History SleeperHit / VideoGames

** Similarly to the Wii, a large amount of critics and gamers initially laughed off the Platform/NintendoSwitch in the months between its announcement and release, due to it being on the heels of the massive commercial flop that was the Platform/WiiU. In addition, its controversial paid online system, return to cartridges instead of discs, continued use of motion controls long after they fell out of favor, and near-last-minute reveal (being announced mere ''months'' before launch) earned considerable skepticism from those outside of Nintendo's core fanbase. However, come March 2017, it ended up being a smash success for Nintendo, selling out within a day and repeatedly suffering from the same stock shortages that hit the Wii and NES due to its demand being ''that unexpectedly high.'' By the end of the fiscal year, the Switch had become the fastest-selling game console of all time, beating out even the [=PS2's=] year one sales. Since then, it has achieved over 100 million units sold at the end of December 2021, becoming Nintendo's best-selling home console of all time and their third best-selling console overall, only behind the Game Boy/Game Boy Color and DS.

** The Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, and by proxy ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', had a lot of uncertainty around the time of their release. UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 made console gaming a joke in America, and as such, retailers were not real eager to stock their shelves with any consoles. This made it necessary to sell the NES with R.O.B. so that people would [[JustForFun/ComeForTheXStayForTheY buy it for the toy robot but keep it for the video games]]. Mario had seen some moderate success with ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' and ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', but not on a scale that was terribly notable. But ''very'' impressive word-of-mouth for ''Super Mario Bros.'', coupled with the game being bundled with the NES, made both the console and the game into smash hits.
** When Nintendo made the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, it was hoped to turn around the diminishing returns for each home console Nintendo released, just a little. The gaming press laughed it off, expecting Nintendo to finally go third party after the Wii flopped (and the system still has extreme CriticalDissonance). Instead, casual audiences ate up the idea that you could [[VideoGame/WiiSports go bowling without a bowling ball]], parents got it for their kids, and it became sold out for years and even outsold the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]. It's also the third home console to sell over 100 million units. As such, a whole generation of future gamers grew up with it and look back on the system's games with incredible fondness.
** Similarly to the Wii, a large amount of critics and gamers initially laughed off the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in the months between its announcement and release, due to it being on the heels of the massive commercial flop that was the UsefulNotes/WiiU. In addition, its controversial paid online system, return to cartridges instead of discs, continued use of motion controls long after they fell out of favor, and near-last-minute reveal (being announced mere ''months'' before launch) earned considerable skepticism from those outside of Nintendo's core fanbase. However, come March 2017, it ended up being a smash success for Nintendo, selling out within a day and repeatedly suffering from the same stock shortages that hit the Wii and NES due to its demand being ''that unexpectedly high.'' By the end of the fiscal year, the Switch had become the fastest-selling game console of all time, beating out even the [=PS2's=] year one sales. Since then, it has achieved over 100 million units sold at the end of December 2021, becoming Nintendo's best-selling home console of all time and their third best-selling console overall, only behind the Game Boy/Game Boy Color and DS.
* The Platform/{{PlayStation}} itself is one. Or, at least in North America. In early 1995, the system had proven to be a huge success in Japan. However, things seemed a bit less promising on the North American front. Creator/{{Sega}} was busily hyping its upcoming UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, while Creator/{{Nintendo}} was silently creating some buzz for its upcoming UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 (then known as the Ultra 64). How could Sony, then a newcomer to the video game industry, possibly compete? By taking note of and learning from the mistakes their competitors were making. Sega ultimately botched the Saturn's chances of success with a hastily-executed stealth launch, some questionable design choices and a $399 price tag.[[note]]Which was unheard of for a gaming console at the time.[[/note]] Meanwhile, Nintendo's infamous bowdlerization practices, and their insistence on sticking with a cartridge format for the [=N64=], led many gamers and third party developers, including [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], to abandon the company in favor of Sony. The [=PlayStation=], despite little pre-release hype, eventually went on to become the most successful video game console of all time until its successor, the Platform/PlayStation2, succeeded that throne in 2006.

* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' has proven itself to be the little [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iPhone app]] that could, having reached the top of the Apple App Store download rankings in over 60 countries.

* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'', a modest indie UrbanFantasy RolePlayingGame from 2019 developed by the small Estonian game development collective ZA/UM, was not expected to stand out as its year of release was a year already stuffed with critically acclaimed titles from both the West and East. However, in spite of its unconventional design it became a critical and commercial darling and wound up not only being nominated in four categories for the 2019 Game Awards, including Best RPG and Best Narrative, but also sweeping the award in all four categories. Its success would continue in 2020, where it won three UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}}s, and, thanks to a translation patch, became a surprise hit in China.

** ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' became this in 2007; even though it didn't sell very well (40,000 in Japan, 208,000 in North America), it has a rather sizable fanbase [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle and a sequel]], and is widely considered one of the best games on the Wii. One could chalk it up to the fact that it's one of the very few UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 games on the Wii, and that its [[VideoGame/Killer7 pedigree]] was a cult classic. The series went on hiatus for a while, but returned with the GaidenGame ''VideoGame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes'' in 2019, ports of the first two games to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2020, and the official third installment planned for 2021.

* ''VideoGame/HiFiRush'', a Rhythm-Action game developed by Tango Gameworks, a studio [[CreatorsOddball previously known only for horror games]]. The game was kept under wraps right up until its launch date, when it was revealed during January 2023 Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct. Thanks to strong word-of-mouth, within a day of its release, it was the #4 top selling game on Steam and became known as a KillerApp for UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS (finally giving it a console-exclusive title not also available on the UsefulNotes/XboxOne) with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

* Despite its novel premise (the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars as an actual war for market share waged by goddess [[FunWithAcronyms Console Patron Units]]), nobody expected ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' to sell very well and it was developed [[NoBudget for peanuts]]. Surprisingly, it not only got a Western release, but became far and away the best-selling release from Creator/CompileHeart, garnering two (properly-funded) sequels.

* ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' was released on the UsefulNotes/SegaCD and was one of the first {{Eastern RPG}}s to hit the States during the 16-bit era. It got so popular that Game Arts couldn't [[PortOverdosed stop making remakes]].

* Though it would become one of the most iconic game in the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo library, ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' had very little expectations from SNK. The game was purely a passion project for its developers, who made it in their spare time as Nazca was set up for porting SNK's games to the Saturn and [=PS1=]. The [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original "tank" version]] was poorly-received in location testing and the game was released in a slow quarter. Furthermore, it was a 2D sidescrolling game in a time where fighting games were dominating the arcades and 3D was king. This is one of the reason why the "home" Neo Geo version is surprisingly rare as SNK didn't produce many copies, expecting it to be a flop.

* Like ''Franchise/StarWars'', it's hard to believe that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' was this. When it was first released over in Japan, the UsefulNotes/GameBoy was on its last legs. Despite this, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' kept selling, spurred by rumors of a hidden 151st Pokémon. By the time it reached North America, the juggernaut was in full swing. It took a while to catch on in North America, however, as Western divisions of Nintendo had dismissed it until its popularity had exploded in Japan. Gamers used to complain that ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' weren't in color, unaware that they came out only one month ahead of the Game Boy Color in North America and years earlier in Japan.

* ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure'' qualifies: while performing decently enough in its initial launch in 2019 amid competition from the likes of ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' and fellow UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch title ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', it really took off in 2020 after many gyms were forced to close due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic ; selling over 5 million copies worldwide. New copies can easily go for $300 at online resale, five times the $60 list price. Since then, it has sold over 13.5 million copies as of December 2021, becoming the 10th best selling Nintendo-published Switch title.

* ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'' garnered major attention during its reveal at E3 2014, being a major new IP from Creator/{{Nintendo}} and a particularly unique take on the ThirdPersonShooter genre. However, considering that it was both on the floundering UsefulNotes/WiiU and was a genre that the company had never tackled before, many expected it to be dead on arrival. What happened instead was that the game sold one million copies worldwide in less than a month. More notably, despite shooters rarely selling well in Japan, it managed to completely sell out on release day (Nintendo had to [[https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/604233317760684032 apologize for a shortage of retail copies]]), consistently remained among the Top 5 on Japanese game sales charts for fourteen straight weeks, and went on to be the best-selling Wii U title in Japan. It later garnered [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 two]] [[VideoGame/Splatoon3 sequels]] on the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Switch]], the former having quickly outsold its predecessor and the latter achieving the highest launch sales of any video game in Japan, ''Splatoon'' references and the ability to race as an Inkling in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8Deluxe'', and have the Inklings be the first new characters announced for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' had little to no advertising for its North American release, but word of mouth made it the top selling Platform/NintendoDS game its first week in North America. The only reason it didn't stay that way for the next few was because the stores literally ran out of copies to sell almost overnight and would be back-ordered for quite a while. Even today, it still gets rather high on Amazon's best selling DS games, coming after new releases and Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s cash cow franchises in sort by best selling. It even gotten an [=iOS=] port, followed by a 2018 release on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, an anime adaptation, and eventually a [[VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou sequel]] in 2022.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' was [[NoExportForYou outright snubbed for an North American release]] despite previous news that it would be released there. However, the game got itself a very vocal fanbase right from the start, since it was a new JRPG from the creators of the cult classics ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. An entire web campaign (Operation Rainfall) was started to get the game released in Western countries, but Nintendo of America didn't listen. Nintendo of Europe and Australia, however, brought it over to their respective continents. With little advertising and very limited units the game was a surprise hit, garnering positive reviews and rather good sales. Since then, the game was released in North America, along with ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'' and ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'' (the other two games from the [=OpRainfall=] campaign) getting expanded advertising and international releases[[labelnote:note]]Creator/XSEEDGames published ''The Last Story'' in the North America in the late summer of 2012, and released ''Pandora's Tower'' there in the spring of 2013.[[/labelnote]]. Following this, [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX Following]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 games]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 in the series]] have garnered international releases from the get-go, becoming one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, especially in the realm of the JRPG genre, its main protagonist got to appear in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (followed later by the heroine of the sequel), and the original game was ported to the New UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS and received a remake on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

[[folder:Consoles and Peripherals]]

[[folder:Videogames and Development houses]]

** When Nintendo made the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, it was hoped to turn around the diminishing returns for each home console Nintendo released, just a little. The gaming press laughed it off, expecting Nintendo to finally go third party after the Wii flopped (and the system still has extreme CriticalDissonance). Instead, casual audiences ate up the idea that you could [[VideoGame/WiiSports go bowling without a bowling ball]], parents got it for their kids, and it became sold out for years and even outsold the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]. It's also the third home console to sell over 100 million units. As such, a whole generation of future gamers grew up with it and look back on the system's games with incredible fondness.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', initially a one-man project, gained a ton of press by word-of-mouth alone, and still regularly tops the sales charts on [[PortOverdosed most of the platforms it's been released on]]. The Xbox 360 version ended up being one of the most popular games on the system. As of late 2019, more than 10 years after its very first release, 180 million copies have been sold across all platforms, making it the best selling single video game of all time.

* The UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} itself is one. Or, at least in North America. In early 1995, the system had proven to be a huge success in Japan. However, things seemed a bit less promising on the North American front. Creator/{{Sega}} was busily hyping its upcoming UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, while Creator/{{Nintendo}} was silently creating some buzz for its upcoming UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 (then known as the Ultra 64). How could Sony, then a newcomer to the video game industry, possibly compete? By taking note of and learning from the mistakes their competitors were making. Sega ultimately botched the Saturn's chances of success with a hastily-executed stealth launch, some questionable design choices and a $399 price tag.[[note]]Which was unheard of for a gaming console at the time.[[/note]] Meanwhile, Nintendo's infamous bowdlerization practices, and their insistence on sticking with a cartridge format for the [=N64=], led many gamers and third party developers, including [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], to abandon the company in favor of Sony. The [=PlayStation=], despite little pre-release hype, eventually went on to become the most successful video game console of all time until its successor, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, succeeded that throne in 2006.

* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' was first released as an open beta in 2016 and garnered little attention, other than for being like "a less polished ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''". Jump to 2017, where after numerous improvements to the graphics and gameplay, nearly double the amount of Champions, a slew of customization options, and ''Paladins'' has risen to being the only other HeroShooter that could seriously be considered TheRival to ''Overwatch'', with 11 million players announced soon after the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne version were released.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' started out as a failed kickstarter -- it raised exactly ''$0'' -- game intended to be Scott Cawthon's SwanSong. At last count, [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 there]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 have]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4 been]] ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation six]]'' [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator sequels]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach released]], alongside [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld an RPG spin-off]], [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted two VR]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysHelpWanted2 games]], several novels, and [[Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023 a live-action film]].

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' started out as a failed kickstarter -- it raised exactly ''$0'' -- game intended to be Scott Cawthon's SwanSong. At last count, [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 there]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 have]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4 been]] ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation five]]'' [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator sequels]], [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld a spin-off]], [[Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheSilverEyes two]] [[Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheTwistedOnes novels]], and an upcoming film. Not to mention the metric tonne of merchandise.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}'' was so named because ot was ''supposed'' to be Square's swan song title. The company was on the verge of going completely bankrupt, but the team decided to make one last game on their way out. Instead, the game became a hit, and managed to fish the dwindling developer out from near-bankruptcy and helped turned it into the [[RunningGag fiend-slayingly popular franchise]] it is today.
* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series hit a slump when the remake of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight the first game]] slumped on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, which was enough for the (better) remake of the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem third game]] to not be exported. It's been mentioned in interviews that had ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' not sold over the 250k mark (and the fanfare that North America has given it was a major bonus), Nintendo would've pulled the plug on the series. Instead, not only did ''Awakening'' save the franchise, but it was the first in the series to break a million sales. With the [[NewbieBoom large amount of newcomers]] to the series, ''Fire Emblem'' has gone from being "that series with the swordsmen in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''," to becoming popular on its own merits, leading to heavy worldwide promotion for the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates succeeding]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses games]].

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' had little to no advertising for its North American release, but word of mouth made it the top selling UsefulNotes/NintendoDS game its first week in North America. The only reason it didn't stay that way for the next few was because the stores literally ran out of copies to sell almost overnight and would be back-ordered for quite a while. Even today, it still gets rather high on Amazon's best selling DS games, coming after new releases and Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s cash cow franchises in sort by best selling. It even gotten an [=iOS=] port, followed by a 2018 release on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, an anime adaptation, and eventually a [[VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou sequel]] in 2022.

** When Nintendo made the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, it was hoped to turn around the diminishing returns for each home console Nintendo released, just a little. The gaming press laughed it off, expecting Nintendo to finally go third party after the Wii flopped (and the system still has extreme CriticalDissonance). Instead, casual audiences ate up the idea that you could [[VideoGame/WiiSports go bowling without a bowling ball]], parents got it for their kids, and it became sold out for years and even outsold the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]. It's also the third home console to sell over 100 million units. As such, a whole generation of future gamers grew up with it and look back on the system's games with incredible fondness.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}''. It was ''supposed'' to be Square's [[DyingMomentOfAwesome swan song]] [[TheLastDance title]], but instead managed to fish the dwindling developer out from near-bankruptcy and helped turned it into the giant it is today.

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, and by proxy ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1''. UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 made console gaming a joke in America, and as such, retailers were not real eager to stock their shelves with any consoles. This made it necessary to sell the NES with R.O.B. so that people would [[JustForFun/ComeForTheXStayForTheY buy it for the toy robot but keep it for the games]]. Mario had seen some moderate success with ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' and ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', but not on a scale that was terribly notable. But ''very'' impressive word-of-mouth for ''Super Mario Bros.'', coupled with the game being bundled with the NES, made both smash hits.
** Similarly to the Wii, a large amount of critics and gamers initially laughed off the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in the months between its announcement and release, due to it being on the heels of the massive commercial flop that was the UsefulNotes/WiiU. In addition, its controversial paid online system, return to cartridges, continued use of motion controls long after they fell out of favor, and near-last-minute reveal (being announced mere ''months'' before launch) earned considerable skepticism from those outside of Nintendo's core fanbase. However, come March 2017, it ended up being a smash success for Nintendo, selling out within a day and repeatedly suffering from the same stock shortages that hit the Wii and NES due to its demand being ''that unexpectedly high.'' By the end of the fiscal year, the Switch had become the fastest-selling game console of all time, beating out even the [=PS2's=] year one sales. Since then, it has achieved 103 million units sold at the end of December 2021, becoming Nintendo's best-selling home console of all time and their third best-selling console overall, only behind the Game Boy/Game Boy Color and DS.

* ''VideoGame/KanColle'' was originally meant for the very niche market of military {{Otaku}} (something it shared with ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'', see example above); but thanks to some {{Colbert Bump}}s from big names in the manga and anime industries (the most notable example being [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Kohta Hirano's]] epic meltdowns about the game on Website/{{Twitter}}), it got a lot more popular than intended.

* Despite its [[WidgetSeries novel premise]] (the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars as an actual war for market share waged by goddess [[FunWithAcronyms Console Patron Units]]), nobody expected ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' to sell very well and it was developed [[NoBudget for peanuts]]. Surprisingly, it not only got a Western release, but became far and away the best-selling release from Creator/CompileHeart, garnering two (properly-funded) sequels.

* Like ''Franchise/StarWars'', it's hard to believe that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' was this. When it was first released over in Japan, the UsefulNotes/GameBoy was on its last legs. Despite this, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' kept selling, spurred by rumors of a hidden 151st Pokémon. By the time it reached North America, the juggernaut was in full swing. It took a while to catch on in North America, however, as Western divisions of Nintendo had dismissed it as a [[WidgetSeries Widget Game]] until its popularity had exploded in Japan. Gamers used to complain that ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' weren't in color, unaware that they came out only one month ahead of the Game Boy Color in North America and years earlier in Japan.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' was not expected by its development team to do particularly well due to its unconventional gameplay, [[WidgetSeries quirky style]], and being a SpiritualSuccessor to a mode for a game released exclusively on the failed Nintendo [=64DD=]. The game ended up doing well above Nintendo's internal expectation and spawned a long line of sequels.

* After the infamous flop that was ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' and the lackluster release of ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'', hardly anyone was excited about a third upcoming release from Creator/IonStorm called ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. The game was a surprise hit that ended up being game of the year of 2000 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.

* ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' released on IOS in June 2018 and later on Steam in November, initially amassing a small but dedicated fanbase of a couple hundred players at best. It saw a surge on popularity in mid-2020 driven by South Korean and Brazilian content creators, but it wasn't until July, when Twitch streamer Sodapoppin got his hands on the game and spread the good word-of-mouth around other big-name streamers and content creators, that the game truly exploded worldwide.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' was made simply to fill a hole in Creator/{{Midway|Games}}'s arcade schedule. A four-man team was given 10 months to churn out a fighting game and pretty much gave them free reign to do what they wanted since it was a small project. The team turned it into one big RuleOfCool game that gave Midway its signature, money-making franchise and cut way more into ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''[='=]s marketshare than they could have imagined.

* ''VideoGame/MadMax'' had been in development for years, until ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' entered production, whereupon it actually picked up the ''Mad Max'' license to become an official game just in time for both film and game to be finished around the same time. In a twist of fate, both the game and film became sleeper hits. After being released a few months after ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' launched on PC, and on the ''same day'' as mega hit ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', it eventually found a niche in the open world genre, and fans began to realize it was far from the rushed licensed tie in game that many expected, and instead was a very solid action adventure game that fit incredibly well into the ''Mad Max'' aesthetic.