for being commuter-friendly (many people take trains rather than drive), and without requiring the user to invest in or carry a separate device. This in particular gets very heated whenever console or PC gamers feel like mobile elements are popping up in console or PC games.

*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" (whereas ''FES'' actually cost ''less'' than the original[[labelnote:*]]When ''Persona 3 FES'' was released in the West roughly ten months after the original, it was at the discounted price of $29.99. (By comparison, new [=PS2=] titles were typically priced at $49.99.) Furthermore, while both the full retail release of ''FES'' in Japan and its international version bundled together the original game and new content on a single disc, Japanese consumers had the option of buying a standalone (and lower-priced) "Append" disc that allowed them to access any ''FES''-exclusive content if they already owned the original game.[[/labelnote]]) and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' pointed to the likely possibility ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC -- which would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIkpLo42GM officially confirmed]] barely a month after the game's release -- and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for ''Reload''. More fuel was added to the fire by [[https://i.redd.it/02wmo97jwsmc1.jpeg a leak]] alleging Atlus would not be including ''any'' story content from ''Portable'' as DLC, leading to some ''Portable''/[=FeMC=] fans becoming extremely bitter and swearing off ''Reload'' entirely while more mean-spirited individuals on the other side of the fence were all too happy to laugh at their misfortune of having their preferred story elements relegated to a less favorable version of ''Persona 3''.

*** Speaking of the female MC, there's the whole MC fandom rivalry. ''Persona 3'' prioritizes the male MC in the main continuity, since the game was initially released with just him. In fact, ''Persona 3 Portable'' recommends playing his story first to see how the original story plays out, while most crossovers between ''P3'' and subsequent games tend to [[CuttingOffTheBranches omit the female MC entirely]] (with ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q2|NewCinemaLabyrinth}}'' establishing she is, in fact, an AlternateSelf of the male MC [[AlternateUniverse from her own world]]). Despite this, many players praised her exclusive content in ''Portable'', ranging from different music to different character perception on account of her gender to -- perhaps most importantly -- the ability to Social Link with the male party members, an opportunity the male MC does not have in his route. Naturally, female MC fans that dislike the male MC consider him boring, dislike his (comparatively) distant dynamics with the team, dislike most of the male protagonist-exclusive Social Links, and even poke fun at his forced harem as a consequence of the old Social Link system (which did not have an option to keep relationships platonic). Thanks to female MC fans being something of a VocalMinority, the male MC fans -- or rather, the VocalMinority of them who ''only'' like the male MC -- strike back by calling out how the female MC is non-canon to the mainline games' timeline, how she doesn't fit with the game's theme, how she held back the game's development (and even blame her for ''The Answer'' getting nixed), how overrated she is, how annoying her fans can be (especially in regards to ''Reload''), and how much her fans indirectly ''support offenders'' because one of her Social Links allows the player to romance Ken, a middle schooler (despite the English version downplaying the romantic aspects of their relationship). What does not help matters is that Western progressives are also lumped in with her fandom, accusing Atlus of all manner of "political incorrectness" by excluding her from ''Reload'', which mainstream gamers critical of this behavior shun, thus inviting outsiders that make this a case of "fandom tourists" that would degrade any entertainment should their wishes be granted. All the while, female MC fans that like her for her actual game content (a frequent accusation levied against , without being backed by identity politics, are left trying hard to explain that they are not like this.
*** This point deserves further elaboration: ''Persona'' fans in general have a love-hate relationship with the ''P3'' [=FeMC=] fans. Due to the smaller source material pool, her fans are mostly FanworkOnlyFans and they tend to be very dedicated, an example being modding her into ''VideoGame/Persona3DancingInMoonlight'' and modifying all ''FES'' movies to replace the male MC with the [=FeMC=] and even adapt alternative scenes, all made to be modded into all versions of ''Persona 3 Portable'' (which lacks the animated movies), which naturally impressed other ''Persona'' fans. Unfortunately, many of these very fans also tended to be the quickest to be offended whenever the [=FeMC=] was OutOfFocus from any official ''P3'' (or related) promotion, more so with ''Reload'' which does not adapt her journey, not helped by the very fan-disliked justification that her journey can only be experienced in ''Portable''. There are also ''Persona'' fans that thought the [=FeMC=] fans are just fans of [[MisaimedFandom the character and not the game]] or misandrists due to the tendency of some of them blaming Hashino for the games no longer attempting a female protagonist in future mainline ''Persona'' games.\\\
Combine all that and we got the intensified animosity per the Expansion Pass announcement. Fans that happened to be business and game dev experts tried to give a more rational justification why her journey being remade would not be worth it, bringing up Atlus' troubled financial history pre-Sega acquisition, WordOfGod that the female route was only made as the extra gimmick for the original ''Portable'' release, the multiple projects Atlus were working on, and that her fans are nothing more than VocalMinority when looking at the big picture, meaning time and money invested on adapting her story would not be worth it.[[note]]And for good reason. Even in ''Portable'', extra care was taken to the details of her route to the point there were plenty of similar lines being rerecorded not just for pronoun change but also to reflect the speaker's perception of her. Does not help that her fans tended to only look at her content at surface level.[[/note]] Meanwhile, the [=FeMC=] fans countered that since ''Reload'' managed to sell millions in the first month alone with a $70 price tag and Atlus even dared with post-launch paid DLC, one of which is the remade ''The Answer'', this much exposure should at least incentivize Atlus to "complete" the game with [=FeMC=] content instead of just stopping there, not to mention that certain demographics even saw the female route as their introduction to ''Persona 3'' if not the entire subseries, which soured their experience when they learned that there was this much contempt about her.\\\
Because of this, most of the ''Persona'' fandom thought it was like talking to a brick wall and hoped the complaints would stop due to how pointless trying to be reasonable is, while the pro-[=FeMC=] camp felt it was unfair they were not allowed to voice their disappointment at all (this also overlaps with the oldschool ''Persona 3'' fans' sentiment about missing content/features from the original releases, albeit theirs are more general).\\\
This is best seen in the ''Persona'' subreddit, as thanks to the developer interview with Wada confirming the reason for [=FeMC=] being AdaptedOut matching the leaked information, these two sides had splintered as the subreddit became downright hostile to the [=FeMC=] fans and said [=FeMC=] fans begrudgingly distancing themselves from the rest of the fandom as they have completely lost.

*** Interestingly, the release of both ''IV: Apocalypse'' and ''V'' [[ContestedSequel ended up]] {{vindicat|edByHistory}}ing ''IV'' to some extent; while ''Apocalypse'' and ''V'' are generally agreed to be marked improvements over ''IV'' in terms of gameplay, they're also noted to suffer in the story department, with ''Apocalypse'' being seen as [[ClicheStorm too tropey]] ''and'' too much of a shakeup from the usual series conventions whereas ''V'' is deemed to have a very minimalistic narrative (that some even decried as an inferior rehash of ''Nocturne'') and an even more underdeveloped cast. ''IV'' -- which [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight at least]] was based upon the drafts of ''SMT'' co-creator and longtime contributor Kazuma Kaneko -- underwent many reappraisals as a result, and nowadays is more favorably regarded as a flawed but respectable attempt at modernizing the series and the last installment of its golden age. [[ToughActToFollow A lot of the earlier rivalry the fourth game faced was as a result of what had come before it rather than what it was]], starting its own intra-franchise rivalry in the process.

*** One intense example aside from the usual "''3'' vs. ''4'' vs. ''5''" or "pre-''3'' vs. post-''3''" debate is ''Persona 3 FES'' vs. ''Persona 3 Portable''. Both are [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Re-releases]], and both feature their own bonus extended content compared to vanilla (''The Answer''[[labelnote:*]]''Episode Aigis'' in Japan[[/labelnote]] for the former and the female route for the latter). [[TakeAThirdOption While many fans enjoy both for what they are]] (and in fact wish that there was a version of the game that combined the best aspects of ''FES'' and ''Portable''), [[VocalMinority more militant supporters of one version]] have a bad habit of taking potshots at the other. One camp considers ''FES'' superior thanks to full 3D environments, animated movie clips, and challenging gameplay mechanics truly in line with other ''SMT'' entries, and bashes ''Portable'' for the "lazy" VisualNovel presentation, [[ItsEasySoItSucks lessened difficulty]], and being "''[[RomanceGame otome]]'' bait." Another camp defends ''Portable'' for being more accessible (at least when playing on actual hardware), having fairer game mechanics for players new to ''Persona'', and its more well-received female route, and bashes ''FES'' for its fans' elitist attitude, FakeDifficulty, and (despite the 3D environments) its very slow and clunky navigation. Not helping matters was ''Portable'', and not ''FES'', being the version of ''3'' that was remastered for [[MediaNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames eighth-]] and [[MediaNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames ninth-generation consoles]] (despite ''FES'' having been previously made available for download on the [=PS3=]), further heating up this rivalry... though both sides formed a truce of sorts and dunked upon the remaster upon learning how much of a PortingDisaster it was.
*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" (whereas ''FES'' actually cost ''less'' than the original[[labelnote:*]]When ''Persona 3 FES'' was released in the West roughly ten months after the original, it was at the discounted price of $29.99. (By comparison, new [=PS2=] titles were typically priced at $49.99.) Furthermore, while both the full retail release of ''FES'' in Japan and its international version bundled together the original game and new content on a single disc, Japanese consumers had the option of buying a standalone (and lower-priced) "Append" disc that allowed them to access any ''FES''-exclusive content if they already owned the original game.[[/labelnote]]) and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' pointed to the likely possibility ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC -- which would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIkpLo42GM officially confirmed]] barely a month after the game's release -- and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for ''Reload''. More fuel was added to the fire by [[https://i.redd.it/02wmo97jwsmc1.jpeg a leak]] alleging Atlus would not be including ''any'' story content from ''Portable'' as DLC, leading to some ''Portable''/[=FeMC=] fans becoming ''extremely'' bitter and swearing off ''Reload'' entirely while more mean-spirited individuals on the other side of the fence were all too happy to laugh at their misfortune of having their preferred story elements relegated to a less favorable version of ''Persona 3''.
*** The above points are only exacerbated by debate surrounding ''The Answer'', as it remained [[BrokenBase a contentious topic of discussion]] long after the release of ''FES'' and long before the announcement of ''Reload'' (and even after years of plot and character analysis helped {{vindicate|dByHistory}} its standing among the fandom). Fans of ''The Answer'' hold its storytelling in high regard, seeing its narrative as having stronger theming after what happened at the end of ''The Journey'' and believing this new PlayableEpilogue to be a fitting (if not {{bittersweet|Ending}}) end to the ''P3'' story. Less charitable views of ''The Answer'', however, denounce it as needless melodrama wherein most of S.E.E.S. is acting widely out of character for the sake of [[ConflictBall a contrived conflict]] that ultimately does nothing to [[spoiler:undo the protagonist's death at the end of ''The Journey'']], only allowing the cast to come to terms with it. This is to say nothing of the gameplay, which has a much greater focus on dungeon crawling compared to the main game and several {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s to go around (such as the lack of the Persona Compendium), meaning even defenders of the story were likely to bemoan the experiences leading up to the various narrative beats as an exercise in tedium. This opened up a multitude of arguments over whether the absence of ''The Answer'' in ''Portable'' was a strike against that version, if a future remake could fully do ''The Answer'' justice, if ''The Answer'' even deserved to be included in any remakes, and so on, with [[FlipFlopOfGod Atlus' apparent waffling on the matter]] (pre-release, ''Reload'' was claimed to only be a remake of vanilla ''P3'' and therefore would not include ''The Answer'') only further fanning the flames.
*** Speaking of the female MC, there's the whole MC fandom rivalry. ''Persona 3'' prioritizes the male MC in the main continuity, since the game was initially released with just him. In fact, ''Persona 3 Portable'' recommends playing his story first to see how the original story plays out, while most crossovers between ''P3'' and subsequent games tend to [[CuttingOffTheBranches omit the female MC entirely]] (with ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q2|NewCinemaLabyrinth}}'' establishing she is, in fact, an AlternateSelf of the male MC [[AlternateUniverse from her own world]]). Despite this, many players praised her exclusive content in ''Portable'', ranging from different music to different character perception on account of her gender to -- perhaps most importantly -- the ability to Social Link with the male party members, an opportunity the male MC does not have in his route. Naturally, female MC fans that dislike the male MC consider him boring, dislike his (comparatively) distant dynamics with the team, dislike most of the male protagonist-exclusive Social Links, and even poke fun at his forced harem as a consequence of the old Social Link system (which did not have an option to keep relationships platonic). Thanks to female MC fans being something of a VocalMinority, the male MC fans -- or rather, the VocalMinority of them who ''only'' like the male MC -- strike back by calling out how the female MC is non-canon to the mainline games' timeline, how she doesn't fit with the game's theme, how she held back the game's development (and even blame her for ''The Answer'' getting nixed), how overrated she is, how annoying her fans can be (especially in regards to ''Reload''), and how much her fans indirectly ''support offenders'' because one of her Social Links allows the player to romance Ken, a middle schooler (despite the English version downplaying the romantic aspects of their relationship). What does not help matters is that Western progressives are also lumped in with her fandom, accusing Atlus of all manner of "political incorrectness" by excluding her from ''Reload'', which mainstream gamers critical of this behavior shun, thus inviting outsiders that make this a case of "fandom tourists" that would degrade any entertainment should their wishes be granted. All the while, female MC fans that like her for her actual game content, without being backed by identity politics, are left trying hard to explain that they are not like this.\\\
This point deserves further elaboration: ''Persona'' fans in general have a love-hate relationship with the ''P3'' [=FeMC=] fans. Due to the smaller source material pool, her fans are mostly FanworkOnlyFans and they tend to be very dedicated, an example being modding her into ''VideoGame/Persona3DancingInMoonlight'' and modifying all ''FES'' movies to replace the male MC with the [=FeMC=] and even adapt alternative scenes, all made to be modded into all versions of ''Persona 3 Portable'' (which lacks the animated movies), which naturally impressed other ''Persona'' fans. Unfortunately, many of these very fans also tended to be the quickest to be offended whenever the [=FeMC=] was OutOfFocus from any official ''P3'' (or related) promotion, more so with ''Reload'' which does not adapt her journey, not helped by the very fan-disliked justification that her journey can only be experienced in ''Portable''. There are also ''Persona'' fans that thought the [=FeMC=] fans are just fans of [[MisaimedFandom the character and not the game]] or misandrists due to the tendency of some of them blaming Hashino for the games no longer attempting a female protagonist in future mainline ''Persona'' games.\\
Combine all that and we got the intensified animosity per the Expansion Pass announcement. Fans that happened to be business and game dev experts tried to give a more rational justification why her journey being remade would not be worth it, bringing up Atlus' troubled financial history pre-Sega acquisition, WordOfGod that the female route was only made as the extra gimmick for the original ''Portable'' release, the multiple projects Atlus were working on, and that her fans are nothing more than VocalMinority when looking at the big picture, meaning time and money invested on adapting her story would not be worth it.[[note]]And for good reason. Even in ''Portable'', extra care was taken to the details of her route to the point there were plenty of similar lines being rerecorded not just for pronoun change but also to reflect the speaker's perception of her. Does not help that her fans tended to only look at her content at surface level.[[/note]] Meanwhile, the [=FeMC=] fans countered that since ''Reload'' managed to sell millions in the first month alone with a $70 price tag and Atlus even dared with post-launch paid DLC, one of which is the remade ''The Answer'', this much exposure should at least incentivize Atlus to "complete" the game with [=FeMC=] content instead of just stopping there, not to mention that certain demographics even saw the female route as their introduction to ''Persona 3'' if not the entire subseries, which soured their experience when they learned that there was this much contempt about her.\\
Because of this, most of the ''Persona'' fandom thought it was like talking to a brick wall and hoped the complaints would stop due to how pointless trying to be reasonable is, while the pro-[=FeMC=] camp felt it was unfair they were not allowed to voice their disappointment at all (this also overlaps with the oldschool ''Persona 3'' fans' sentiment about missing content/features from the original releases, albeit theirs are more general).\\

*** They ''hate'' {{Mobile Phone Game}}s and the people who play them, citing mobile games as UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}} designed for "casuals" with {{microtransactions}} that they consider greedy cash-grabs. [[SimpleYetAwesome Mobile phone gamers]] on other hand ''hate'' both PC gamers and console gamers for wasting money on [[AwesomeButImpractical bulky, useless parts and accessories that can't even go mobile]]; particularly in Japan, mobile gaming is highly prized for being commuter-friendly (many people take trains rather than drive), and without requiring the user to invest in or carry a separate device. This in particular gets very heated whenever Console or PC gamers feel like Mobile elements are popping up in Console or PC games.
*** They don't take UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s other than the classics seriously -- even less than mobile games -- dismissing them as overpriced novelties that one has to go out of their way to find and play and have no depth to them unless they're {{Fighting Game}}s, and even then, "why pay for every credit when I can pay for a game once and then enjoy it all I want?" [[note]]Not helping this is that Raw Thrills, the most prominent Western company in the modern arcade industry, deliberately designs their games to be novelties, whereas other major names in the amusement industry such as Creator/{{Konami}}, Creator/{{SEGA}}, and Creator/{{Taito}} have shown that they are capable of producing arcade games with a degree of depth to them, yet many of their games [[NoExportForYou don't leave Asia]], which only skews Western opinion of arcade games even more.[[/note]] Games in other genres of arcade games like {{Driving Game}}s, {{Light Gun Game}}s, and {{Rhythm Game}}s have [[CultClassic cult followings]] at best. In some countries, arcade game fans are dismissive of console and PC gaming for the same reasons that mobile gamers are, especially in countries where consoles are considered imports [[note]]Most infamously, anywhere that isn't the Americas, Europe, Oceania, Japan, Taiwan or Korea [[NoExportForYou doesn't exist to Nintendo]], less so to Microsoft (to Microsoft, South-East Asia consists of exactly one country: Singapore, and a large chunk of Eastern Europe and Africa doesn't exist either). whereas Sony at least try to market to areas outside of those to some extent. This is why, for example, you won't get Miis in ''VideoGame/StreetPassMiiPlaza'' hailing from, say, Indonesia or Israel, as they don't appear on country selectors for Nintendo websites and products.[[/note]] and therefore it's prohibitively expensive to import consoles let alone games to go with them; the idea being "why save up for months just to invest in console and PC gaming when I can make much smaller investments at a time for my daily dose of arcade games"? [[note]]This mentality has something of a niche in southeast Asia and Japan, where there are several countries that are official territories for arcade game publishers but not for many console game publishers or -- again -- Nintendo.[[/note]]
** Meanwhile in the sides of China and Southeast Asia, [[FireForgedFriends most PC gamers, along with the already niche playerbase of XBOX and Nintendo, tend to side with mobile gamers]] due to free-to-play and low-cost UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution games being widely accessible, internet cafes available for renting, and less restrictive online requirements (generally free online play for PC and mobile phone games) compared to consoles, which require mandatory online subscriptions with higher premiums in relative to average person's income. Console (especially ''Playstation'') gamers are often mocked in these regions as elitists who tie themselves to specific subscription ecosystems, or stuck-up bullies with annoying HolierThanThou attitudes[[note]]considering many would express statements such as 'not supporting mobile means preserving and saving the video game industry from those evil companies that wanted to ruin the fun in video games and replace them profit-based soulless games' like (mostly Western, polarizing) political propaganda or making points against piracy[[/note]], among other reasons. Microtransactions aside, PC gamers who berate the mobile gamers and vice versa on other hand are more of VocalMinority in these regions, with most who despise mobile gamers as PC gamers didn't start up rivalry. (most Asian PC gamers generally are less harsh towards mobile gaming compared to Western PC gamers).

* Edutainment games of Creator/TheLearningCompany, VideoGame/JumpStart, and Creator/HumongousEntertainment form a MeleeATrois between their fans. This is less "if you play this other game you're scum" and more "our game is best".

Because of this, most of the ''Persona'' fandom thought it was like talking to a brick wall and hoped the complaints would stop due to how pointless trying to be reasonable is, while the pro-[=FeMC=] camp felt it was unfair they were not allowed to voice their disappointment at all (this also overlaps with the oldschool ''Persona 3'' fans' sentiment about missing content/features from the original releases, albeit theirs are more general).

*** Speaking of the female MC, there's the whole MC fandom rivalry. ''Persona 3'' prioritizes the male MC in the main continuity, since the game was initially released with just him. In fact, ''Persona 3 Portable'' recommends playing his story first to see how the original story plays out, while most crossovers between ''P3'' and subsequent games tend to [[CuttingOffTheBranches omit the female MC entirely]] (with ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q2|NewCinemaLabyrinth}}'' establishing she is, in fact, an AlternateSelf of the male MC [[AlternateUniverse from her own world]]). Despite this, many players praised her exclusive content in ''Portable'', ranging from different music to different character perception on account of her gender to -- perhaps most importantly -- the ability to Social Link with the male party members, an opportunity the male MC does not have in his route. Naturally, female MC fans that dislike the male MC consider him boring, dislike his (comparatively) distant dynamics with the team, dislike most of the male protagonist-exclusive Social Links, and even poke fun at his forced harem as a consequence of the old Social Link system (which did not have an option to keep relationships platonic). Thanks to female MC fans being something of a VocalMinority, the male MC fans -- or rather, the VocalMinority of them who ''only'' like the male MC -- strike back by calling out how the female MC is non-canon to the mainline games' timeline, how she doesn't fit with the game's theme, how she held back the game's development (and even blame her for ''The Answer'' getting nixed), how overrated she is, how annoying her fans can be (especially in regards to ''Reload''), and how much her fans indirectly ''support offenders'' because one of her Social Links allows the player to romance Ken, a middle schooler (despite the English version downplaying the romantic aspects of their relationship). What does not help matters is that Western progressives are also lumped in with her fandom, accusing Atlus of all manner of "political incorrectness" by excluding her from ''Reload'', which mainstream gamers critical of this behavior shun, thus inviting outsiders that make this a case of "fandom tourists" that would degrade any entertainment should their wishes be granted. All the while, female MC fans that like her for her actual game content, without being backed by identity politics, are left trying hard to explain that they are not like this.

%% Reminder that Examples Are Not Recent, especially where edits about P3 Reload are concerned.

*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. [[note]]For additional context, when ''Persona 3 FES'' was released in the West roughly ten months after the original, it was at the discounted price of $29.99. Furthermore, while both the full retail release of ''FES'' in Japan and its international version bundled together the original game and new content on a single disc, Japanese consumers had the option of buying a standalone "Append" disc that allowed them to access any ''FES''-exclusive content if they already owned the original game.[[/note]] The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' pointed to the likely possibility ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC -- which would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIkpLo42GM officially confirmed]] barely a month after the game's release -- and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for ''Reload''. More fuel was added to the fire by [[https://i.redd.it/02wmo97jwsmc1.jpeg a leak]] alleging Atlus would not be including ''any'' story content from ''Portable'' as DLC, leading to some ''Portable''/[=FeMC=] fans becoming ''extremely'' bitter and swearing off ''Reload'' entirely while more mean-spirited individuals on the other side of the fence were all too happy to laugh at their misfortune of having their preferred story elements relegated to a less favorable version of ''Persona 3''.
*** The above points are only exacerbated by debate surrounding ''The Answer'', as it remained [[BrokenBase a contentious point of discussion]] long after the release of ''FES'' and long before the announcement of ''Reload'' (and even after years of plot and character analysis helped {{vindicate|dByHistory}} its standing among the fandom). Fans of ''The Answer'' hold its storytelling in high regard, seeing its narrative as having stronger theming after what happened at the end of ''The Journey'' and believing this new PlayableEpilogue to be a fitting (if not {{bittersweet|Ending}}) end to the ''P3'' story. Less charitable views of ''The Answer'', however, denounce it as needless melodrama wherein most of S.E.E.S. is acting widely out of character for the sake of [[ConflictBall a contrived conflict]] that ultimately does nothing to [[spoiler:change the protagonist's death at the end of ''The Journey'']], only allowing the cast to come to terms with it. This is to say nothing of the gameplay, which has a much greater focus on dungeon crawling compared to the main game and several {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s to go around (such as the lack of the Persona Compendium), meaning even defenders of the story were likely to bemoan the experiences leading up to the various narrative beats as an exercise in tedium. This opened up a multitude of arguments over whether the absence of ''The Answer'' in ''Portable'' was a strike against that version, if a future remake could fully do ''The Answer'' justice, if ''The Answer'' even deserved to be included in any remakes, and so on, with [[FlipFlopOfGod Atlus' apparent waffling on the matter]] (pre-release, ''Reload'' was claimed to only be a remake of vanilla ''P3'' and therefore would not include ''The Answer'') only further fanning the flames.

*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[labelnote:Explanation for full context.]]This is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. As an example, [[https://i.redd.it/9v5w24an5chc1.png this screenshot]] from a Creator/{{Capcom}} presentation shows a bizarre ValuesDissonance where even the Japanese standards have become no different from the West, with emphasis on not offending the LGBTQ and on avoiding tropes like DamselInDistress while using ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition]]'', both non-Japanese works, as "proper" examples of female character presentation. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/labelnote]] ''Persona 3 Reload'' turned out to follow "the change has always been in the Japanese version" kind of content, adding more fuel to the fire. This only got heated up more with the confirmation that ''The Answer'' would be DLC, meaning ''FES'' itself has been rendered obsolete by most fans. This caused the old school fans to criticize this business practice (on top of the divisive $70 price tag for the base game to begin with) plus the aforementioned "modernization" and fandom newcomer behavior and the newer fans to dismiss their opposition of being blinded by NostalgiaFilter or {{troll}}ing.

* The ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' war between the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel scenarios still hasn't boiled down. Whether it's a battle between the heroines: Rin is a strong, hardworking, independent woman vs. Rin is a cookie-cutter {{Tsundere}}; Sakura is a sympathetic, kind-hearted [[TheWoobie Woobie]] vs. Sakura is a boring [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]] FirstGirlWins. Shirou's ideals: It's impossible to save everyone, but it's beautiful to try anyways vs. ultra-dense LawfulStupid [[ImageBoards moralfag]]; It's better to realistically look at the world vs. moral relativism is for senseless 80s [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]]. The quality of the narrative: An epic and hopeless supernatural brawl vs. standard {{Shonen}} plot line; A look at the darker aspects of the Grail War vs. two weeks of people dying and badly written sex scenes. What's worse is that any argument among [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type Lunatics]] tends to curve right back to where it began, resulting in an endless loop of "debate."

*** One intense example aside from the usual "''3'' vs. ''4'' vs. ''5''" or "pre-''3'' vs. post-''3''" debate is ''Persona 3 FES'' vs. ''Persona 3 Portable''. Both are [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Re-releases]], and both feature their own bonus extended content compared to vanilla (''The Answer'' for the former and the female route for the latter). The former camp considers ''FES'' superior thanks to full 3D environments, animated movie clips, and challenging gameplay mechanics truly in line with other ''SMT'' entries, and bashes ''Portable'' for the lazy VisualNovel presentation, [[ItsEasySoItSucks lessened difficulty]], and being "''[[RomanceGame otome]]'' bait." The latter camp defends ''Portable'' for being more accessible (at least when playing on actual hardware), having fairer game mechanics for players new to ''Persona'', and its more well-received female route, and bashes ''FES'' for its fans' elitist attitude, FakeDifficulty, and (despite the 3D environments) its very slow and clunky navigation. Not helping matters was ''Portable'', and not ''FES'', being the version of ''3'' that was remastered for [[MediaNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames eighth-]] and [[MediaNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames ninth-generation consoles]] (despite ''FES'' having been previously made available for download on the [=PS3=]), further heating up this rivalry... though both sides formed a truce of sorts and dunked upon the remaster upon learning how much of a PortingDisaster it was.
*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' outright confirmed ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC ([[https://youtu.be/gRIkpLo42GM and it was eventually officially confirmed]]) and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for the game.
*** With ''The Answer'' coming to ''Persona 3 Reload'' and [[https://i.redd.it/02wmo97jwsmc1.jpeg this leaked information]] surfacing, the rivalry between fans of the extra content began anew. ''The Answer'' fans considered this as peak storytelling due to the stronger theming after what happened at the end of ''The Journey'' especially helped by its divisive content eventually being VindicatedByHistory through better plot and character analysis and were happy to laugh at the female MC fans' faces that she will never have updated visuals and gameplay ever. Female MC fans called it quits especially after that leaked statement since the reason meant they are stuck experiencing her story through the most inferior release which is also a PortingDisaster, they would also bring up the old BrokenBase surrounding ''The Answer'', and they ended up acting even more bitter towards the ''The Answer'' fans, if not ''Reload'' fans in general.
*** Speaking of the female MC, there's the whole MC fandom rivalry. ''Persona 3'' prioritizes the male MC in the main continuity, since the game was initially released with just him. In fact, ''Persona 3 Portable'' recommends playing his story first to see how the original story plays out, while most crossovers between ''P3'' and subsequent games tend to [[CuttingOffTheBranches omit the female MC entirely]] (with ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q2|NewCinemaLabyrinth}}'' establishing she is, in fact, an AlternateSelf of the male MC [[AlternateUniverse from her own world]]). Despite this, many players praised her exclusive content in ''Portable'', ranging from different music to different character perception on account of her gender to -- perhaps most importantly -- the ability to Social Link with the male party members, an opportunity the male MC does not have in his route. Naturally, female MC fans that dislike the male MC consider him boring, dislike his (comparatively) distant dynamics with the team, dislike most of the male protagonist-exclusive Social Links, and even poke fun at his forced harem as a consequence of the old Social Link system (which did not have an option to keep relationships platonic). Thanks to female MC fans being something of a VocalMinority, the male MC fans strike back by calling out how the female MC is non-canon to the mainline games' timeline, how she doesn't fit with the game's theme, how she held back the game's development (and even blame her for ''The Answer'' getting nixed), how overrated she is, how annoying her fans can be (especially in regards to ''Reload''), and how much her fans indirectly ''support offenders'' because one of her Social Links allows the player to romance Ken, a middle schooler (despite the English version downplaying the romantic aspects of their relationship). What does not help matters is that Western progressives are also lumped in with her fandom, accusing Atlus of all manner of "political incorrectness" by excluding her from ''Reload'', which mainstream gamers critical of this behavior shun, thus inviting outsiders that make this a case of "fandom tourists" that would degrade any entertainment should their wishes be granted. All the while, female MC fans that like her for her actual game content, without being backed by identity politics, are left trying hard to explain that they are not like this.

*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[labelnote:Explanation for full context.]]This is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. As an example, [[https://i.redd.it/9v5w24an5chc1.png this screenshot]] from a Creator/{{Capcom}} presentation shows a bizarre ValuesDissonance where even the Japanese standards have become no different from the West, with emphasis on not offending the LGBTQ and on avoiding tropes like DamselInDistress while using ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition]]'', both non-Japanese works, as "proper" examples of female character presentation. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/labelnote]] ''Persona 3 Reload'' turned out to follow "the change has always been in the Japanese version" kind of content, adding more fuel to the fire. This only got heated up more with the confirmation that ''The Answer'' is coming as DLC, meaning ''FES'' itself has been rendered obsolete by most fans. This caused the oldschool fans to criticize this business practice (on top of the divisive $70 price tag for the base game to begin with) plus the aforementioned "modernization" and fandom newcomer behavior and the newer fans to dismiss their opposition of being blinded by NostalgiaFilter or {{troll}}ing.

*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' outright confirmed ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for the game.

*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[labelnote:Explanation for full context.]]This is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. As an example, [[https://i.redd.it/9v5w24an5chc1.png this screenshot]] from a Creator/{{Capcom}} presentation shows a bizarre ValuesDissonance where even the Japanese standards have become no different from the West, with emphasis on not offending the LGBTQ and on avoiding tropes like DamselInDistress while using ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition]]'', both non-Japanese works, as "proper" examples of female character presentation. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/labelnote]] ''Persona 3 Reload'' turned out to follow "the change has always been in the Japanese version" kind of content, adding more fuel to the fire.

*** PC versus Nintendo is a specific flavor of the fandom rivalry of PC versus console, with the conflict focusing on the differing preferences of these specific groups. While PC players emphasize mods, frame rates, graphical settings, and the frequency of game discounts, Nintendo fans put more emphasis on art style, portability, ease of use, affordability, and availability, iconic characters, Nintendo's typical high standards of game release. One particular area of conflict exists in emulation, which is typically a divide between PC players who see no reason not to emulate Nintendo's games for higher frame rates and Nintendo fans who see this as piracy and hypocrisy as gaming PC parts often cost more than the Nintendo systems. A middle ground exists where Nintendo players are fine with PC players who purchased a Switch and the games before emulating them, but any hint of piracy, such as immediate date on date ports of games like ''Metroid Dread'', or before official release like ''Tears of the Kingdom'' will make them call for the blood of PC players as pirates.

*** The Platform/NintendoSwitch vs. [[Platform/{{Steam}} Steam Deck]] debate is very heated within certain circles of the internet due to being similar systems, even though the latter was not actually designed to compete with the former. [[note]]The Deck was actually designed as a successor to the failed Steam Machines, as well as to advance the gaming capabilities of Platform/{{Linux}} Operating Systems.[[/note]] This mainly resulted from the Deck first being revealed around when many were expecting an upgraded Switch to be revealed. Various PR statements from Valve have been interpreted by both sides as {{Competing Product Potshot}}s at the Switch's expense, even with them doing such things as making a CompilationRerelease of the ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' series exclusively for the system. This is exacerbated by the emulation community considering the Steam Deck as a better way to play Nintendo Switch games.

** Then there's ''Fire Emblem'' versus... any [[CultClassic niche]] Nintendo fandom, from ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' to ''VideoGame/FZero''. Many fans of these types of series hate ''Fire Emblem'' for being an attention sink of sorts after the success of ''Awakening'' and often engage in the same manner of stereotyping. This also carries over to ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash Bros.]]'' due to the number of fighters ''Fire Emblem'' has [[note]]8 unique fighters as of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Ultimate]]'', giving the series [[SpotlightStealingCrossover the third highest number of reps]] behind ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''[[/note]], although non-''Fire Emblem'' fans are far more likely to complain about new fighters from ''Fire Emblem'' games [[{{Dualvertisement}} less than a year old]] than ones from games that were out for at least a few years [[note]]as evidenced by the relatively neutral response [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Lucina and Robin]] got when added to ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Smash 4]]'', compared to the negative response [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Corrin]] got when added to the same game or the arguably ''worse'' reaction to [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Byleth's]] [[DownloadableContent inclusion]] in ''Ultimate''; the one exception to this is [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Roy]], who [[EarlyBirdCameo literally]] [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros made his debut]] in ''Smash Bros.''[[/note]]. It's worse with fans of ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'', ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'', ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', and ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'', which have no fighter representation at all and are lucky to appear as [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophies]].

* Creator/{{Bethesda}} vs Creator/{{BioWare}}. Both are arguably the most prominent developers of Western [=RPG=]s, and both have one ScienceFiction (''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''Franchise/MassEffect'' respectively) and one HighFantasy (''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' and ''Franchise/DragonAge'' respectively) flagship series, but have two very different styles. Bethesda tends to focus on open-world exploration and world-building while [=BioWare=] tends to focus on creating memorable characters and immersive, linear story-telling experiences. When one developer borrows elements from the opposing camp, such as when ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' included a voiced protagonist with a four-option DialogueTree or when ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' opted for a WideOpenSandbox with crafting and exploration mechanics, expect fans to get a little... upset over the changes.

* UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars in general. Even worse is UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole.

* ''The'' video game example is ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' vs. ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]''. It was practically ''intended'' by Sega in the 16-bit era, since ''Sonic'' was created for the purpose of competing with ''Mario''. It dissipated a bit once Sega quit consoles, but still exists because the rivalry has become so deeply ingrained in video game history and [[LongRunner both]] [[CashCowFranchise franchises]] are still very recognizable and popular headliners for their respective companies. ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'' and Sonic's appearance in later ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games [[AscendedMeme have taken advantage of this]] while burying the hatchet for the most part; the rivalry chiefly exists between older fans now (who also still argue over the aforementioned SNES vs. Sega Genesis UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars). It's probably the closest thing to a video game equivalent of Coke vs. Pepsi. ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' celebrated [[MilestoneCelebration its 100th episode]] with the two characters.

** Given the content of the two games (characters from Platform/PlayStation games come together to knock each other into next week), this rivalry could be seen as a proxy of the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars.

** There's also ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' vs. ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. The most heated debate is usually between fans of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' for the Sony [=PlayStation=] and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' for the Nintendo 64, crossing over into UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars, with both heatedly declaring that their specific game was the biggest RPG of all time. Even though ''Zelda'' is an ActionAdventure series, not an RPG. It gets worse with the "Cloud vs. Link" debates.
*** Cloud's [[GuestFighter inclusion]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' somehow managed to combine the "'''Final Fantasy'' vs. ''Legend of Zelda''" debates with his WolverinePublicity issue among the larger ''FF'' fandom: though Cloud ''is'' the protagonist and face of what is the most well-known and commercially successful ''Final Fantasy'' installment, his game marked the mainline series' transition from Nintendo consoles to the Platform/PlayStation... in a series largely meant to be a celebration of all things Nintendo. While many did understand the logic behind the decision to pick Cloud, others made their displeasure known and would've liked a rep from the NES/SNES era.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Forza}} Forza Motorsport]]'' vs. ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' for realistic racing sim domination, mainly due to both series being [[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars console exclusives]]. ''Forza'' fans criticized ''Gran Turismo'' games for the lack of in-depth visual customization, repetitive car listing, lack of damage models, and lack of open-world focused spinoff, while ''GT'' fans shun ''Forza'' games for skewed physics and RC-esque engine noise. Made even worse by the fact that both games, today, have official ''Series/{{Top Gear|UK}}'' branding.

*** Another example related to the P3 female MC is against [[VideoGame/Persona2EternalPunishment Maya]] fans. The latter hates how the former side almost always includes the P3 [=FeMC=] in memes, fan art, or discussions about the ''Persona'' sub-series as a whole as if she was unique when Maya came first. The former camp defends that the P3 [=FeMC=] fans have the right to voice their preference, given that both characters are ignored by Atlus outside marketing, non-mainline releases/updates, or minor references anyway.
*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[labelnote:Explanation for full context]]This is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. As an example, [[https://i.redd.it/9v5w24an5chc1.png this screenshot]] from a Capcom presentation shows a bizarre ValuesDissonance where even the Japanese standards have become no different from the West, with emphasis on not offending the LGBTQ and on avoiding tropes like DamselInDistress while using ''The Last of Us Part 2'' and ''Tomb Raider Definitive Edition'', both non-Japanese works, as "proper" examples of female character presentation. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/labelnote]] ''Persona 3 Reload'' turns out to follow "the change has always been in the Japanese version" kind of content, adding more fuel to the fire.

** Another kind of intra-fandom rivalry is between Japanese-style shooters and Western-style shooters (known pejoratively as "euroshmups") such as ''VideoGame/{{Tyrian}}'', 'VideoGame/RaptorCallOfTheShadows'' and ''VideoGame/JetsNGuns''. The former dismisses "euroshmups" as a mess that's either too easy or too hard, rely more on equipment and grinding instead of skills, have no such thing as hitboxes, and awkward controls, while the former feels that the latter are as linear and as deep as ''Videogame/CallOfDuty'' that arcade shooters are [[ItsHardSoItSucks too unforgiving]]. The overwhelming popularity of BulletHell shmups in recent years has made it worse, as fans of the traditional Western shmups disdain danmaku games for having a greater focus towards playing for score and producing artificial difficulty by simply having enemies spamming the screen with lots of projectiles rather than actual level design challenge in the vein of certain shmups like ''VideoGame/RType''. Both camps are very defensive of their opinions.
** Within the fandom itself lies PC-98 versus Windows. Go on, ''[[FandomEnragingMisconception just try and tell a 98er that all the games before the sixth weren't canon.]]''

* ''VideoGame/TetrisTheGrandMaster'' vs. ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' in general. The former tends to have a difficult time playing the latter--not necessarily because ItsEasySoItSucks, but because they run into issues such as [[DamnYouMuscleMemory different (and forced) control schemes and changes in gameplay mechanics that make switching from TGM very annoying]]. The latter tends to dismiss ''TGM'' as [[ItsHardSoItSucks too hard to play]] after having watched some infamous videos on [=YouTube=]--doesn't help that the ''TGM ''series, outside of the mildly known ''TGM'' clone ''[[http://code.google.com/p/nullpomino NullpoMino]]'', is arcade-only and [[NoExportForYou never saw an overseas release]] (and most likely never will due to some ExecutiveMeddling on both the developer's part and The Tetris Company's part).

** And, in TheNineties, ''Ridge Racer'' vs. ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA''. The series's fans used to not get along at all, but the appearance of Daytona's Hornet in the PS Vita release of ''Ridge Racer'' seems to have toned down the feud.

* Within the BeatEmUp genre, ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' vs. ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage''. Notable for being yet another extension of the Nintendo-Sega UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''. The rivalry originally was between ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1''. While both games are now considered classics, ''Metroid'' fans used to heavily criticize ''DKC'' for stealing the attention ''Super'' "rightfully" deserved; they released the same year, but ''DKC'' got the bigger marketing push thanks to its impressive graphics making it a great piece of ammo in the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars. It then reignited two decades later when the two fandoms found themselves fighting over Creator/RetroStudios: Retro not only helped revive the ''Metroid'' franchise after an eight-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', but they also revived the ''DKC'' franchise after a fourteen-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. As such, both fandoms saw the studio as the ''only'' one that could do their respective franchises justice, especially ''Metroid'' fans after the disappointment that was ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. So when the company decided to create ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' instead of a ''Prime 4'' as their UsefulNotes/WiiU project, ''Metroid'' fans were livid that Retro was making "[[MemeticMutation another damn Donkey Kong Country]]" instead of once again saving the ''Metroid'' series, while ''DKC'' fans stereotyped ''Metroid'' fans as entitled crybabies and loved to point out that ''DKC'' is typically a much higher-selling series than ''Metroid''. For their part, Retro would be tasked with making ''Prime 4'' eventually, while the mainline titles would see a major critical and commercial resurgence with both ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', which were developed under the guidance of series co-creator and longtime contributor Creator/YoshioSakamoto. (Which, in turn, led to a new point of a debate among ''Metroid'' fans, the question of "Who did it better?" between Sakamoto -- who also helmed the aforementioned ''Other M'' -- and Retro Studios.)

** While both franchises are based on Marvel superheroes, fans of ''Marvel's Avengers'' have a strong rivalry with fans of Creator/InsomniacGames' ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Spider-Man]]'' and its [[VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales Miles Morales spin-off]]. Ever since its announcement, ''Avengers'' was criticized for being a naked money grab with its MCU-lite art style, buggy launch, tedious gameplay and live-service monetization. In contrast, while Insomniac's ''Spider-Man'' had its share of promotional tie-ins like free costumes to advertise Spider-Man movies, the game was more fondly regarded for its own unique art style, general polish, fun gameplay and being a solid standalone game. Comparisons were unavoidable given how ''Avengers'' was released just two months before the release of ''Miles Morales'' and the [=PS5=] remaster of ''Spider-Man'' on top of ''Avengers'' having its own then-upcoming version of Spider-Man exclusive to the [=PlayStation=] platforms. The rivalry only intensified when ''Avengers'' received mediocre reviews compared to the critical acclaim of ''Spider-Man'' while also selling less despite being multi-platform.

* In an inverse of [[FandomRivalry/{{Pokemon}} the way things usually go]], some fans of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' tend to be accepting of ''VideoGame/{{Temtem}},'' while fans of other MonsSeries tend to disparage it. In a genre that has long been accused of being [[FollowTheLeader "Pokémon clones"]] regardless of how dissimilar they actually are, MonsSeries fans accuse ''temtem'' of ''actually'' copying ''Pokémon'''s mechanics too closely, not bringing anything new to a genre they like for being incredibly diverse. Some also criticize its monster design. ''Pokémon'' fans, meanwhile, enjoy ''temtem'' precisely ''because'' it's so similar to the franchise they like, and are happy with it for adding a much-wanted feature--fully online play--to a set of mechanics they like.

* ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'' and ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'', ''especially'' in the Chinese fandom. The rivalry is primarily a case of enmity between the developers bleeding into the fan base - Yostar was founded by ex-MICA employees who had CreativeDifferences on how ''Girls Frontline'' should be done, which got ''extremely heated'' (there are claims of sabotage by both parties), which caused the groups to split off. Their have been claim that unlike most rivalries, the developers are actively trying to kill the competitor's game, and this is notable even in gameplay surveys - when Yostar surveys ask what other app games the user plays, GFL is pointedly left off the list. ''Girls Frontline'' fans also have disdain for ''Arknights'' because the latter has a broader concept that attracts fans who would be disinterred in GFL for various reasons, such as how events are handled. [[note]]GFL events directly supplement the main story, meaning that anyone who misses them will be missing certain details going forward until the event is added to the event mission tab. ''Arknights''' events are usually side stories that are self contained, with the few story relevant ones being added to the Itermezzio tab ''immediately after the vent ends'' so that at least the story is accessible.[[/note]] Fuel was only added to the fire when ''Arknights'' announced collaboration events with ''VideoGame/RainbowSixSiege'' and ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' - franchises that ''Girls Frontline'' fans have ''highly desired'' collaborations with.

* Ever since the release of ''VideoGame/PhantomBreaker: Omnia'', there has been fans of big name anime tournament fighting games such as ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', and ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' among others who have been antagonistic towards ''Phantom Breaker'' for the game's lack of character trials, not having the movelist in the pause menu (even though the special moves are ''very'' simple to pull off), and especially not having rollback netcode, while using the game's rough launch day issues as means to quickly write the game off as a bad game. ''Phantom Breaker'' fans have tried to argue against these claims by backing it up with the game's nuanced approach can help beginners get into more combo-centric games such as ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' with relative ease and the developers has since fixed a lot of the glaring issues, but the other camp often go out of their way to continue deride fans of the former and disregard the game's niche appeal, which led to some heated arguments on online forums.

*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[note]]And this is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/note]]

*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[note]]And this is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/note]]