History Main / KillerApp

* Although cassette tapes had been selling steadily since their introduction in the '60s, with playback improvements helping them overtake 8-track sales in the late '70s, it was with the introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979 that the cassette format really took off. The Walkman let people take their own music with them, [[TrendKiller hastening the demise of the 8-track]]. Prerecorded cassettes finally overtook [=LPs=] in sales in the middle of the '80s before the CD boom around the turn of the decade.

** As the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS Xbox Series X|S]] made their way into the market from 2020 onwards, the Nintendo Switch was still able to maintain relevancy despite being dwarfed in power thanks to high-profile releases like ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', the aforementioned ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3'' and ''Splatoon 3'', ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', some of which became the bestselling games of the series, and '''especially''' ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'', which sold 10 million units within three days.

** ''VideoGame/HiFiRush'': After a long drought of new games throughout 2022, ''Hi-Fi RUSH'' became a SleeperHit (after its surprise reveal and simultaneous release, no less) for Microsoft as a desirable exclusive for not only Xbox Game Pass, but is also a console exclusive to the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndSeriesS - finally giving the platform a game that isn't on also on the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, thus averting a major complaint about the UsefulNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames in general. The fact that it's also a Japanese-developed exclusive also did much to endear it to players, as Japanese developers in the years prior had gravitated towards the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PlayStation line]] [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 of consoles]], whereas ''Hi-Fi RUSH'' is guaranteed to remain exclusive to Xbox platforms by virtue of Microsoft owning it.

** For Creator/HBOMax, the ''Game of Thrones'' spinoff/prequel ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' carries the torch in this regard for ''Game of Thrones''. Outside of that, ''[[Series/TheLastOfUs2023 The Last of Us]]'' also ended up being a killer app for the service when it premiered in January 2023, following in the footsteps of the original game being a KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

** The Genesis port of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' didn't look as good as the SNES port and was missing a lot of the sound. What it ''did'' have was all the famous blood, gore, and bone-crunching intensity that hooked players in the arcade and was missing from the sanitized SNES port.[[note]]The full violence in the Genesis game did require a button combination at the menu screen -- ABACABB -- but it was quickly discovered, shared, and relatively a non-issue[[/note]] The Genesis port outsold the SNES version over three-to-one, and coupled with the continued popularity of ''Sonic'' and the system's sports games, gave Sega a lead in the market share by 1993. Nintendo was so taken aback by the success disparity of the ''Mortal Kombat'' ports that they allowed Acclaim to go against their censorship policies and release ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' fully uncensored, requiring only a content warning label on the box (as it pre-dated the ESRB by a couple of months).

** Creator/{{Rare}}'s ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'', created in response to the accusations that Nintendo was too "kid friendly" in comparison to Creator/{{Sega}} (namely because of Nintendo censoring the SNES release of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'') and boasting graphics on par with ''Donkey Kong Country'', sold '''very''' well and was critically acclaimed, being praised for its [[PolishedPort faithfulness]] to the arcade release and lauded for its complexity. Decades later, and the despite the change in [[Creator/XboxGameStudios ownership]], the franchise still has a very dedicated following and is unanimously considered to be one of the greats in the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity.

** Upon the Xbox 360's release, the most purchased title was ''Videogame/CallOfDuty2'' (with a port from the PC version, in contrast to the watered-down ones the previous generation got). Then in the next two years there was ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' and ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' (the latter, like ''Call of Duty'', also available on PC upon release). Creator/CliffBleszinski revealed that he and Creator/EpicGames convinced Microsoft to incur a ''billion dollar loss'' to upgrade the 360's capability so it could run ''Gears''. And to top it all off, ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' was '''the''' most anticipated game for the Xbox 360 at the time, becoming the bestselling game of the year and the bestselling game in its series, rounding off the trilogy that began on the original Xbox.

** As the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS Xbox Series X|S]] made their way into the market from 2020 onwards, the Nintendo Switch was still able to maintain relevancy despite being dwarfed in power thanks to high-profile releases like ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', the aforementioned ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3'' and ''Splatoon 3'', ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', with some of them even becoming the bestselling entries in their series to date.

** ''Die Hard Arcade'', initially known as ''VideoGame/DynamiteCop'', was acclaimed for being a [[ArcadePerfecrtPort near-perfect port]] of the original arcade version on the Saturn, and it helped that the western version of the game made use of the ''Franchise/DieHard'' license to [[DolledUpInstallment make it more marketable]] to audiences.

** After a relatively dry post-launch spell, the system received ''many'' killer apps later in 2001, including but not limited to: ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' (the first game to reach one million units on the system), ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'', ''[[VideoGame/GranTurismo Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec]]'', ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal Black'', ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''[[VideoGame/HotShotsGolf Everybody's Golf 3]]'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'', ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 3'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater 3'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/SoulReaver2'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' and ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy''. Coincidentally -- or perhaps not -- this coincided with release of two of its competitors' consoles, the [=GameCube=] and Xbox. And due to the anticipation generated by its pre-release hype, ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' is credited for the [=PlayStation=] 2's victory over the Dreamcast before the game was even released. The game then went on to being one of the top 10 best-sellers, with over 7 million copies sold.

** The [=PS2=] launched with four well-received best-sellers out of the gate: ''Madden NFL 2001'' (whose audiovisual jump instantly made other versions of ''Madden'' obsolete), ''Ridge Racer V'', EA's ''VideoGame/{{SSX}}'' (which was a sleeper hit that launched a very successful franchise for the system), and ''Franchise/{{Tekken}} Tag Tournament''.

** After a relatively dry post-launch spell, the system received many killer apps later in 2001, including but not limited to: ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' (the first game to reach one million units on the system), ''[[VideoGame/GranTurismo Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec]]'', ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal Black'', ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'', ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 3'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' and ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy''. Coincidentally -- or perhaps not -- this coincided with release of two of its competitors' consoles, the [=GameCube=] and Xbox. And due to the anticipation generated by its pre-release hype, ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' is credited for the [=PlayStation=] 2's victory over the Dreamcast before the game was even released. The game then went on to being one of the top 10 best-sellers, with over 7 million copies sold.
** The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series of games had been killer apps for the [=PlayStation=] from ''GTAIII'' onwards (especially ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', which was lauded for its huge scale of territory and gameplay variety, as in you get much more to do than in previous games)[[note]]Rockstar did release Xbox and PC versions, but they came later[[/note]] until Microsoft pulled a major coup and convinced Rockstar to make ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' a multi-platform release on day one.

** The remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' wasn't a system killer app, but denoted the start of major third-party support for a gaming system the rest of the industry was skeptical of.

** After a relatively dry post-launch spell, the system received many killer apps later in 2001, including but not limited to: ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' (the first game to reach one million units on the system), ''[[VideoGame/GranTurismo Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec]]'', ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal Black'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'', ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 3'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' and ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy''. Coincidentally -- or perhaps not -- this coincided with release of two of its competitors' consoles, the [=GameCube=] and Xbox. And due to the anticipation generated by its pre-release hype, ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' is credited for the [=PlayStation=] 2's victory over the Dreamcast before the game was even released. The game then went on to being one of the top 10 best-sellers, with over 7 million copies sold.

** The ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' franchise serves as this, though mostly for Japan, with each entry selling at well over 2.5 million in its home country alone. ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterGenerations'' is the best-selling installment, at over 4 million units.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', was packaged with most SNES units. It would later become the most [[GameMod modded]] game of all time as that community began to grow. Likewise, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioAllStars'' was a updated compilation of the NES Mario games[[note]](including the first international release of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'', the Japanese ''Super Mario Bros. 2'')[[/note]] that proved the viability of the UpdatedRerelease concept, and would also become popular with modders, though not to the extent of ''World''.

** Speaking of advances in technology, ''VideoGame/FZero'' was a launch title for the SNES that showcase Mode 7 graphics in their entirety for the very first time, and ended up selling nearly 3 million units across its lifetime, and it was then followed up on by the monster success of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'', another showcase of Mode 7 marked the beginning of the most popular ''Mario'' spinoff series with ''VideoGame/MarioKart''.

** The SNES also floated high on ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and ''VideoGame/StarFox1'', both of which sold over 4 million units each and becoming instant hits with fans. ''A Link to the Past'' is widely credited with codifying the modern formula for ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', with every other games in the series following the conventions it first laid down. Meanwhile, ''Star Fox'' launched an [[Franchise/StarFox entire franchise]] and was widely acclaimed for being one of the very first console games to achieve 3D polygonal graphics, thanks to Creator/ArgonautGames' Super FX technology.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', was packaged with most SNES units. It would later become the most [[GameMod modded]] game of all time as that community began to grow.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioAllStars'', a updated compilation of the NES Mario games[[note]](including the first international release of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'', the Japanese ''Super Mario Bros. 2'')[[/note]] also proved the viability of the UpdatedRerelease concept.

** The SNES also floated high on ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and the port of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', which was packaged with the console in some countries. Combining the sales of each version of ''Street Fighter II'' released on the SNES averages out to around 12 million copies, making it the bestselling third-party game for the system.
** The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series allowed the SNES to retain popularity and relevance into the 32-bit era, while Creator/{{Sega}} stumbled with the UsefulNotes/SegaCD, [[UsefulNotes/Sega32X 32X]] and UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn confusion.

** As time passed, the Wii also gained more traditional games that also proved to be bestsellers, such as ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'', ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'', ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'', ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', and ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1''.

** As time passed, the Wii also gained more traditional games that also proved to be bestsellers, such as ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'', ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'', ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'', and ''VideoGame/SonicColors''.

* Upon the release of Creator/DisneyPlus, many people were certainly drawn for the exclusive ''Franchise/StarWars'' show ''Series/TheMandalorian''. And less than a year later, the live recording of ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' led to a huge increase - on the weekend it came out, over 250,000 people downloaded the Disney+ app. Once ''Film/Mulan2020'' was relegated to an exclusive of the streaming service, it also led to a weekly spike (the fact watching the movie required a $30 premium pass also [[https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mulan-disney-plus-downloads-68-percent-weekend-194701349.html skyrocketed the in-app purchases]]). ''Series/WandaVision'' joined the line-up in early 2021, and every new live-action show based on ''Franchise/StarWars'' or Creator/MarvelComics is expected to lead to a big boost in attention. For pre-existing content, the big draws are the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, Creator/{{Pixar}}, Creator/DisneyChannel, ''Franchise/StarWars'', the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, and ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' is the biggest BattleRoyale game, period. Its immense popularity with younger kids gave it a foothold on the market that no other BR game was able to top. For the older audience, though, it's ''VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds'' in China, and ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' for everywhere else.

** ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' managed to surpass two million units sold on the Switch, and was generally one of the more talked-about exclusives for the Nintendo Switch in 2018 despite the fact that said exclusivity was only temporary. Like with ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'', it was mainly helped by the lack of [=JRPGs=] available on the Switch during that period of time, but also appealed to many [[TurnedBasedCombat turn-based RPG]] fans that had been otherwise underwhelmed by Creator/SquareEnix's other output in the recent years drifting more towards the ActionRPG end of things.

** As the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS Xbox Series X|S]] made their way into the market, the Nintendo Switch was still able to maintain relevancy despite being dwarfed in power thanks to high-profile releases like ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', the aforementioned ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3'' and ''Splatoon 3'', ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', with some of them even becoming the bestselling entries in their series to date.

** ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'''s console port was available on day one of the system, and was enough of a success to begin a generation-long partnership between Sony and Namco. It proved to be so popular that it was specifically used in 2006 to highlight the [=PSOne=] Classics line of games for the [=PSP=] and [=PS3=] (or as more infamously remembered, the part in Sony E3 2006 press conference when Kaz Hirai said [[MemeticMutation "Riiiiiidge Racer!"]]).
** ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' was hyped as the first killer app for the system, a "''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' Killer". It took at first, but the quality of later games overtook it and now it's currently forgotten and considered to not have aged well at all. The first big killer app ended up being {{Creator/Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', with the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series, ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'', ''Franchise/TombRaider'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'' and ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' following up to make the [=PlayStation=] a viable contender against Sega and Nintendo. The system's sheer number of killer apps is the main reason it was able to take the video game throne from Sega and Nintendo in the mid '90s.

** After a relatively dry post-launch spell, the system received many killer apps later in 2001, including but not limited to: ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' (the first game to reach one million units on the system), ''[[VideoGame/GranTurismo Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec]]'', ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal Black'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'', ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 3'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' and ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy''. Coincidentally -- or perhaps not -- this coincided with release of two of its competitors' consoles, the [=GameCube=] and Xbox. And due to the anticipation generated by its pre-release hype, ''Metal Gear Solid 2'' is credited for the [=PlayStation=] 2's victory over the Dreamcast before the game was even released. The game then went on to being one of the top 10 best-sellers, with over 7 million copies sold.

** Like with the original ''Tetris'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, ''VideoGame/Tetris99'' follows in its footsteps by being one for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Online service as a result of being given away for free to its subscribers. [[https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/04/9_8_million_switch_owners_have_signed_up_to_the_online_service_and_2_8_million_have_played_tetris_99 Nintendo credited it as boosting user engagement]] with the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Online service, with over a quarter of NSO subscribers signed up to it playing it.

* Upon the release of Creator/DisneyPlus, many people were certainly drawn for the exclusive ''Franchise/StarWars'' show ''Series/TheMandalorian''. And less than a year later, the live recording of ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' led to a huge increase - on the weekend it came out, over 250,000 people downloaded the Disney+ app. Once ''Film/Mulan2020'' was relegated to an exclusive of the streaming service, it also led to a weekly spike (the fact watching the movie required a $30 premium pass also [[https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mulan-disney-plus-downloads-68-percent-weekend-194701349.html skyrocketed the in-app purchases]]). ''Series/WandaVision'' joined the line-up in early 2021, and every new live-action show based on ''Franchise/StarWars'' or Creator/MarvelComics is expected to lead to a big boost in attention. For pre-existing content, the big draws are the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, Creator/{{Pixar}}, Creator/DisneyChannel, ''Franchise/StarWars'', and the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.

** ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' was hyped as the first killer app for the system, a "''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' Killer". It took at first, but the quality of later games overtook it and now it's currently forgotten and considered to not have aged well at all. The first big killer app ended up being {{Creator/Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'', with the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series, ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'', ''Franchise/TombRaider'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill'' and ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' following up to make the [=PlayStation=] a viable contender against Sega and Nintendo. The system's sheer number of killer apps is the main reason it was able to take the video game throne from Sega and Nintendo in the mid '90s.