History UsefulNotes / TheNewTens

* Crossovers and GuestFighter concept within video games has became MUCH more common in the latter years of this era. The first phenomenon of this is most probably ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', which included not just Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog, but also [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] into the roster. The next Smash Bros game went above that, bringing back Sonic and also adding Franchise/MegaMan, VideoGame/PacMan, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]] and VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}. Afterwards, adding GuestFighter from another company in one game became a lot more common and outlandish choices started popping up more. For instance, ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 7'' features [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]], [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Noctis Lucis Caelum]] and [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead Negan]]; ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' features the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' featured ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Bogard]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Dead or Alive 5]]'' bringing in four ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' characters, two more ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' characters to join ''NG'' protagonist and ''[=DoA=]'' mainstay Ryu Hayabusa, plus [[VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors Naotora]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Shiranui]] as DLC, ''[=DoA=] 6'' bringing back the ''Ninja Gaiden'' characters and Mai while introducing the latter's fellow ''KoF'' fighter Kula Diamond, and several collaboration projects by gacha games (example: [[Literature/TheGardenOfSinners Ryougi Shiki]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[note]]The character is written by the same author responsible for the Fate series[[/note]], ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and ''Series/SpaceSheriffGavan'' appearing in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsXOmega'', [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B and 9S]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyBraveExvius'', and later joined with A2 in ''VideoGame/StarOceanAnamnesis'', while 2B herself would appear alongside [[VideoGame/TheWitcher Geralt of Rivia]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]] in ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'' (after [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Ezio Auditore]] appeared in [[VideoGame/SoulCaliburV its predecessor]]), [[Characters/GranblueFantasyEventCharacters a lot of event characters from many other series within Granblue Fantasy, a game that started out as an original setting...]] This is topped with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' bringing all of the guest fighters from ''Brawl'' and ''4'' as part of its "[[TheBusCameBack Everyone is Here]]" theme, while also adding Simon and Richter Belmont from ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu's longtime]] MovesetClone [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ken Masters]], and even more so with the DLC roster bringing in the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', several from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', the return of [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] to Nintendo consoles, and another guest appearance for Terry Bogard). And beyond the base roster, franchises like ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'', ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'', and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' have all been given recognition through [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophies]], and indie icons like [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans]] and VideoGame/{{Cuphead}} have appeared as Mii Costumes through DLC.

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse hit its stride in this decade, with 2010 and '11's ''Film/IronMan2'', ''Film/{{Thor}}'', and ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' setting up its big 2012 crossover ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. It has maintained success throughout the decade and has since become the highest grossing film series of all time with a total worldwide gross exceeding $22.5 billion! (''Film/BlackPanther2018'' also became the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination while ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' beat out ''Avatar'' to become the highest grossing film of all time) Its success has led to rival studios attempting to launch their own SharedUniverse series or modify existing franchises into one, including the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'', the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', the Franchise/UniversalHorror ''Film/DarkUniverse'', the Franchise/{{Godzilla}}[=/=]Film/KingKong ''Film/MonsterVerse'', and a ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' prequel/spinoff series. As of yet, none have replicated Marvel's success, with many of them being so caught up in setting up future films with their initial installments that said films suffer for it.

* The UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo, once ''the'' premier trade event of the video game industry, began to wane in influence as the 2010s dragged on. Creator/{{Nintendo}} (in 2013) and Creator/ElectronicArts (in 2016) elected to stop making keynote appearances at E3, in favor of pre-recorded content and live events hosted on streaming platforms (though both parties continue to host floor booths). In 2019, Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment not only chose to adopt the same strategy, but elected to skip E3 entirely for the first time since the event's debut in 1995. Some analysts believe that E3 will eventually be rendered obsolete, as more and more companies opt to appeal directly to consumers via the internet and social media, rather than through expensive (and [[MemeticMutation notoriously clumsy]]) annual stage shows primarily attended by industry insiders.

** Perhaps as a response to the industry’s abusive retention of "[[WidgetSeries traditional]] [[ValuesDissonance and at times controversial]] conventions", the Tokyo government went as far as passing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Metropolitan_Ordinance_Regarding_the_Healthy_Development_of_Youths Bill 156]], which would essentially restrict titles with such questionable content from being sold to minors. Not surprisingly, the industry and anime fans have largely opposed it, citing concerns of free speech and that governments shouldn’t be trying to force such cultural shifts in such a matter. The broadness of the law also leave it open to abuse and some have said that the restrictions can also bring further detriment to the industry like UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode did to western comics. While the law was passed in December 2010 and was supposed to take full effect in July 2011, due to the various lawsuits to try and stop it as well as concerns over enforcement, time will only tell how this will go.

** Korea's success with its popular [[KoreanDrama dramas]] and [[KoreanMovies cinema]] is debatable, not to mention its [[HangukManhwaAenimeisyeon animation]] and [[{{Manhwa}} comics]] still pales in comparison to Japan's, but KoreanPopMusic blows those industries out of the water in terms of international success. Compared to Japan, [[WidgetSeries which has retained]] [[ValuesDissonance traditional roots]] in their musical trends, South Korea is more than willing to blend in American and Western cultural aspects to its own music and has done so with extreme success, both in the broader Asian region and to a lesser extent, in the West, especially among fans of Korean/Asian culture and some fringes of the urban music fandom.

** Supporters argue that those complaining are stuck in the SciFiGhetto and [[YoureJustJealous jealous]] that audiences prefer "popcorn movies" to [[TrueArtIsAngsty angst]] and [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible artiness]], that these have essentially saved a business everybody thought was on the road to inevitable extinction at the beginning of the decade, and that they are not giving these films proper credit for their dramatic and intellectual depth. (While DarkerAndEdgier R-rated superhero-related films such as ''Film/{{Logan}}'' and ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' have gained critical acclaim, these aren't considered superhero films so much as dramas happening to feature characters from comic books, and the latter has been criticized for being TheThemeParkVersion of a New Hollywood drama by way of escaping the ghetto.)

** However, the Japanese gaming market [[NoDubForYou had seen a decline in English dubs]] in the latter half of the 2010s, which was usually more common in [=JRPGs=] and fighting games. While series like ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' still did English dubs due to popularity and GrandfatherClause, other series like ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' (starting with ''[[VideoGame/AtelierLydieAndSuelleTheAlchemistsAndTheMysteriousPaintings Atelier Lydie & Suelle]]'') decided to forego English dubs entirely, with reasons being cited that the fanbase simply didn't care for English dubs anymore. This had put more fire in the already tense SubbingVersusDubbing debate, and more [=JRPGs=] since then had been released with Japanese dubs only to save up on localization costs. By far the most famous example of this was ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction'' which got a lot of criticism for abandoning the English dub cast, the backlash of which, was so great that it caused Creator/ArcSystemWorks to reconsider adding the English dub back for ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle''. On the flipside, ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' had [[Franchise/FireEmblem Marth]] dubbed in English for the first time, whiched sparked some debate over whether that was a good thing or not since Marth's Japanese-only voice was [[MemeticMutation memetic]] by that point, and the English dub of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' was received favorably by many fans and reviewers, to the point where a fair number of people expressed disappointment in the [[AwardSnub lack of recognition the actors received from award shows.]]

* The electric car has finally broken into the mainstream after a very, ''very'' rocky start. 2011 saw the launch the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, followed by the Tesla Model S and Renault Zoe in 2012, BMW i-series in 2013, Tesla Model X in 2015, and the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt in 2017[[note]]Electric versions of the Ford Focus, Mercedes B-Class, and Smart Fortwo are also available, though only in a handful of markets as "compliance cars" to meet stricter emissions standards in some areas, and Chinese OEMs JAC and BAIC also offer lineups of EVs, though only in China, obviously.[[/note]]. So far, adoption is pretty good, helped by hefty tax breaks for buyers and a steady stream of government funding for manufacturers (though both of those may end soon, at least in America), and increases in battery technology have allowed for lighter, cheaper cars with higher top speeds and longer ranges. And with places like Germany and California planning to phase-out traditional gasoline and diesel cars over the next few decades due to the looming threat of climate change and the fallout of Volkswagen's "Dieselgate" scandal, electric cars are on their way to becoming commonplace.

** EmoMusic has gone back to being the domain of twentysomething hipsters like in the 1990s and bands that have started during the decade such as Foxing, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die and La Dispute seem to take a heavy undercurrent from IndieRock, PostRock and MathRock. Several older acts such as Music/BrandNew and Music/MotionCitySoundtrack as well as Music/{{Yellowcard}} announced they would be disbanding.

* As opposed to the Light Novel genre, this decade is widely considered to be the decade where the HumongousMecha genre underwent a decline. With the conclusion of the big renaissance mecha titles in the last decade: ''[[Franchise/CodeGeass Code Geass]]'', ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', the next titles were considered to be more or less lacking or more controversial than the rest.

*** In the previous decades, the company Creator/{{SNK}} was known as the underdog company that could go toe-to-toe against the company juggernaut Creator/{{Capcom}} in terms of [[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom fighting games.]] Unfortunately, they had to file for bankruptcy and stay out of the limelight while trying to re-gather their resources after they sold it out to Aruze and Playmore, eventually re-forming under the name 'SNK Playmore'. They continue to release their games in mostly spin-off titles and several hit-or-miss games and even Pachinko titles (the same venture that doomed Creator/{{Konami}}, read above), but eventually in this decade, it has gathered enough resources to return to its original name (just SNK) and unleashed several hit fighting games that brought them back to the limelight after their long absence: ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIV'' and ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown (2019)'', which continued to be given post-release contents and also earned them spots in the EVO tournaments, and also lent their characters as GuestFighter in other games (most notably [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]] in ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 7'', [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]] in ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'', [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai Shiranui]] in the fifth and sixth ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' titles alongside [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Kula Diamond]] in the latter, and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] in ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''), and one of their ventures in mobile games that started at the end of this decade in collaboration with Netmarble, ''VideoGame/KOFAllStars'', proved to be successful and carried on to the next decade. In this decade, SNK has finally completed its '[[BackFromTheDead risen from the grave]] like a Phoenix' story phase.

** The revival of Creator/{{Toonami}} deserves special mention. An anime and action cartoon [[UsefulNotes/BlockProgramming block]] on Creator/CartoonNetwork whose efforts lead to the last anime boom, it eventually saw its end when the [[NetworkDecay CN Real]] [[AudienceAlienatingEra era]] became prominent[[note]]It could be said that the decline and fall of Toonami was a major cause for the end of the last anime boom, as there was no viable platform for anime of its scope that was able to replace it until its eventual revival[[/note]]. But on AprilFoolsDay 2012, viewers tuned into Creator/AdultSwim expecting to see ''Film/TheRoom'' again -- but instead saw the beloved anime block returning for one night - then after a huge Website/{{Twitter}} [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/bring-back-toonami campaign]] by anime fans, permanently on May 26. Out of the gate, it's done its part to help revive anime in the west, as it has cemented such hits as ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', and ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' as well as the shows mentioned on this tab, and even turned ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'' - a program that tanked badly in Japan[[note]]some saying as a result of the above mentioned moe/otaku pandering boom[[/note]] - into a hit with a bonafide fanbase. The block has even rescued shows that were [[ScrewedByTheNetwork screwed by the parent network]] such as the reboot of ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} ThunderCats]]'' and ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'', though time will tell if either or both shows will eventually see continuation. And perhaps because of this success, they've even gotten the privilege of showing ''Anime/SpaceDandy'' at the same time it is being broadcasted in Japan.

** The women's game also thrived at club level, though it wouldn't really come of age until the following decade. After previous attempts at a US women's professional league had gone belly-up after three seasons, the National Women's Soccer League began play in 2013, and achieved steady growth before COVID-19 got in the way in 2020. Perhaps more significantly, the major European soccer countries began investing heavily in the women's game, with many top teams either establishing, taking over, or partnering with women's sides. This dramatic growth of European women's soccer was illustrated at the aforementioned 2019 World Cup, in which the USWNT was joined in the quarterfinals by ''seven'' UEFA sides.

* The dominance of the English Premier League by the Big Four (Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool) was broken by perennial joke team Manchester City, backed by Qatari Sheikh Mansour, bought their way first to Champions League status, then to the Premier League title. Liverpool slipped out of the top four, dropping as low as 8th in 2011/12, before new manager Brendan Rodgers and mercurial striker Luis Suarez nearly propelled them to the league title in 2013/14. Things seemed to settle back into the status quo in 2014/15 when Chelsea, led by the notorious Jose Mourinho, won the title, but the entire footballing world was stunned in 2015/16 when tiny Leicester City (who were given 5000/1 odds before the season) lifted the trophy. At the same time, teams like frequent also-rans Tottenham Hotspur took advantage of the newly installed FFP (Financial Fair Play) rules which prevented clubs from spending beyond their means in pursuit of success to level the playing field. However, towards the end of the decade, a new mini-league formed, the 'Big Six' (Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham), which dominated the European places. Manchester City posted a record-breaking 100 point season (the maximum possible is 114) in 17/18, followed by 98 points in 18/19 - and in the latter case, every one of those points was necessary, as a resurgent Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp posted 97 points and won the Champions League. In that same season, while there was a 1 point game between 1st and 2nd, there was a 25 point game between 2nd and 3rd.
** In Europe, the backlash against Premier League dominance began, with the new Galacticos at Real Madrid, a Barcelona team lead by Lionel Messi (widely considered to be the best player on the planet), Neymar, Brazil's wunderkind and controversial former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and scrappy underdogs Atletico Madrid winning La Liga and the Champions League, a dazzlingly successful Bayern Munich team under former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola (who later moved to Manchester City) sweeping all before them, Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp (and later Thomas Tuchel after Klopp moved to Liverpool) challenging the bigger clubs and Paris St. Germain spending their way to success all managed to break the dominance of English clubs. Italy's Serie A, still haunted by the ghosts of a vast match-fixing scandal, continued to decline. In the latter half of the decade, however, the English clubs bounced back, with five managing to not only qualify for the Champions League (the normal limit is four, but Manchester United qualified by dint of winning the Europa League) and reaching the Last 16, at least. Liverpool then reached back to back Champions League finals, in 17/18 and 18/19, winning it in the latter. 18/19 was also when all the finalists of both the Champions League and the Europa League (the former's lesser counterpart) were English, with Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively, triumphing.

* The National Basketball Association recently underwent a changing of the guard in both of the conferences, dramatically shifting the landscape of the entire league. In the summer of 2010, [=LeBron=] James, the greatest player of the current generation, decided to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat, teaming up with Miami superstar Dwyane Wade and former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh to become the contemporary "Super Team". In the West, the upstart (and not even a decade old) Oklahoma City Thunder established themselves as a legitimate powerhouse on the backs of young talent in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, challenging (and even dethroning) such names as the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 to make it to the Finals. The Chicago Bulls, led by Derrick Rose, and the Indiana Pacers, led by Paul George and Roy Hibbert, have returned to form as beasts of the east, while the Boston Celtics enjoyed a stint where they were the go-to rivals for the Miami Heat. As for [=LeBron=] himself, his loss in 2011 to Dirk Nowitzki made many question whether or not he could ever get a championship... and then he followed it up by winning ''back to back'' in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, he headed back home to Cleveland and completed his redemption arc, toppling the 73-win Warriors in 2016 and delivering the Cavs their first-ever championship.
** The Golden State Warriors went from longtime basement dwellers to one of the most dominant teams of the decade. Led by the Splash Brothers duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State steamrolled to the NBA title in 2015 and followed it up by breaking the regular-season wins record with 73 in 2015-16. Their quest to repeat fell short at the hands of [=LeBron=] and the Cavs in the Finals, but just a month later the Warriors pulled off the biggest free agency coup since [=LeBron=] assembled his Miami team, luring Kevin Durant away from Oklahoma City to form the next great superteam that would define the latter years of this decade.

* Baseball has also recovered some popularity after the doping scandals of the last decade, primarily in the football-heavy West Coast as the San Francisco Giants embarked on an "even-year three-peat", winning the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014 (their first titles since 1954, when they were still the New York Giants).
** The MLB saw ''two'' "strength rallies" in 2013 and 2017, both leading into World Series victories, the first by the Boston Red Sox after the Boston Marathon massacre, while four years later the Houston Astros managed to upset all pre-season predictions after the city became struck by Hurricane Harvey.

** Nevertheless, the MLB ended the decade in another scandal as the Houston Astros were accused of engaging on sign-stealing (using technology to help hitters predict coming pitches) to win the 2017 World Series and the 2019 pennant, with the team being sanctioned for the former. The Boston Red Sox were similarly accused of doing this during their WS-winning 2018 season.

* A nasty stretch of sports-related scandals over 2011-13 broke many fans' faith in stars once acclaimed as role models and even heroes -- Multiple Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong turned out to be doping all along in what was just the most high-profile of the steroid-related scandals of the era, beloved college football coach Joe Paterno's career (and, as it turned out, life) ended in disgrace when it was revealed that his assistant Jerry Sandusky was a serial pedophile and Paterno may have willfully covered it (an seemingly eternally delayed trial of three other school officials is likely to reveal more information), and the touching story of up-and-coming football player Manti Te'o and his leukemia-stricken girlfriend was revealed to be a hoax gone awry (the girlfriend ''didn't exist''). But things can get even worse than those --double-amputee Olympic-caliber runner Oscar Pistorius of South Africa murdered his girlfriend, leading to doubts about his sanity, and NFL player Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole, a sentence that ended when he hanged himself in his cell in 2017.
* Some of the biggest programs of [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball college football]] had been hit with scandals. Not only did Penn State have to vacate many of their wins dating back to the time of Paterno's alleged discovery, which nullified his status as the winningest coach in the sport's history, it led to the athletic program and the university itself overhauling their leadership and postseason bans for the football team until 2016 (all sanctions other than a $60 million dollar fine and two years of the postseason ban have been reversed owing to evidence revealed in 2015 that the NCAA seriously mishandled the investigation), not to mention a nationwide effort by universities to step up their anti-molestation policies. The University of Southern California had also been hit with scandals when it was discovered that in the mid-2000's many USC players had accepted money from agents, which led to a 2-year postseason ban from 2010-11, a vacation of several wins, including the 2005 National Championship rout over Oklahoma, and famed running back and alumnus Reggie Bush handing back his Heisman trophy[[note]]an end-of-the-year trophy bestowed to a high-impact player, usually either a quarterback or running back[[/note]]. The University of Miami also faced probes over financial scandals that led to self-enforced bans on the 2011-12 postseasons, and the University of North Carolina and Ohio State University football programs each faced a one-year postseason ban in 2012 for a violation of NCAA rules.
** Backlash against the Bowl Championship Series had continued into this decade, with among the reasons including the 2010 Fiesta Bowl matchup between "BCS Busters" Boise State and TCU[[note]]was Mountain West at the time, now in the Big Twelve[[/note]], which denied both a chance to challenge a power conference. Effective 2014, the BCS was replaced with a playoff system involving the top four teams, and a set of four major New Year's Day bowls with a guaranteed slot for each of the five power conferences[[note]]Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pacific-12, Southeastern[[/note]] and a guaranteed slot for a "Group of Five"[[note]]American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt[[/note]] team.
* The tradition of sports champs visiting the White House that dated back to the Reagan years was shattered after Donald Trump's arrival at 1600 Penn. Some players of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots decided not to pay the President a visit (including Tom Brady, who withdrew for personal reasons), while the 2017 NBA Champions Golden State Warriors boycotted Trump altogether after Trump withdrew their invitation. Stanley Cup winners Pittsburgh Penguins went to the White House without controversy while the Chicago Cubs returned after greeting Obama during his last days (they were playing the Washington Nationals that week), the players opting not to cited professional reasons rather than personal opposition to Trump for their absence. On June 4, 2018, President Trump withdrew the Super Bowl LII Champions Eagles' invitation, partly due to the aforementioned anthem protests, and partly due to the Eagles stating that they would only send in at least 10 players, including [=SB52=] MVP quarterback Nick Foles.

* Scandinavian literature gained international popularity even expanding to other media such as film and TV, with NordicNoir style thrillers such as ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'', ''Series/BronBroen'', and ''Literature/{{Wallander}}'' receiving {{Foreign Remake}}s. Perhaps long overdue for the region which brought us BlackMetal, {{Horror}} has also taken a strong root in Scandinavia. Whether it's the dark Vampire story of ''Film/LetTheRightOneIn'' or the Zombie-splatter comedy of ''Film/DeadSnow'', young creators are making a new generation of horror with a uniquely Nordic twist.

** The decade started out poorly for anime, with the collapse of Toonami still lingering, the closeout of many prominent dubbing companies, and a string of poorly-performing shows. However, since 2012, anime has been enjoying a massive revival in the west, thanks to the revival of Toonami, the success of streaming services like Neon Alley (which would be absorbed into Creator/{{Hulu}}) and Website/{{Crunchyroll}}, new dubbing companies like NIS America and Creator/SentaiFilmworks Films rising to the fore, and a multitude of smash hits such as ''Anime/AttackOnTitan'', ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', ''Anime/OnePunchMan'' and ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', just to name a few.

* {{Light Novel}}s, which were initially [[NoExportForYou exclusive to Japan]] in the 2000s, had begun to gain traction in the west during the latter half of the 2010s. Prior to this, previous attempts to market light novels in the west have failed, but Creator/YenPress came up with a brilliant strategy to market light novels as just YoungAdultLiterature to readers outside the Otaku sphere, [[CrazyEnoughToWork and it worked]]. ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' also helped to put light novels in the spotlight, showing marketers that light novels can be just as profitable in the west as manga. Since then, other publishing companies like Creator/SevenSeasEntertainment had jumped on the bandwagon of distributing light novels overseas, and many popular series that didn't get localizations previously like ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' had finally seen the light of day on western shores.

* Crossovers and GuestFighter concept within video games has became MUCH more common in the latter years of this era. The first phenomenon of this is most probably ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', which included not just Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog, but also [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] into the roster. The next Smash Bros game went above that, bringing back Sonic and also adding Franchise/MegaMan, VideoGame/PacMan, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]] and VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}. Afterwards, adding GuestFighter from another company in one game became a lot more common and outlandish choices started popping up more. For instance, ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 7'' features [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]], [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Noctis Lucis Caelum]] and [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead Negan]]; ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' features the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' featured ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Bogard]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Dead or Alive 5]]'' bringing in four ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' characters, two more ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' characters to join ''NG'' protagonist and ''[=DoA=]'' mainstay Ryu Hayabusa, plus [[VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors Naotora]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Shiranui]] as DLC, ''[=DoA=] 6'' bringing back the ''Ninja Gaiden'' characters and Mai while introducing the latter's fellow ''KoF'' fighter Kula Diamond, and several collaboration projects by gacha games (example: [[LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners Ryougi Shiki]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[note]]The character is written by the same author responsible for the Fate series[[/note]], ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and ''Series/SpaceSheriffGavan'' appearing in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsXOmega'', [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B and 9S]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyBraveExvius'', and later joined with A2 in ''VideoGame/StarOceanAnamnesis'', while 2B herself would appear alongside [[VideoGame/TheWitcher Geralt of Rivia]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]] in ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'' (after [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Ezio Auditore]] appeared in [[VideoGame/SoulCaliburV its predecessor]]), [[Characters/GranblueFantasyEventCharacters a lot of event characters from many other series within Granblue Fantasy, a game that started out as an original setting...]] This is topped with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' bringing all of the guest fighters from ''Brawl'' and ''4'' as part of its "[[TheBusCameBack Everyone is Here]]" theme, while also adding Simon and Richter Belmont from ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu's longtime]] MovesetClone [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ken Masters]], and even more so with the DLC roster bringing in the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', several from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', the return of [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] to Nintendo consoles, and another guest appearance for Terry Bogard). And beyond the base roster, franchises like ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'', ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'', and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' have all been given recognition through [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophies]], and indie icons like [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans]] and VideoGame/{{Cuphead}} have appeared as Mii Costumes through DLC.

** Meanwhile, a new "indie wave" emerged during the second half of the decade, featuring a personal feeling [[GenreThrowback reminiscent of the]] [[UsefulNotes/NewHollywood 70s-era "auteurs"]], drastically different from the sentimental "Sundance style" or the [[RealIsBrown "kitchen-sink" realism]] that marked "indie" filmmaking during the 2000s. Ironically, streaming has given people a higher awareness for less "commercial" fare, and films like ''Film/{{Moonlight}}'', ''Film/LaLaLand''[[note]]The two of them being the focus of the biggest Oscar blunder ever, when the former winning Best Picture as the latter was named first in a "Steve Harvey" moment[[/note]] and ''Film/ManchesterByTheSea'' became popular with the mainstream audience, while ''Film/BabyDriver'' and ''Film/TheBigSick'' competed with blockbusters on even terms for the summer box office in 2017. Not even ''superhero films'' could escape this trend, ''Logan'' being one of the darkest films of the genre, while ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' aimed straight to young adults and mostly ditched the "epic battle" scenes associated with these movies.

** The Golden State Warriors went from longtime basement dwellers to one of the most dominant teams of the decade. Led by the Splash Brothers duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State steamrolled to the NBA title in 2015 and followed it up by breaking the regular-season wins record with 73 in 2015-16. Their quest to repeat fell short at the hands of [=LeBron=] and the Cavs in the Finals, but just a month later the Warriors pulled off the biggest free agency coup since [=LeBron=] assembled his Miami DreamTeam, luring Kevin Durant away from Oklahoma City to form the next great superteam that would define the latter years of this decade.

** Anime's offerings include the revival of the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise in the ReCut series ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' along with the renaissance of the ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' franchise, with the reprinting of the manga along with a new series released in Summer 2014 and the reboot of the ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' franchise with the announced ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellArise Arise]]'' series. And speaking of anime from this decade, the genre has regained popularity overseas (see below).

* On the other side, Creator/DreamworksAnimation's reputation improved with more story-driven, less-jokey efforts beginning with ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' in 2008 and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' in 2010, however the studio's movies became increasingly intellectual and/or cloying since then, hurting its financial position to the point it almost went bankrupt after a series of failures (Pacific Data was closed in December 2014). DW returned to the old formula with 2015's ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'', which became a major commercial hit, as it happened to ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby''. The studio itself was purchased by Creator/{{Universal}} for 3.8 billion dollars and they will start distributing their films in 2018. Jeffrey Katzenberg will no longer have control of the studio once the purchase is complete (he will stay at the company as head of Dreamworks New Media). Instead, control will be overseen by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri.

* Creator/IlluminationEntertainment and Universal's ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' series have also charmed mass audiences, crowding the market even more alongside Warner Bros. Animation Group (''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie''), Laika Animation (''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'') and Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic[=/=]Paramount Animation (''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}''). CGI films' international popularity even made titles that weren't huge hits in North America, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin2011'' and the continuing ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' franchise, into blockbusters -- a sign of the increasing importance of foreign audiences to Hollywood.

* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series appeared to be making a comeback, with 2010's ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and 2011's ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' both receiving the most critical and fan praise of any game in the franchise in a decade. However, the series hit a slump when 2013's ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' was met with mixed reception, with ''VideoGame/SonicBoom: Rise of Lyric'' being outright panned the next year (although its 3DS counterpart ''Shattered Crystal'' and follow-up ''Fire and Ice'' were better received). 2017 saw two major releases of differing reception: ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' was met with high acclaim, recieving the most positive critical reception since ''1994'', while ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' was met with mixed reception.

* Crossovers and GuestFighter concept within video games has became MUCH more common in the latter years of this era. The first phenomenon of this is most probably ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'', which included not just Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog, but also [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] into the roster. The next Smash Bros game went above that, bringing back Sonic and also adding Franchise/MegaMan, VideoGame/PacMan, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]] and VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}. Afterwards, adding GuestFighter from another company in one game became a lot more common and outlandish choices started popping up more. For instance, ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 7'' features [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]], [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Noctis Lucis Caelum]] and [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead Negan]]; ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' features the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' featured ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Bogard]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Dead or Alive 5]]'' bringing in four ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' characters, two more ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' characters to join ''NG'' protagonist and ''[=DoA=]'' mainstay Ryu Hayabusa, plus [[VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors Naotora]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Shiranui]] as DLC, ''[=DoA=] 6'' bringing back the ''Ninja Gaiden'' characters and Mai while introducing the latter's fellow ''KoF'' fighter Kula Diamond, and several collaboration projects by gacha games (example: [[LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners Ryougi Shiki]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[note]]The character is written by the same author responsible for the Fate series[[/note]], ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and ''Series/SpaceSheriffGavan'' appearing in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsXOmega'', [[VideoGame/NierAutomata 2B and 9S]] appearing in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyBraveExvius'', and later joined with A2 in ''VideoGame/StarOceanAnamnesis'', while 2B herself would appear alongside [[VideoGame/TheWitcher Geralt of Rivia]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Haohmaru]] in ''VideoGame/SoulCaliburVI'' (after [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII Ezio Auditore]] appeared in [[VideoGame/SoulCaliburV its predecessor]]), [[Characters/GranblueFantasyEventCharacters a lot of event characters from many other series within Granblue Fantasy, a game that started out as an original setting...]] This is topped with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' bringing all of the guest fighters from ''Brawl'' and ''4'' as part of its "[[TheBusCameBack Everyone is Here]]" theme, while also adding Simon and Richter Belmont from ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu's longtime]] MovesetClone [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ken Masters]], and even more so with the DLC roster bringing in the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', several from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', the return of [[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo and Kazooie]] to Nintendo consoles, and another guest appearance for Terry Bogard). And beyond the base roster, franchises like ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'', ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'', and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' have all been given recognition through [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophies]], and indie icons like [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans]] and VideoGame/{{Cuphead}} have appeared as Mii Costumes through DLC.

** Eastern video games (especially in regards to the {{JRPG}}) have fallen deeply, as the most recent offerings by Creator/SquareEnix, such as ''VideoGame/{{Mindjack}}'' and ''VideoGame/LordOfArcana'', failed to impress a Western gaming community that has written them off, and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' suffered its greatest failure to date with [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV its fourteenth installment]] (though [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV the following installment]] was heralded as a return to form, and Square-Enix took the criticisms at heart to re-launch the fourteenth installments as slow and steady improvement). While Idea Factory and Creator/NipponIchi have tried to pick up the slack, they weren't well-received, with the growing differences between Japanese and Western tastes in gaming often cited as an explanation. This is in addition to sites like Polygon and Kotaku publishing articles with an anti-Japan bias, though these have mellowed down over time as other games were well-received. Still, this inadvertently had a chilling effect on games being brought over from Japan, ranging from refusal to localize certain games like ''VideoGame/DeadOrAliveExtremeBeachVolleyball3'' and ''VideoGame/OmegaLabyrinthZ'' to censorship of fanservice content. However, just like anime, Japanese video games are still a formidable force due in part to the resurgence of the {{Fighting Game}} with titles like ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', as well as the arrival of Nintendo's UsefulNotes/WiiU in 2012 and Sony's UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 4}} later in 2013. While the Wii U did poorly at first, it soon made its mark with a string of strong hit games, and the [=PS4=] has been doing even better. However, the effort is muddled with frustrating issues such as increased censorship of newer [=PS4=] games has proven to have been met with a harsh reception.

** It began with the proposition of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills, which many said would grant the government the power to shut down copyright infringing websites. The Internet exploded in massive protests, with Wiki/TheOtherWiki blacking out in solidarity, and Anonymous [[EnemyMine banded together with big website creators to protect the free Internet]], all to ensure the bills did not pass. They didn't, but the US Senate shows no signs of completely giving up.
** The situation worsened when, a day after Wiki/TheOtherWiki blacked out, the FBI had taken measures to shut down popular filesharing site [=MegaUpload=], which caused a chain reaction of filesharing sites like Fileserve, Filejungle and many others making their sites for private-uses only.

*** The US, by contrast, managed to get out of the so-called 'Group of Death' composed of eventual winners Germany and footballing superpowers Portugal and Ghana by beating Ghana 2-1, giving Portugal one hell of a fright in a 2-2 draw and losing 1-0 to Germany (which, considering how the Germans thrashed just about everyone else, is rather impressive). In the second round, they pushed a much fancied Belgium team to extra time, with goalkeeper Tim Howard's performance reaching MemeticMutation proportions when his article on Wiki/TheOtherWiki was changed to name him as 'Secretary of Defence', something which newspapers, comedians and internet commentators gleefully ran with.

* The Academy Awards faced an increasing number of controversies. Many hosts for the annual ceremony proved incredibly unpopular, while most Best Picture winners got their awards unexpectedly (with many an AwardSnub),[[note]]Although in most cases, the bookmakers eventually did similar predictions[[/note]] particularly in the cases of ''The Artist'' in 2011,[[note]]Beating ''The Tree of Life''[[/note]] ''Birdman'' in 2014,[[note]]''Boyhood'' was that year's favorite[[/note]] and 2015's ''Spotlight''.[[note]]With ''The Revenant'' being expected to win that year[[/note]] The latter year's ceremony would be overshadowed by complaints about the representation of non-white voters, with many black actors and filmmakers sitting out. The 2017 ceremony ended with another Best Picture upset, as the critical darling ''Moonlight'' ended up beating the popular front-runner ''La La Land'' in an embarrassing fashion. This snafu only cemented the notion that the Academy was shunning popular genres such as superhero, animated and fantasy features in favor of OscarBait. The Academy proposed a "Best Popular Movie" award for the 2019 ceremony, but quickly ditched it when ''that'' received complaints for being either just a nicer way to snub commercial movies or the "selling-out" of the last bastion of artistic integrity in awards. Plans to give out technical awards during commercial breaks for the 2019 event also ended up getting scrapped as many in the industry felt it was disrespectful to people who work in those categories. Kevin Hart, who was supposed to host the 2019 ceremony, dropped out after a number of his bigoted, raunchy gay jokes resurfaced, making the show the first without a host in thirty years as no one in Hollywood was available or wanted to take over; contrary to all expectations (and the memory of the infamous 1989 Oscars), the host-less Oscars went over well and other award shows decided to take a similar route. That year's ceremony ended with ''Film/GreenBook'' becoming one of the most controversial Oscar Best Picture winners in the awards' history for being yet another WhiteMansBurden narrative marginalizing a black {{Deuteragonist}}'s side of the story to gain more attention than minority narratives, beating as it did higher-profile nominees including that year's front-runner, Netflix's ''Film/{{Roma}}''. There was criticism over the multiple nominations and wins awarded to the musicals ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' and ''A Star is Born'', with many fearing the AMPAS -- long considered to have become too pretentious for its own good -- was now taking a path leading to a potential "Grammyfication", as well as the Marvel film ''Black Panther'' being nominated receiving complaints that it [[WereStillRelevantDammit was made to have a more commercial blockbuster appeal]] (ironically, the idea for a "Best Popular Film" category, which would have most likely have had films like ''Black Panther'' as nominees, was also criticized as treating them as "separate but equal"). In spite of the lack of female and minority nominees, and a Twitter screw-up, the 2020 ceremony (again host-less) ran without any major hitches, with the South Korean black comedy ''Parasite'' becoming the first film not made in English to win Best Picture, with films such as ''1917'', ''Joker'', ''Ford v Ferrari'', ''Once Upon A Time in Hollywood'' and ''Jojo Rabbit'' receiving multiple awards, while ''The Irishman'', ''Marriage Story'' and ''The Two Popes'' (among others) led Netflix to outnumber the Hollywood majors in nominations in spite of winning few awards.

** Paul Reubens revived the ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' stage show and in 2016, released ''Film/PeeWeesBigHoliday'' on Netflix, while Franchise/TheMuppets made a [[Film/TheMuppets big-screen comeback bid]], followed by [[Series/TheMuppets a new TV show]].

** Bowties and [[NiceHat hats]] have also become common after [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel five decades of obsolescence]] (sans for some limited popularity in the 80s). Sweaters have seen a resurgence as well as plastic glasses. Rolled-up sleeves and off-the-shoulder dresses have become mainstream too. The black-lapel blue tuxedo has made quite a fashionable comeback, as well as ''[[ShouldersOfDoom shoulder pads]]''.

* [[IndieGame Indie gaming]] has garnered widespread popularity due in thanks to the proliferation of the internet, given most of these are [[UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution distributed online]] and a majority of the industry's revenue comes from downloads, as with thatgamecompany's ''VideoGame/{{Flower}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'', initially available on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork to strong digital sales and critical acclaim and, along with ''flOw'', [[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition eventually rereleased on a one-BluRay disc compilation titled]] ''[[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition Journey Collector's Edition]]''. Creator/{{Sony}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}} show interest in indie video game developers, including thatgamecompany. Indie games, initially known in shareware circles during the 1990s, became increasingly profitable after the late 2000s saw numerous critically praised titles such as ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}''. They came to be characterized as relying on innovative gameplay mechanics and unusual art styles. ''[[VideoGame/MonacoWhatsYoursIsMine Monaco]]'', ''VideoGame/{{Fez}}'', ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', ''VideoGame/OuterWilds'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' won plenty of positive reviews and decent sales for such approaches, but a growing number of developers have also created horror games including ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent''. By far the most successful of these games is the [[JustOneMoreLevel notorious(ly addictive)]] ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' created by a Swedish programmer named Markus "Notch" Persson. It uses pixellated graphics, the point is [[WideOpenSandbox you mine blocks and build any imaginable thing out of them]], and you have to defend yourself from hostile monsters by not just finding supplies, but using a shelter made from scratch. It even has been constantly updated by Mojang who ported it to iOS, UsefulNotes/Xbox360, Wii U, and the Google Android. Other notable indie games include the aforementioned ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' series, ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', and a pair of unlikely 2014 sleeper hits in ''VideoGame/FlappyBird'' and ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys''.

* The FightingGame genre is undergoing something of a renaissance. The success of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 6'', and ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger'' in the late 2000s led to announcements of expansions and sequels, among them ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIII'', ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart 3'', ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur V]]'', ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 5'', ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'', though the latter two are particularly divisive and possibly contributed to Creator/{{Capcom}}'s decline. The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series released its fourth installment(s) as well and its fifth came out four years afterwards. In addition to established titles, there's also some new blood in the fighting arena, like ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'', ''VideoGame/DaemonBride'', and ''VideoGame/RivalsOfAether'', as well as spin-offs for non-fighting games like ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' fighting game and ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena''. The decade so far also saw the revival of the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise with its [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 newest installment/reboot]] and its [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX two]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat11 sequels]], in addition to a [[VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs pseudo-spinoff starring DC Comics characters]] and a [[VideoGame/Injustice2 sequel to that later]], winning back fans who'd been disappointed by its brush with the PolygonCeiling. And of course, Creator/ArcSystemWorks, the company behind ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', has continued to grow thanks to its now-flagship series, with the possibility of becoming the next top FightingGame company following backlash towards Capcom.

*** On the other hand, the gacha system in mobile games has also drawn controversy in Japan to a similar degree as in the West, as the biggest concerns about gacha games is that many of them encourage gambling among children [[BribingYourWayToVictory in order to obtain the strongest and rarest characters to beat hard content]] despite the fact that [[PeripheryDemographic many of the gacha games are designed for an adult audience]], although technically, these games tend to avoid 'Pay to Win' scenarios, most units are actually eligible enough to carry the game and the games had to be more generous in giving free resources occasionally... [[EvilIsEasy but paying money is an easier, quicker way.]] The Belgium Gaming Commission ruling of loot boxes have also technically banned gacha games in Belgium, forcing Creator/SquareEnix to pull three of their mobile games from app stores in Belgium.