History UncertainAudience / VideoGames

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Medabots}} Shingata Medarot]]'', a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance remake of the original ''Medarot'', was advertised as RevisitingTheRoots with a bold new feel. In practice, it ended up being [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] ''and'' [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too different]] from previous games at the same time.\\\
The game was a fairly iterative sequel in a series that was already criticized for releasing too many [[MissionPackSequel similar sequels]] too fast, and not only did ''Medarot'' already have a remake (''Medarot: Perfect Edition'') on the [[UsefulNotes/WonderSwan WonderSwan Color]], [[VideoGame/MedabotsMetabeeAndRokusho the previous mainline game]] was ''also'' a remake of ''Medarot 2''. And it couldn't even play to nostalgia because the game's colorful SuperDeformed art style was wildly different from the rest of the franchise and it featured an entirely new set of Medabots different from those in the original game, which soured existing fans.\\\

** A major reason why ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015'' ended up being a disappointment financially for Creator/SquareEnix was that the game's console port didn't seem clear on who it was designed for; [=eSports=] fans, or ''VideoGame/{{Dissidia|FinalFantasy}}'' veterans. The game was clearly designed to appeal to the [=eSports=] crowd with its usage of "Classes", removal of the RPG mechanics such as leveling up, the streamlined summoning system and character builds, and 3v3 matches, something that apparently was wanted by Square Enix. At the same time, they wanted to still attract fans of the previous games, so they included a story mode that acted as a follow-up to the previous game's story, included some returning characters like [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Kain]], and announced they wanted to bring all of the previously playable characters back, plus they added new characters like [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics Ramza]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Noctis]]. Sadly, the game's inability to appeal to either groups backfired: the game never saw any light as an [=eSports=] fixture due to its technical problems, poor gameplay balance, and the limited customization for characters, and failed to appeal to the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity (where it was more likely to get success as an esport) because it required three players per team rather than the traditional 1v1 format, which anyone remotely familiar with tournaments will realize would make it impossible for matches to happen on time even if enough people managed to find teams. Meanwhile, longtime fans hated the changes since they removed the RPG mechanics, forced those who played for the story and characters to have to grind to unlock more of it, and also hated how bare-bones the game's content was, especially the barely-there story that, once you removed the forced grinding, was really short. It did not help that the game's matchmaking was very laggy, meaning nobody wanted to play online despite being essential to get full enjoyment out of a very multiplayer-focused game. The result was that the game was discontinued only after roughly 1.5 years, and the plans for a larger roster never came to pass.

** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' suffers from trying to mix the wildly different approaches of ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' and its MorePopularSpinOff ''[[Franchise/{{Persona}}]]'' to gameplay and narrative, offering watered-down versions of its inspirations as a result. Even as a sequel to ''[[VideoGame/SoulHackers Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers]]'', it doesn't reference the first game in any meaningful way, thus not appealing to ''that'' game's fans either.

** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' suffers from the fact that it desperately tries to appeal to fans of both the mainline ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series as well as the MorePopularSpinOff ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''. However, due to how near polar opposites the two series are both in the approach to gameplay and narrative, the game ended up appealing to neither with what the game offered coming across as little more than watered down versions than what was found in its inspirations. Making matters worse was that the game pretty much only payed lip service to the original ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', being at the end of the day a sequel in name only and as such not appealing to that fanbase either. To add on top of all of this was also the games character designs and marketing aimed at yet another crowd, this time being the [[VirtualYouTuber VTuber]] one, further mudding the waters on who they were truly aiming for. This all compounded on top of some of the game's own issues caused ''Soul Hackers 2'' to not leave much of a mark on any of the fandoms nor birth any new ones.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Medabots}} Shingata Medarot]]'' is a remake of the original game that was advertised as RevisitingTheRoots with a bold new feel, and ended up being case of a game being both [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too different]] from previous works. On one hand, it being a remake of the original ''Medarot'' was not a strong selling point when [[VideoGame/MedabotsMetabeeAndRokusho the previous mainline game]] was already a remake and ''Medarot'' itself had already received a remake five years prior with the ''Perfect Edition''. It also had little to offer to newcomers, being a fairly iterative sequel in a series that had seen diminishing returns due to churning out too many [[MissionPackSequel similar sequels]] in a short span of time. On the other hand, the game sports a sketchy, cartoony artstyle that is widly different from anything else in the franchise, and one that fans strongly rejected. It also sports an entirely new set of Medabots dissimilar from the ones in the original game, which also soured fans and prevented it from playing to nostalgia. While concensus is that it's a competent game when judged on its own merits and the series creator/character designer (who was uninvolved in its development) strongly approves of it, it was a massive sales failure that [[SeriesHiatus put the franchise on ice for five years]] and subsequent ''Medabots'' work shy away from referencing it.

* The Platform/WiiU's disappointing performance is often credited to its uncertain audience. What it attempted to do was recapture the massive casual-audiences success that was the original Wii by using the same branding and a controller-based gimmick that modified the controller to resemble a more familiar device, while recapturing traditional gamers through more advanced hardware, less emphasis on motion controls, and a launch lineup with ports of many seventh-generation games. But to casual consumers who bought Wiis back in the day, its gimmick of a large tablet-style controller with a second screen and a ton of strange features didn't have the instant draw of motion controls, with many being convinced it was a peripheral by the similar name and lack of focus on the console, and its higher price tag made it too expensive to be an impulse purchase. To mainstream gamers who'd felt burned by the Wii, it was an incredibly underpowered system that could really only play Nintendo games or inferior ports and lacked a lot of features, including a very flawed online mode, which made it a companion system at best. Even to core Nintendo fans, it lacked a lot of the usual KillerApp franchises, being focused mostly on lesser lights, {{Updated Rerelease}}s, and spinoffs, and had to compete with the cheaper, better-supported Platform/Nintendo3DS carrying counterparts or outright ports of a lot of its best games. The console's successor, the Platform/NintendoSwitch, addressed all of these issues and managed to outsell its senior within its first year on the market alone.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' attracts these claims. The fact that it centres on a trio of female characters and has a LighterAndSofter tone than its predecessor (the battle system revolves around changing clothes!) seems to [[GirlShowGhetto turn off male gamers]]. However, there's also a massive heaping of {{Fanservice}}, [[HoYay Les Yay]] and {{Stripperiffic}} outfits, elments which tend to alienate female gamers. Consequently, while the game has fans who are able to look past these issues, it failed to maintain the staying power [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX the previous game]] had, and was not as financially successful.

* The Platform/WiiU's disappointing performance is often credited to its uncertain audience. What it attempted to do was recapture the massive casual-audiences success that was the original Wii by using the same branding and a controller-based gimmick that modified the controller to resemble a more familiar device, while recapturing traditional gamers through more advanced hardware, less emphasis on motion controls, and a launch lineup with ports of many seventh-generation games. But to casual consumers who bought Wiis back in the day, its gimmick of a large tablet-style controller with a second screen and a ton of strange features didn't have the instant draw of motion controls, with many being convinced it was a peripheral by the similar name and lack of focus on the console, and its higher price tag made it too expensive to be an impulse purchase. To mainstream gamers who'd felt burned by the Wii, it was an incredibly underpowered system that could really only play Nintendo games or inferior ports and lacked a lot of features, including a very flawed online mode, which made it a companion system at best. Even to core Nintendo fans, it lacked a lot of the usual KillerApp franchises, being focused mostly on lesser lights, {{Updated Rerelease}}s, and spinoffs, and had to compete with the cheaper, better-supported UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS carrying counterparts or outright ports of a lot of its best games. The console's successor, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, addressed all of these issues and managed to outsell its senior within its first year on the market alone.

* ''VideoGame/BlazingAries'': On one hand, since it's an HGame, part of its main demographic might be interested in part of the risque scenes. However, the problem with that is most of them are locked after the second part of the first chapter... and the first part of the first chapter is notorious for being EarlyGameHell, thus frustrating those who came for the fanservice and alienating them at worse. It only gets worse from there, since the game [[SurpriseDifficulty surprisingly difficult for an eroge]] even on ''the easiest setting''. Then there are those who came for the gameplay but were alienated by the fanservice elements (being an eroge and all), who also voiced complaints about the game being unable to decide what kind of ActionRPG it is (for example, the combo-based gameplay system might be inspired from the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', but some of the bosses tend to discourage combos) and vice versa. Notably, the FANZA and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} versions of ''Blazing Aries'' had the normal difficulty ''[[DifficultyByRegion nerfed]]'', particularly due to these complaints, and [[BleachedUnderpants the removal of sex scenes for the international versions, not to mention a family-friendly option]], which would normally attract complaints, is seen as a ''blessing'' by this crowd since it allows the game to have a more distinct identity.

* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo: Zip Lash'' was part of a franchise that had always been, at best, a CultClassic -- small but devoted fanbase, very little general awareness, the usual. ''Zip Lash'' was intended to save the series by bringing in new fans, by way of a [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS 3DS]] release and a GenreShift from an explorative 3D platformer with the premise of going around a house and helping out the family there to a sidescrolling 2D platformer with the premise of saving the world by going through fairly standard environments. Longtime fans were angered that the series had so thoroughly abandoned its aesthetic and identity, while general audiences weren't familiar with the character and just saw it as a generic 2D platformer on a handheld that already had a surfeit of well-received games of that type. Unsurprisingly, [[FranchiseKiller the game bombed hard]].

* Creator/{{Nintendo}} as a whole went through [[AudienceAlienatingEra a spell of uncertainty]] starting in the twilight years of the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and ending with the release of the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. During this period, the company was aware of the Wii and [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DS]]'s greater success with simpler games geared towards casual players and diminished success with more complex games geared towards traditional gamers. At the same time, they were aware that casual players wouldn't become dedicated consumers the way traditional gamers were. This dual concern led to several decisions that would attempt to reconcile casual and hardcore players, mostly to mixed results. Particular highlights of this uncertainty include:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7lGmshXRvM At least one person]] has theorized that indecisive appeal is the reason why ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is so [[ContestedSequel divisive]] among fans, as it feels like it can't decide whether it was made for newer players brought in with the Wii's success or veteran players who have been following [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the series]] for a long time. The game is loaded with several mandatory hints (mainly from [[ExpositionFairy Fi]]) that clearly explain where to progress most of the time, frustrating veteran players who want to figure things out on their own. At the same time, many of the puzzles not only require considerable spatial and logical awareness as with previous games in the series, but Fi tends to give little or vague hints on what to do with them, alienating newer players who want a more accessible experience. Regarding the game's overall structure, many longtime ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' players were opposed to the game's focus on [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom a more linear structure]], given that previous ''Zelda'' games emphasized relatively free exploration with a focus on finding hidden treasures and rewards, often allowing the player to [[SequenceBreaking do dungeons out of order]]. Unfortunately, players into linear games were against the game's vast-yet-empty Sky area, the long, mandatory quests to access the game's [[DungeonCrawling dungeons]], and especially the high amount of {{Backtracking}} in its second half, given that fans of linear games prefer their games to have a brisker pace free of filler content. Finally, the motion-controlled swordplay didn't endear the game to veteran ''Zelda'' fans who found the button-controlled sword swings much more reliable, while newcomers presumably coming from ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'' found much of the combat frustrating due to how enemies actively block your attacks. Tellingly, the game sold less than half as well as the previous ''Zelda'' game on the Wii, the more traditional and non-linear ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', despite releasing at a point when the Wii hardware had sold many more copies. The UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch addressed some of these issues, such as making most of the hints opt-in and adding a new control scheme without motion controls, but the conflict between the game's linearity and the rather slow pacing remained.

* This has become a huge point of contention for the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise after [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles its third game]]. Fans can be generally divided into two camps: those who grew up pre-[[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] on the 2D games, and those who grew up post-Dreamcast with the 3D games. Fans of the former accuse the 3D games of relying on [[GameplayRoulette gimmicky features]] and spectacle to make up for their lack of substantial gameplay compared to the 2D titles as well as increasingly [[MoodWhiplash tonally dissonant]] plotlines. Fans of the latter accuse the 2D games of relying too much on TrialAndErrorGameplay, as well having nothing but an ExcusePlot to serve as narrative motivation. Creator/{{Sega}} trying to reconcile these two camps, especially since TheNewTens, has led to some of the games being accused of being uncertain who their target audiences are and serves as a huge contribution to the franchise's notorious BrokenBase.

** The [[EpisodicGame first episode]] of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' particularly suffered from a misguided attempt to cater to opposing groups. To appeal to older fans, Creator/SonicTeam and Creator/{{Dimps}} made the level aesthetics faithful recreations of popular levels from the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis games -- but the core gameplay tries to cater to new players by having movement physics reminiscent of ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', involving very little downhill momentum and with a focus on the Homing Attack. Because of this, potential new players were put off by the aesthetics while established ''Sonic'' fans heavily criticized the gameplay for being too different from the Genesis games and not very good in its own right. The second episode [[AuthorsSavingThrow managed to resolve both issues]] by having more original level themes and improved physics, but the first episode's reputation caused ''Sonic 4'' as a whole to underperform, leading it to be CutShort. The next attempt at a retro-styled game with modern elements, ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', not only fared significantly better, but effectively acts as a direct sequel to the original games in the AlternateTimeline for Classic Sonic that would be established in ''VideoGame/SonicForces''.

* This is one of several reasons why the ''UsefulNotes/{{OUYA}}'' console failed. It was advertised as an affordable console that "put games on the television" that was easy to develop for, hack, and modify, which sounded good on paper but quickly fell between the interests of potential buyers. The issue was gamers were going to gravitate toward either whatever console had the latest hit games they wanted or use the computers they already owned to buy (or pirate) games they could afford, developers were going to gravitate toward whichever platform had the gamers to cater to, and hackers and modifiers were going to gravitate toward whichever platform had the developers, which of course encouraged less and less gamers to go OUYA and fed into a vicious cycle. Even gamers who were utterly desperate to get their PC games on the television, one of OUYA's defining features, could just as easily accomplish this by investing about $10 in an HDMI cable to connect their PC to their TV. In the end, the platform's ''best'' selling game, ''VideoGame/TowerFall'', only moved 7000 units and the console was discontinued in only 2 years of life.
* The [[UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Steam Machine]] ended up being an oddity of video game hardware as it was unclear who exactly Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} was intending to market it to. Fully released in 2015, their very concept was of pre-built gaming [=PCs=] loaded with [=SteamOS=] (a Linux-based operating system reminiscent of and integrated with their signature Steam platform) with the accessibility found in console systems. The issue lies with how PC gamers weren't exactly up for getting a pre-built extension of a platform they're already familiar with just to be suitable for their living room, and console gamers were alienated by the many, many models to have to choose from, confused by its intended purpose, and overall distracted by the mainstream options at the time of release: the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and the UsefulNotes/XboxOne. Not helping matters was the lack of compatible games due to running Linux (with Linux compatibility not always clearly marked), as UsefulNotes/{{Wine}} (as Proton) had not been integrated into Steam yet. In 2018, they realized it was underperforming and stopped offering Steam Machines through the Steam platform, and in 2020, Valve president Gabe Newell admitted that even after their production delays, the hardware they were pushing for was still [[ObviousBeta "super-incomplete"]] and they were too impatient to get the product out before convincing consumers why they needed it. Valve's next attempt at a Steam "console", the handheld Steam Deck, was much more successful.
* The UsefulNotes/WiiU's disappointing performance is often credited to its uncertain audience. What it attempted to do was recapture the massive casual-audiences success that was the original Wii by using the same branding and a controller-based gimmick that modified the controller to resemble a more familiar device, while recapturing traditional gamers through more advanced hardware, less emphasis on motion controls, and a launch lineup with ports of many seventh-generation games. But to casual consumers who bought Wiis back in the day, its gimmick of a large tablet-style controller with a second screen and a ton of strange features didn't have the instant draw of motion controls, with many being convinced it was a peripheral by the similar name and lack of focus on the console, and its higher price tag made it too expensive to be an impulse purchase. To mainstream gamers who'd felt burned by the Wii, it was an incredibly underpowered system that could really only play Nintendo games or inferior ports and lacked a lot of features, including a very flawed online mode, which made it a companion system at best. Even to core Nintendo fans, it lacked a lot of the usual KillerApp franchises, being focused mostly on lesser lights, {{Updated Rerelease}}s, and spinoffs, and had to compete with the cheaper, better-supported UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS carrying counterparts or outright ports of a lot of its best games. The console's successor, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, addressed all of these issues and managed to outsell its senior within its first year on the market alone.

** The UsefulNotes/WiiU's disappointing performance is often credited to its uncertain audience. What it attempted to do was recapture the massive casual-audiences success that was the original Wii by using the same branding and a controller-based gimmick that modified the controller to resemble a more familiar device, while recapturing traditional gamers through more advanced hardware, less emphasis on motion controls, and a launch lineup with ports of many seventh-generation games. But to casual consumers who bought Wiis back in the day, its gimmick of a large tablet-style controller with a second screen and a ton of strange features didn't have the instant draw of motion controls, with many being convinced it was a peripheral by the similar name and lack of focus on the console, and its higher price tag made it too expensive to be an impulse purchase. To mainstream gamers who'd felt burned by the Wii, it was an incredibly underpowered system that could really only play Nintendo games or inferior ports and lacked a lot of features, including a very flawed online mode, which made it a companion system at best. Even to core Nintendo fans, it lacked a lot of the usual KillerApp franchises, being focused mostly on lesser lights, {{Updated Rerelease}}s, and spinoffs, and had to compete with the cheaper, better-supported UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS carrying counterparts or outright ports of a lot of its best games. The console's successor, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, addressed all of these issues and managed to outsell its senior within its first year on the market alone.

* The [[UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Steam Machine]] ended up being an oddity of video game hardware as it was unclear who exactly Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} was intending to market it to. Fully released in 2015, their very concept was of pre-built gaming [=PCs=] loaded with [=SteamOS=] (a Linux-based operating system reminiscent of and integrated with their signature Steam platform) with the accessibility found in console systems. The issue lies with how PC gamers weren't exactly up for getting a pre-built extension of a platform they're already familiar with just to be suitable for their living room, and console gamers were alienated by the many, many models to have to choose from, confused by its intended purpose, and overall distracted by the mainstream options at the time of release: the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and the UsefulNotes/XboxOne. Not helping matters was the lack of compatible games due to running Linux (with Linux compatibility not always clearly marked), as UsefulNotes/{{Wine}} (as Proton) had not been integrated into Steam yet. In 2018, they realized it was underperforming and stopped offering Steam Machines through the Steam platform, and in 2020, Valve president Gabe Newell admitted that even after their production delays, the hardware they were pushing for was still [[ObviousBeta "super-incomplete"]] and they were too impatient to get the product out before convincing consumers why they needed it. Valve's next attempt at a Steam "console", the handheld Steam Deck, was much more successful.

* ''VideoGame/Shantae2002'' game sold badly because it was missing a clear target demographic, embodying WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids at the same time. The creator himself once said that it's "too sexy for a kids' game and too girly for a male gamer game." It's got a cute art style with a bright, primary-color palette, mostly-lighthearted stories, an occasional BlackComedyBurst or dead-serious moment, sexy character designs, and a level of ParentalBonus and raunchy humor that would raise a few eyebrows with parents. As the series has gone on, it's moved to a T-rating, and it has come to target older gamers who'd be the PeripheryDemographic for a more "kiddie" series, but the difficulty of the gameplay has stayed low, leaving it underwhelming for adults. That said, the series would go on to become a flagship franchise for its developer and now boasts a passionate fanbase despite this.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor GBC]] game sold badly because it was missing a clear target demographic, embodying WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids at the same time. The creator himself once said that it's "too sexy for a kids' game and too girly for a male gamer game." It's got a cute art style with a bright, primary-color palette, mostly-lighthearted stories, an occasional BlackComedyBurst or dead-serious moment, sexy character designs, and a level of ParentalBonus and raunchy humor that would raise a few eyebrows with parents. As the series has gone on, it's moved to a T-rating, and it has come to target older gamers who'd be the PeripheryDemographic for a more "kiddie" series, but the difficulty of the gameplay has stayed low, leaving it underwhelming for adults. That said, the series has still managed to become one of the biggest indie franchises with a passionate fanbase, so it has managed to find an audience despite this.

* ''VideoGame/{{Rumbleverse}}'' failed because it couldn't sell its FightingGame/BattleRoyaleGame premise to an audience. The battle royale mode alienated fighting game fans, who saw it as too distracting and unbalanced. The fighting game-inspired combat turned off many battle royale fans who prefer the more accessible and intuitive shooting combat in other battle royale titles. It also didn't help that the cartoony art style was seen as too goofy and similar to that of ''Fortnite''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Rumbleverse}}'' failed because it couldn't sell its blend of FightingGame and BattleRoyaleGame genres. The main battle royale mode alienated fighting game fans, who saw it as too distracting and unbalanced. Conversely, the fighting game-inspired combat turned off many battle royale fans who found it difficult and unintuitive compared the straightforward shooting combat in other battle royale games. It also didn't help that the cartoony art style drew unfavorable comparisons to ''Fortnite'', making it harder to stand out.

** The first two games that Archeximus made, ''Survival of the Fittest'' and ''Untitled Melee Game'' are based on ''The Culling'', an obscure BattleRoyaleGame with an emphasis on melee combat. However, unlike ''The Culling'', since it was hosted on a platform geared towards younger audiences, the games get harder flak because they tend to be gravitated towards the more popular Battle Royale Game like ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'', and the older members find the melee combat ''way too complex'' as [[GuideDangIt the lack of an tutorial]] on how to fight means that they are likely to go up against players who will devastate them and finding the guns to be incredibly underpowered, not to mention that teaming is absolutely encouraged, in contrast with other games who downright forbade it or limit it to two players at best. To add insult to injury, the game that it's based on, is controversial due to the [[{{Sequelitis}} negative reception of its sequel]] and statements from its developers met with backlash. As a result, both games have an incredibly low playercounts, with ''Untitled Melee Game'' holding a rare ''49%'' like-to-dislike ratio, which is only likely to be obtained by games that are considered scams at best, and it was only through ''VideoGame/DecayingWinter'' with some tweaks towards its melee and ranged combat system that it finally became a breakthrough hit for her.

* ''VideoGame/RWBYGrimmEclipse'' is already [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames a game that is considered okay at best, awful at worst]], but the one issue everyone brings up is the multitude of conflicting gameplay styles haphazardly tossed together under the misguided belief that "more means better", having [=MOBA=], team-based co-op, ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', and ''[[Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries Arkham]]''-styled elements under one game that fails to understand what made them individually good and why mixing them all together at once is a bad idea.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' GBC game sold badly because it was missing a clear target demographic, embodying WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids and WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids at the same time. The creator himself once said that it's "too sexy for a kids' game and too girly for a male gamer game." It's got a cute art style with a bright, primary-color palette, mostly-lighthearted stories, an occasional BlackComedyBurst or dead-serious moment, sexy character designs, and a level of ParentalBonus and raunchy humor that would raise a few eyebrows with parents. As the series has gone on, it's moved to a T-rating, and it has come to target older gamers who'd be the PeripheryDemographic for a more "kiddie" series, but the difficulty of the gameplay has stayed low, leaving it underwhelming for adults. That said, the series has still managed to become one of the biggest indie franchises with a passionate fanbase, so it has managed to find an audience despite this.
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Medabots}} Shingata Medarot]]'' is a remake of the original game that was advertised as RevisitingTheRoots with a bold new feel, and ended up being case of a game being both [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too different]] from previous works. On one hand, it being a remake of the original ''Medarot'' was not a strong selling point when the [[VideoGame/MedabotsMetabeeAndRokusho previous mainline game]] was already a remake and ''Medarot'' itself had already gotten a remake five years prior with the ''Perfect Edition''. It also had little to offer to newcomers, being a fairly iterative sequel in a series that had seen diminishing returns due to churning out too much [[MissionPackSequel similar sequels]] in a short span of time. On the other hand, the game sports a sketchy, cartoony artstyle that is widly different from anything else in the franchise, and one that fans strongly rejected. It also sports an entirely new set of Medabots dissimilar from the ones in the original game, which also soured fans and prevented it from playing to nostalgia. While concensus is that it's a competent game when judged on its own merits and the series creator/character designer (who was uninvolved in its development) strongly approves of it, it was a massive sales failure that [[SeriesHiatus put the franchise on ice for five years]] and subsequent ''Medabots'' work shy away from referencing it.

** ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' suffered this on account of trying to appease both the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' fans, and ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' fans, on top of alienating those who found themselves in the middle. It attempted to be a blend of the two series by having SMT like gameplay using Fire Emblem characters, all dressed up in an idol themed RPG. ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' fans were turned off by the heavily ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''-like characters, gameplay, and story, and the game was seen as a waste of the core mechanics of the SMT series thanks to none of the story or gameplay elements that make the SMT franchise beloved being present. ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' fans were put off by the lack of TurnBasedStrategy and usage of characters from only two games in the series as the Mirages, alongside finding the story and characters too "anime" for their tastes. The result was that ''SMT'' fans felt it was a dumbed down SMT game and didn't want to get it, while ''FE'' fans felt it was too radically different to be worth playing. Worse, the idol theme of the game caused this ''again'', because the idol elements are mostly used for ExcusePlot reasons, making it effectively downplayed and not very interesting for people who enjoy idol stuff compared to other games, but is also still a present and major part of the game's presentation, meaning people who aren't into idol themed content were immediately put off by it being focused are idols. While the game was critically well received, it was a major flop sales wise, with many citing the fact the game had no target audience in mind. Its Switch rerelease did better, but still unperformed, only selling [[https://nintendoeverything.com/japans-best-selling-games-of-january-2020/ a mere 40k copies]] in its launch month in Japan.
** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' suffers from the fact that it desperately tries to appeal to fans of both the mainline ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series as well as the MorePopularSpinOff ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''. However due to how near polar opposites the two series are both in the approach to gameplay and narrative, the game ended up appealing to neither with what the game offered coming across as little more than watered down versions than what was found in its inspirations. Making matters worse was that the game pretty much only payed lip service to the original ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', being at the end of the day a sequel in name only and as such not appealing to that fanbase either. To add on top of all of this was also the games character designs and marketing aimed at yet another crowd, this time being the Vtuber one, further mudding the waters on who they were truly aiming for. This all compounded on top of some of the games own issues to cause it to not leave much of a mark on any of the fandoms or birthing any new ones.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHillBookOfMemories'' failed in part because it was uncertain of who it wanted to appeal to, and in part thanks to a good dose of TheyChangedItNowItSucks, as it was a dungeon crawler in a franchise known for its SurvivalHorror and [[SolvetheSoupCans puzzle-solving aspects]]. According to Creator/WayForwardTechnologies who developed it, they sought to simplify the aspects of both the new genre it had entered as well as the old genre it came in a hope of attracting fans of both genres, which ultimately pleased nobody: fans of dungeon crawlers weren't interested in it as the gameplay was far too simplistic and [[LevelGrinding grindy]] as compared to the other entries in the genre they were used to, while fans of the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' franchise weren't interested in it as the puzzles were far too simplified and it lacked the deeper horror or psychological aspects they were used to.
* ''VideoGame/TheSnackWorld'', another Creator/Level5 property; also ran into this problem in the west: the series featured a lot of cute visuals and gags that wouldn't be out of place in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' (one of the leads is even a CaptainErsatz of Finn); but the dungeon crawler gameplay loop and other jokes (such as the more risqué humor and poking fun at role-playing game conventions) would appeal more to older players. The fact the game was given an all-ages rating in Japan while getting slapped with older age ratings elsewhere has furthered this uncertainty.
* This has become a huge point of contention for the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise after its [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles third game]]. Fans can be generally divided into two camps, ones who grew up pre-Dreamcast on the 2D games, and ones who grew up post-Dreamcast with the 3D games. Fans of the former accuse the 3D games of relying on [[GameplayRoulette gimmicky features]] and spectacle to make up for their lack of substantial gameplay compared to the 2D titles as well as increasingly [[MoodWhiplash tonally dissonant]] plotlines. Fans of the latter accuse the 2D games of relying too much on TrialAndErrorGameplay, as well having nothing but an ExcusePlot to serve as narrative motivation. Creator/{{Sega}} trying to reconcile these two camps, especially since TheNewTens, has led to some of the games being accused of being uncertain who their target audiences are and serves as a huge contribution to the franchise's notorious BrokenBase.
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' marketed itself heavily as a DarkerAndEdgier entry in the series, with characters using mild swears, Shadow being able to drive vehicles and wield firearms, and the primary enemies having a more "demonic" appearance. On the other hand, it retains the cartoony graphics, cheesy dialogue, and child-friendly characters of the rest of the franchise. Fans who enjoyed the darker aesthetic thought it wasn't dark ''enough'', while fans who enjoyed the rest of the series thought its attempts at being dark came across as edgy and juvenile. In the end, it's regarded as an overall mediocre entry in the franchise, and even its [[CultClassic fanbase]] admit they love it ''because'' of its [[{{Bathos}} tone-deaf attempt to mash serious and cartoony together]] rather than in spite of it.
** The [[EpisodicGame first episode]] of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' particularly suffered from a misguided attempt to cater to opposing groups. To appeal to older fans, Creator/SonicTeam and Creator/{{Dimps}} made the level aesthetics faithful recreations of popular levels from the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis games--but the core gameplay tries to cater to new players by having movement physics reminiscent of ''VideoGame/SonicRush'', involving very little downhill momentum and with a focus on the Homing Attack. Because of this, potential new players were put off by the aesthetics while established ''Sonic'' fans heavily criticized the gameplay for being too different from the Genesis games and not very good in its own right. The second episode [[AuthorsSavingThrow managed to resolve both issues]] by having more original level themes and improved physics, but the first episode's reputation caused ''Sonic 4'' as a whole to underperform, leading it to be CutShort. The next attempt at a retro-styled game with modern elements, ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' not only fared significantly better, but effectively acts as a direct sequel to the original games in the AlternateTimeline for Classic Sonic that would be established in ''VideoGame/SonicForces''.

* While well received and still popular, the lack of main-stream popularity for ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' is often attributed to being designed around being two different games at once. It is a heavy story focused game that has a lot of cutscenes and story arcs that make it seem like it is aimed at story focused players, especially those who liked [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic the]] prior [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords games]], but it also is an [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMO]] trying to appeal to those who want that style of gameplay and interaction, complete with two main factions that the player choses from. As a result, once the initial hype died down, the game wasn't able to maintain a large playerbase compared to other games in the genre, as MMO fans felt it was too much of a single player experience to feel like an MMO, especially compared to the [[VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxies previous Star Wars MMO game]], while story focused players felt the MMO elements were alienating (such as the subscription and handling of the previous games), or made the story weaker than it could have been. While there is a decently sized playerbase still, most tend to be those who either embraced both sides of the game from the start, or are simply hardcore ''Star Wars'' fans. It quickly went free to play as a result.
* The [[UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Steam Machine]] ended up being an oddity of video game hardware as it was unclear who exactly {{Creator/Valve|Corporation}} was intending to market it to. Fully released in 2015, their very concept was of pre-built gaming [=PCs=] loaded with [=SteamOS=] (a Linux-based operating system reminiscent of and integrated with their signature {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} platform) with the accessibility found in console systems. The issue lies with how [=PC=] gamers weren't exactly up for getting a pre-built extension of a platform they're already familiar with just to be suitable for their living room, and console gamers were alienated by the many, many models to have to choose from, confused by its intended purpose, and overall distracted by the mainstream options at the time of release: the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and the UsefulNotes/XboxOne. Not helping matters was the lack of compatible games due to running Linux (with Linux compatibility not always clearly marked), as UsefulNotes/{{Wine}} (as Proton) had not been integrated into Steam yet. In 2018, they realized it was underperforming and stopped offering Steam Machines through the Steam platform, and in 2020, Valve president Gabe Newell admitted that even after their production delays, the hardware they were pushing for was still [[ObviousBeta "super-incomplete"]] and they were too impatient to get the product out before convincing consumers why they needed it. Valve's next attempt at a Steam "console", the handheld Steam Deck, was much more successful.
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' kind of gets this from the title, as given the two games are quite different, fans knew immediately [[SpotlightStealingCrossover somebody was going to get favoritism.]] Sure enough, the game turned out to be borrowing ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'''s artstyle, 2.5-D gameplay, and general design[[note]]granted, a game called ''Tekken X Street Fighter'' was supposed to be released in order to cater to the ''Tekken'' crowd, but [[{{Vaporware}} it ended up going nowhere]] after ''[=SFXT=]'' bombed[[/note]]. If you liked ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', it didn't come across as a crossover so much as a ''Street Fighter'' game guest-starring the ''Tekken'' cast, but if you liked ''Street Fighter'', you probably already owned [[CapcomSequelStagnation at least three different versions]] of ''IV'' and didn't see a reason to pick up something so similar when there would probably be yet another version on the horizon to learn. And then there was the gem system, which let you modify fighters with gems found from buyable packs or random drops--the designers claimed the idea was to lure in fans of CCG-style games. But fans of card games want games that favor strategy over [[SomeDexterityRequired complex inputs and tight reactions]], so weren't interested in jumping over the barrier for entry, while fighting game fans dislike anything that removes focus on player skill, ''especially'' BribingYourWayToVictory or randomized elements.

* ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'' had the teens and adults turned off as it looked too kiddy, while many kids were turned off because the micromanagement was too complicated. Thus, while it got moderate success and an animated series, it failed Microsoft's intent of becoming their equivalent to ''Pokémon''.

* A major reason for why ''VideoGame/YIIKAPostModernRPG'' earned such an infamous reputation can partially be attributed to its uncertain audience; half of it being designed as an old school RPG like ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', while also trying to be a deep analysis of the RPG genre with a modern angle (hence the "Post Modern"). This attempt to be a modern analysis of the genre using both an older artistic style and gameplay meant few players enjoyed it, as the gameplay was not particularly deep or interesting enough to satisfy fans, on top of being cartoony in design, while people interested in the story were frustrated with how overly complex and confusing the story ended up being, on top of how unlikeable the main cast was. This failed attempt at mixing the two ended causing it to be universally disliked among consumers.

* ''VideoGame/BleedingEdge'' suffered from Creator/NinjaTheory not having a clear vision of what sort of game they wanted to create. ''Bleeding Edge'' originally started off as a fighting game, but during its development, Ninja Theory decided to change it into a MOBA, and then into a hero shooter. As a result, the game incorporated gameplay elements from all three genres, with none of them working well together. The game was simply too unconventional and bloated for a fan of any one of the three game genres to be interested.

* ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'', [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment Sony]]'s ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' [[AlternateCompanyEquivalent equivalent]], didn't do very well because of its uncertain audience. The gameplay in particular ended up being very divisive due to the confused design: the game's focus on traditional fighting game {{Combos}} alienates the casual crowd who wants a simple party game, while the bizarre and unconventional mechanics of using [[LimitBreak supers]] only as a method to kill and being the only method to score kills alienates the hardcore crowd. The roster by itself also suffers from this problem: about half the franchises involved are gritty M-rated ones, but the game itself is a cartoony PlatformFighter with tons of wacky concepts. While ''Smash'' is [[DemographicDissonantCrossover no stranger to representing M-rated franchises]], they make up a very small portion of the roster and tend to have their seriousness toned down to compensate. ''[=PlayStation All-Stars=]'' on the other hand plays the seriousness of the characters in question rather straight, making it jarring to see a [[VideoGame/{{Killzone}} space Nazi]] slap his enemies silly with a fish. Even as a pure celebration of [=PlayStation=] history, the roster was largely reliant on {{Guest Fighter}}s from non-Sony games, ironically making it seem like Sony didn't have much of their own history, while what third-parties ''were'' there were mostly promotions for upcoming games, such as [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry Reboot Dante]] and [[VideoGame/BioShock Big Daddy]] (with most of his accompanying material coming from the then-upcoming ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite''), instead of more historically significant characters known for being on [=PlayStation=] consoles, like VideoGame/CrashBandicoot and [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]], making it look like Sony barely had any third-party history either. The game [[StillbornFranchise failed to birth an ongoing competitor]] to ''Smash'' as a result.

* ''VideoGame/RaidWorldWarII'': The game had one from conception as it was a 4 player co-op game made some of the same people who worked on ''VideoGame/PaydayTheHeist''...and was appealing to that same crowd, it even had a tie-in with ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' to give it a canonical connection with it[[note]]one of the rooms in the safe house is designed with World War II-themed paraphernalia, and Creator/JohnCleese portrays both Control in this game, [[UncannyFamilyResemblance and Aldstone]][[/note]]. However, it was clear that after the demo released, it just didn't tickle much interest with that userbase. Players of ''PAYDAY 2'' saw it as a mild reskin, citing that [=RAID=] [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks didn't bring much new to the table to differentiate itself]], so there wasn't much interest in playing [=RAID=] at the time when ''PAYDAY 2'' was still going strong, and actively benefitted from the crossover more than its parent game did, and the rest is history, really. Not helping matters was that the game was criticised for also using the same 13 year old Diesel engine ''PAYDAY 2'' does, and all the issues '''''that''''' entails, with the only real upgrade to the aging engine was the move to a 64-bit platform (which isn't even much of a selling point either, as ''PAYDAY 2'' on Linux is 64-bit anyway). Safe to say, there is a ''reason'' why ''PAYDAY 3'' is '''not''' made in the Diesel engine.

** The remake of ''Defend The Statue'' is one of the [[OvershadowedByControversy most notorious cases]], as a cautionary tale of what happens when [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood veteran users are completely unable to agree with new users]]. The veteran ''Roblox'' users hate the remake for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changing almost everything about the original game]] and thus making it too complex for them. The new users, on the other hand, hate the game for its [[ScrappyMechanic mechanics that are incredibly punishing for them]], such as items being unable to save upon leaving the game or the notorious Anti-Greed system which booted players out if they hogged a certain amount of a boss's HP too many times. The massive controversy over this, combined with the game's creator [=xKenis=] suffering a CreatorBreakdown, caused [[StillbornFranchise all plans for additional games based on the remake to go into a grinding halt]]. While the game is still active, it suffers from very low player counts as a result.
** The first two games that Archeximus made, ''Survival Of The Fittest'' and ''Untitled Melee Game'' are based on ''The Culling'', an obscure BattleRoyaleGame with an emphasis on melee combat. However, unlike ''The Culling'', since it was hosted on a platform geared towards younger audiences, the games get harder flak because they tend to be gravitated towards the more popular Battle Royale Game like ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'', and the older members find the melee combat ''way too complex'' as [[GuideDangIt the lack of an tutorial]] on how to fight means that they are likely to go up against players who will devastate them and finding the guns to be incredibly underpowered, not to mention that teaming is absolutely encouraged, in contrast with other games who downright forbade it or limit it to two players at best. To add insult to injury, the game that it's based on, is controversial due to the [[{{Sequelitis}} negative reception of its sequel]] and statements from its developers met with backlash. As a result, both games have an incredibly low playercounts, with ''Untitled Melee Game'' holding a rare ''49%'' like-to-dislike ratio, which is only likely to be obtained by games that are considered scams at best, and it was only through ''VideoGame/DecayingWinter'' with some tweaks towards its melee and ranged combat system that it finally became a breakthrough hit for her.

* Creator/{{Nintendo}} as a whole went through a spell of uncertainty starting in the twilight years of the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} and ending with the release of the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. During this period, the company was aware of the Wii and DS's greater success with simpler games geared towards casual players and diminished success with more complex games geared towards traditional gamers. At the same time, they were aware that casual players wouldn't become dedicated consumers the way traditional gamers were. This dual concern led to several decisions that would attempt to reconcile casual and hardcore players, mostly to mixed results. Particular highlights of this uncertainty include:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7lGmshXRvM At least one person]] has theorized that indecisive appeal is the reason why ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is so [[ContestedSequel divisive]] among fans, as it feels like it can't decide whether it was made for newer players brought in with the Wii's success or veteran players who have been following [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the series]] for a long time. The game is loaded with several mandatory hints (mainly from [[ExpositionFairy Fi]]) that clearly explain where to progress most of the time, frustrating veteran players who want to figure things out on their own. At the same time, many of the puzzles not only require considerable spatial and logical awareness as with previous games in the series, but Fi tends to give little or vague hints on what to do with them, alienating newer players who want a more accessible experience. Regarding the game's overall structure, many longtime ''Zelda'' players were opposed to the game's focus on a [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom more linear structure]], given that previous ''Zelda'' games emphasized relatively free exploration with a focus on finding hidden treasures and rewards, often allowing the player to [[SequenceBreaking do dungeons out of order]]. Unfortunately, players into linear games were against the game's vast-yet-empty Sky area, the long, mandatory quests to access the game's [[DungeonCrawling dungeons]], and especially the high amount of {{Backtracking}} in its second half, given that fans of linear games prefer their games to have a brisker pace free of filler content. Finally, the motion-controlled swordplay didn't endear the game to veteran ''Zelda'' fans who found the button-controlled sword swings much more reliable, while newcomers presumably coming from ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'' found much of the combat frustrating due to how enemies actively block your attacks. Tellingly, the game sold less than half as well as the previous ''Zelda'' game on the Wii, the more traditional and non-linear ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', despite releasing at a point when the Wii hardware had sold many more copies. The UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch addressed some of these issues, such as making most of the hints opt-in and adding a new control scheme without motion controls, but the conflict between the game's linearity and the rather slow pacing remained.

** ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' suffered from being indecisive on whether to appeal to established fans or newer players. The game's story seemed to aim towards winning back ''Franchise/StarFox'' fans who lost interest in the series after ''[[VideoGame/StarFox64 64]]'' by presenting itself as a ContinuityReboot to the series, returning to the original fight against Andross. The core gameplay, on the other hand, aimed to breathe new life into the series by heavily changing the Arwing controls, most notably requiring use of the [=GamePad=] to aim the Arwing's laser shots. As a result, the game was criticized for both [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changing too much]] and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks changing too little]] at the same time; potential newer players disliked how the game's presentation seemed to pander to older fans, while established ''Star Fox'' fans disliked the new Arwing gameplay, particularly the clumsy [=GamePad=] integration. Consequently, ''Zero'' underperformed in sales and received mixed reception from fans and critics alike, rendering it as of yet the [[FranchiseKiller last original game in the franchise.]]
* ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'', [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment Sony]]'s ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' equivalent, didn't do very well because of its uncertain audience. The gameplay in particular ended up being very divisive due to the confused design: the game's focus on traditional fighting game {{Combos}} alienates the casual crowd who wants a simple party game, while the bizarre and unconventional mechanics of using [[LimitBreak supers]] only as a method to kill and being the only method to score kills alienates the hardcore crowd. The roster by itself also suffers from this problem: about half the franchises involved are gritty M-rated ones, but the game itself is a cartoony PlatformFighter with tons of wacky concepts. While ''Smash'' is [[DemographicDissonantCrossover no stranger to representing M-rated franchises]], they make up a very small portion of the roster and tend to have their seriousness toned down to compensate. ''[=PlayStation All-Stars=]'' on the other hand plays the seriousness of the characters in question rather straight, making it jarring to see a [[VideoGame/{{Killzone}} space Nazi]] slap his enemies silly with a fish. Even as a pure celebration of [=PlayStation=] history, the roster was largely reliant on {{Guest Fighter}}s from non-Sony games, ironically making it seem like Sony didn't have much of their own history, while what third-parties ''were'' there were mostly promotions for upcoming games, such as [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry Reboot Dante]] and [[VideoGame/BioShock Big Daddy]] (with most of his accompanying material coming from the then-upcoming ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite''), instead of more historically significant characters known for being on [=PlayStation=] consoles, like VideoGame/CrashBandicoot and [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]], making it look like Sony barely had any third-party history either. The game [[StillbornFranchise failed to birth an ongoing competitor]] to ''Smash'' as a result.

* Unclear audience was a big contributor to ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'''s divisive reception (more so in terms of plot, tone and characterization than gameplay). ''[=DmC=]'' has a notably DarkerAndEdgier tone and attempts to deal with some much heavier topics than the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry original continuity]]; while the latter does have some serious and dramatic moments, overall the games tend to be more campy and whimsical. Creator/NinjaTheory were specifically instructed to make a 'different' ''Devil May Cry'' game, but the end result is that ''[=DmC=]'' bears little resemblance to the rest of the franchise and either doesn't use any of the classic characters or radically changes them. Many fans of the original games weren't onboard because it was InNameOnly, while the ''Devil May Cry'' title may have been off-putting to potential players who ''were'' into what ''[=DmC=]'' has to offer, resulting in ''[=DmC=]'' underselling in some markets. To this day, it's common to hear players say stuff like "It's not a bad game ''per se'', just not a good ''Devil May Cry'' game". The game underperforming previous installments in sales prompted Creator/{{Capcom}} to {{Unreboot}} the series with ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' in 2019.
* An issue that hit ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' fairly hard is that it wasn't quite sure if it wanted to be a game for little kids, or a game for older fans of animation. It was certainly that older crowd that was most interested in the possibility of a DarkerAndEdgier Mickey Mouse, which was the game's original pitch, but the game itself turned out to be rather easy and shallow, with most of the creepy imagery and deconstructive elements shown off in those early promotional materials [[NeverTrustATrailer now absent.]] The young children the game now seemed designed towards, however, would likely be put off by the focus on a character whose only particularly memorable showing in years was in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', even before the game's plot, which hinges on fans being at least passingly familiar with very old Mickey Mouse shorts and the significance behind the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' attracts these claims. The fact that it centres on a trio of female characters and has a LighterAndSofter tone than its predecessor (the battle system revolves around changing clothes!) seems to [[GirlShowGhetto turn off male gamers]]. However there's also a massive heaping of {{Fanservice}}, LesYay and {{Stripperiffic}} outfits, which alienate female gamers. Consequently, while the game has fans who are able to look past these issues, it failed to maintain the staying power the previous game had, and was not as financially successful.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' tends to have this issue because of the changes it made to the setting and gameplay. Being a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', one of the most beloved TurnBasedStrategy out there, it had to deal with the expectations of the fans coming in who loved the original game, while trying to get newcomers into the game. Fans of the original ''Tactics'' hated how the game was more child friendly and low stakes compared to the DarkerAndEdgier story of ''Tactics'', alongside seeing the gameplay as being dumbed down and suffering from FakeDifficulty thanks to the new Law system. Newcomers hoping to get in had to contend with the same L system without any experience in the game type, and the mechanics were more advanced than what newcomers to the genre expected, alongside the name making it seem like a sequel of sorts. The result was that ''Tactics'' fans hated the game for not being like the original, while new fans couldn't get in as easily as the title seemed to want to do, causing it to have a largely negative reputation for a long time.
** A major reason why ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015'' ended up being a disappointment financially for ''Square Enix'' was that the game's console port didn't seem clear on who it was designed for; E-Sports fans, or ''Dissidia'' veterans. The game was clearly designed to appeal to the E-Sports crowd with its usage of "classes", removal of the RPG mechanics such as leveling up, the streamlined summoning system and character builds, and 3v3 matches, something that apparently was wanted by ''Square Enix''. At the same time, they wanted to still attract fans of the previous games, so they included a story mode that acted as a follow-up to the previous game's story, included some returning characters like Kain, and announced they wanted to bring all of the previously playable characters back, plus they added new characters like Ramza and Noctis. Sadly, the game's inability to appeal to either groups backfired: the game never saw any light as an E-Sports due to its technical problems, poor gameplay balance, and the limited customization for characters, failed to appeal to the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity (where it was more likely to get success as an esport) because it required three players per team rather than the traditional 1v1 format, which anyone remotely familiar with tournaments will realize would make it impossible for matches to happen on time even if enough people managed to find teams. Meanwhile long time fans hated the changes since they removed the RPG mechanics, forced those who played for the story and characters to have to grind to unlock more of it, and also hated how barebones the game's content was, especially the barely-there story that, once you removed the forced grinding, was really short. It did not help that the games matchmaking was very laggy, meaning nobody wanted to play online despite being essential to get full enjoyment out of the very multiplayer-focused game. The result was that the game was discontinued only after roughly 1.5 years, and the plans for a larger roster never came to pass.
* ''VideoGame/GhostReconBreakpoint'' suffered from an uncertain audience. It attempted to reinvent the Ghost Recon franchise as a loot-based shooter in the same vein as ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' or ''VideoGame/TheDivision''. Unfortunately, it was a massive failure. Longtime Ghost Recon fans hated the new mechanics for taking away from the realism and verisimilitude that was a major draw of the franchise for them. Meanwhile, the steps that were taken by Ubisoft to try and make those loot and RPG mechanics more palatable to the Ghost Recon fanbase made them unappealing to the players who like them. The loot system was very shallow and could be outright ignored for the majority of the game, as enemies outside of very specific areas on the map scale up or down to the Player's Gearscore, and even when they don't all human enemies can be killed with one headshot (two if they're wearing a helmet). The end result was a game that was rejected by both bases and flopped hard enough that Ubisoft's stock price tanked, and they delayed all forthcoming games to reevaluate the direction that they were headed in.

* ''VideoGame/BattlefieldV'' became such a divisive title in the ''Battlefield'' series because developer DICE struggled to reconcile its gameplay and aesthetics. The more tactical gameplay with reduced ammo capacity and scaled down health regeneration is supposed to appeal to the hardcore gamers. At the same time, it had wacky cosmetics that are supposed to draw in mainstream audiences, specifically the ''Fortnite'' crowd. Likewise, the game had modes like Firestorm and the now-cancelled 5v5 mode, which were attempts to cash in on the Battle Royale and eSports trends, respectively. Unfortunately, the game failed to fully satisfy any demographic with casual audiences frustrated by the high difficulty curve and the grim tone that replicated the somberness of its predecessor ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' but without the exotic Steampunk weaponry and gadgets that set [=BF1=] apart from other generic historical shooters; hardcore gamers alienated by the juvenile cosmetics and PoliticallyCorrectHistory approach that clashed with the serious World War 2 mood; and veteran ''Battlefield'' fans were frustrated by the developers for chasing trends at the expense of the franchise's traditional gameplay and aesthetics.
* ''VideoGame/BlazingAries'': On one hand, since it's an HGame, part of its main demographic might be interested in part of the risque scenes. However, the problem with that is most of them are locked after the second part of the first chapter... and the first part of the first chapter is notorious for being EarlyGameHell, thus frustrating those who came for the fanservice and alienating them at worse, and it only gets worse from there, since it's {{Surpris|eDifficulty}}ingly difficult for an eroge even on ''the easiest setting''. And for those came for the gameplay are alienated by the fanservice elements, since its an eroge, and they also complain about the game being unable to decide what kind of ActionRPG it is (for example, the combo-based gameplay system might be inspired from the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', but some of the bosses tend to discourage combos) and vice-versa. Notably, the FANZA and Steam versions of it have the normal difficulty ''[[DifficultyByRegion nerfed]]'', particularly due to these complaints, and the [[BleachedUnderpants removal of sex scenes for the international versions, not to mention a family-friendly option]], which would normally attract complaints, is seen as a ''blessing'' since it allows the game to have a more distinct identity.
* ''VideoGame/BleedingEdge'' suffered from Ninja Theory not having a clear vision of what sort of game they wanted to create. ''Bleeding Edge'' originally started off as a fighting game, but during its development, Ninja Theory decided to change it into a MOBA, and then into a hero shooter. As a result, the game incorporated gameplay elements from all three genres, with none of them working well together. The game was simply too unconventional and bloated for a fan of any one of the three game genres to be interested.

* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo: Zip Lash'' was part of a franchise that had always been, at best, a CultClassic -- small but devoted fanbase, very little general awareness, the usual. ''Zip Lash'' was intended to save the series by bringing in new fans, by way of a 3DS release and a GenreShift from an explorative 3D platformer with the premise of going around a house and helping out the family there to a sidescrolling 2D platformer with the premise of saving the world by going through fairly standard environments. Longtime fans were angered that the series had so thoroughly abandoned its aesthetic and identity, while general audiences weren't familiar with the character and just saw it as a generic 2D platformer on a handheld that already had a surfeit of well-received games of that type. Unsurprisingly, [[FranchiseKiller the game bombed hard.]]

* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' tried to market itself as more tournament-friendly and appealing to western sensibilities, doing so by going TamerAndChaster and reducing the amount of {{Fanservice}} in the game, ie going against its core identity, and the reason the series built its fame, in an aspiration to reach [=eSports=] and [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO]]. Then director Yohei Shimori would [[FlipFlopOfGod flip-flop between statements]], stating that ''nothing'' changed later, only to go back to the old, [[MasterOfTheMixedMessage confusing a lot of people]]. It was controversial, to say the least, and in fact said controversy often [[OvershadowedByControversy overshadowed the game itself]]. Unfortunately, any attempt to reach the big leagues failed, for two reasons: The first was the infamous "Core Values" incident where ''[=DOA6=]'' was taken off-stream in the middle of the tournament at EVO Japan 2019, because it got too sexual with the use of female models shaking their breasts and butts to mimic the game. Then, when the lineup of EVO 2019 in North America, comparable to the Super Bowl of fighters, was announced, ''Dead or Alive 6'' wasn't there. Effectively, all the effort and controversy was [[AllForNothing for nothing]], as it was effectively damned to its niche status, getting passed up for other niche but more respected games like ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'' and ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', and its direct competitor ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', a game that ''didn't'' suffer from this trope as it went about its own way with zero confusion, incidentally a HotterAndSexier one. The fact is, the game tried to appease everyone, but did the polar opposite instead.

* ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', largely due to its very unconventional gameplay for a FightingGame, runs into the problem of conflicted appeal. The game intended to reach casual fans with its appealing characters, variety of modes, hidden lore, wealth of unlockables, and relatively simple controls. The game also wanted to appeal to competitive players with its surprising amount of depth to its combat and customization options. In practice, however, the two intentions came into conflict, as casual fans were overwhelmed by the surprisingly complex gameplay while fighting game fans didn't feel the game was complex enough for them. The game sold modestly well for a new and unorthodox property, but it didn't quite reach the leagues of Creator/{{Nintendo}} EPD's other big names like ''Mario'', ''Splatoon'', or ''Animal Crossing'', and plans to make it an ongoing franchise [[StillbornFranchise were quietly shelved]], though it instead won over a [[CultClassic more low-key following]] that appreciated its unusual gameplay.
* The ''VideoGame/AtelierSeries'' franchise attracts these claims. The series initially ran on {{shojo}} tropes, with most of the games have a flowery art style with plenty of pretty boys, and a mostly female fanbase. Yet, starting with the ''Arland'' series of games, the franchise took a 180 and a lot of TheMerch, DLC costumes, and promotional artwork would become heavily MaleGaze-y, and the games have incorporated more and more {{moe}} elements over time, though still keeping many of the shojo tropes, pretty boys and occasional FemaleGaze moments involving said pretty boys that might alienate that audience anyway. The series did go back to its TamerAndChaster more shojo-leaning roots for the ''Dusk'' trilogy only to go full on in back into the fanservicey moe designs in the ''Mysterious'' games. A survey released in 2019 did confirm that even after these changes, the series fanbase remains mostly women, meaning these changes didn't even do a very good job at attracting a male audience to begin with, at least until ''Ryza'' increased the fanservice and caused a NewbieBoom.

* ''VideoGame/BalanWonderworld'' was created with small children as its target audience, with it having incredibly simplistic controls and level design, but its advertising was aimed at attracting the older fanbases of ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' and ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''. Likewise, despite being designed to be played by children, the game is notably lacking in its gameplay tutorials and explanation of its story, requiring players to look up guides in order to understand certain features and read the game's tie-in novel to understand its plot. The game ended up a critical and commercial flop as a result.

* ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'' failed in part because it couldn't win over FirstPersonShooter[=/=]{{MOBA}} fans. [=MOBA=] fans were turned off by the game's first person perspective, which they found constraining and ill-suited for executing [=MOBA=]-like strategies compared to the typical top-down perspective from a [=MOBA=] like ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''. Conversely, shooter fans were turned off by the [=MOBA=] mechanics, which they felt added unnecessary complexity and placed less emphasis on actual shooting.

* ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'' had the teens and adults turned off as it looked too kiddy, while many kids were turned off because the micromanagement was too complicated. Thus, while it got moderate success and an animated series, it failed Microsoft's intent of become their equivalent to ''Pokémon''.

* ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', in part due to its very unconventional gameplay for a FightingGame, runs into the problem of conflicted appeal. The game intended to reach casual fans with its appealing characters, variety of modes, hidden lore, wealth of unlockables, and relatively simple controls. The game also wanted to appeal to competitive players with its surprising amount of depth to its combat and customization options. In practice, however, the two intentions came into conflict, as casual fans were overwhelmed by the surprisingly complex gameplay while fighting game fans didn't feel the game was complex enough for them. The game sold modestly well for a new and unorthodox property, but it didn't quite reach the leagues of Creator/{{Nintendo}} EPD's other big names like ''Mario'', ''Splatoon'', or ''Animal Crossing'', and plans to make it an ongoing franchise [[StillbornFranchise were quietly shelved]], though it instead won over a [[CultClassic more low-key following]] that appreciated its unusual gameplay.

* ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' suffers from the fact that it desperately tries to appeal to fans of both the mainline ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series as well as the MorePopularSpinOff ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''. However due to how near polar opposites the two series are both in the approach to gameplay and narrative, the game ended up appealing to neither with what the game offered coming across as little more than watered down versions than what was found in its inspirations. Making matters worse was that the game pretty much only payed lip service to the original ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', being at the end of the day a sequel in name only and as such not appealing to that fanbase either. To add on top of all of this was also the games character designs and marketing aimed at yet another crowd, this time being the Vtuber one, further mudding the waters on who they were truly aiming for. This all compounded on top of some of the games own issues to cause it to not leave much of a mark on any of the fandoms or birthing any new ones.

* ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' suffered this on account of trying to appease both the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' fans, and ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' fans, on top of alienating those who found themselves in the middle. It attempted to be a blend of the two series by having SMT like gameplay using Fire Emblem characters, all dressed up in an idol themed RPG. ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' fans were turned off by the heavily ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''-like characters, gameplay, and story, and the game was seen as a waste of the core mechanics of the SMT series thanks to none of the story or gameplay elements that make the SMT franchise beloved being present. ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' fans were put off by the lack of TurnBasedStrategy and usage of characters from only two games in the series as the Mirages, alongside finding the story and characters too "anime" for their tastes. The result was that ''SMT'' fans felt it was a dumbed down SMT game and didn't want to get it, while ''FE'' fans felt it was too radically different to be worth playing. Worse, the idol theme of the game caused this ''again'', because the idol elements are mostly used for ExcusePlot reasons, making it effectively downplayed and not very interesting for people who enjoy idol stuff compared to other games, but is also still a present and major part of the game's presentation, meaning people who aren't into idol themed content were immediately put off by it being focused are idols. While the game was critically well received, it was a major flop sales wise, with many citing the fact the game had no target audience in mind. Its Switch rerelease did better, but still unperformed, only selling [[https://nintendoeverything.com/japans-best-selling-games-of-january-2020/ a mere 40k copies]] in its launch month in Japan.

* ''Franchise/SilentHill'':
** ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' is often seen as the absolute weakest entry in the series owing a lot to its uncertain audience, as they attempted an open world sort of affair. Fans of open world games were turned off by it as the world isn't nearly "open" enough and still fairly linear and restrictive, and with only about 3 characters and every location being a dreary foggy delapidated vaguely American town it lacks the interesting [=NPCs=] and locations and sidequests they're used to. Fans of the franchise meanwhile were turned off by the negative aspects of open-world games that were introduced, like BreakableWeapons, monotonous {{Fetch Quest}}s, and it taking way too long to get anywhere as the game expected you to devote considerable time to unlocking a FastTravel system to get anywhere.
** ''VideoGame/SilentHillBookOfMemories'' failed in part because it was uncertain of who it wanted to appeal to, and in part thanks to a good dose of TheyChangedItNowItSucks, as it was a dungeon crawler in a franchise known for its SurvivalHorror and [[SolvetheSoupCans puzzle-solving aspects]]. According to Creator/WayForwardTechnologies who developed it, they sought to simplify the aspects of both the new genre it had entered as well as the old genre it came in a hope of attracting fans of both genres, which ultimately pleased nobody: fans of dungeon crawlers weren't interested in it as the gameplay was far too simplistic and [[LevelGrinding grindy]] as compared to the other entries in the genre they were used to, while fans of the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' franchise weren't interested in it as the puzzles were far too simplified and it lacked the deeper horror or psychological aspects they were used to.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' franchise attracts these claims. The series initially ran on {{shojo}} tropes, with most of the games have a flowery art style with plenty of pretty boys, and a mostly female fanbase. Yet, starting with the ''Arland'' series of games, the franchise took a 180 and a lot of TheMerch, DLC costumes, and promotional artwork would become heavily MaleGaze-y, and the games have incorporated more and more {{moe}} elements over time, though still keeping many of the shojo tropes, pretty boys and occasional FemaleGaze moments involving said pretty boys that might alienate that audience anyway. The series did go back to its TamerAndChaster more shojo-leaning roots for the ''Dusk'' trilogy only to go full on in back into the fanservicey moe designs in the ''Mysterious'' games. A survey released in 2019 did confirm that even after these changes, the series fanbase remains mostly women, meaning these changes didn't even do a very good job at attracting a male audience to begin with, at least until ''Ryza'' increased the fanservice and caused a NewbieBoom.