History AudienceAlienatingEnding / VideoGames

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger the ending was]] and how [[TemptingFate they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to [[Creator/{{Bioware}} Bioware]] closing its handheld gaming division following their acquisition by Creator/ElectronicArts, in addition to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal problems]] Creator/{{Sega}} was having with former ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' writer Creator/KenPenders, who not only claimed he owned the characters he created for the comic, but that ''Sonic Chronicles'' ripped off said characters.

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger the ending was]] and how [[TemptingFate they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to [[Creator/{{Bioware}} Bioware]] closing its handheld gaming division following their acquisition by Creator/ElectronicArts, in addition to [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal problems]] with former ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' writer Creator/KenPenders, who not only claimed he owned the characters he created for the comic, but that the game ripped off said characters.

* ''VideoGame/ShenmueIII'', which released [[SequelGap eighteen years after the previous installment]]. While the title was widely derided for its shoddy technical quality and archaic game design decisions, fans were far more irritated that the game not only ended on yet another cliffhanger, with no certainty of a fourth game ever coming out, but that the story itself failed to meaningly advance the narrative.
* ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'': The game ends on a massive {{Cliffhanger}} that would have been a great SequelHook... except that (depending on whom you ask) either Sanzaru Games had no plans to make a sequel and wrap up the game's plot, or Sanzaru did want to make a DLC or sequel but [[ScrewedByTheNetwork got shot down by Sony]]. The game itself is a ContestedSequel to the first three games (with the late-game reveal that [[spoiler:[[SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome Penelope is now unrepentantly evil]]]] overshadowing everything else about the game), and with that plus the cliffhanger being a major DownerEnding when taken on its own, [[FanonDiscontinuity fans just don't want the series to end that way]].

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger the ending was]] and how [[TemptingFate they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to [[Creator/{{Bioware}} Bioware's]] Handheld division getting folded following their acquisition by Creator/ElectronicArts, and [[ScrewedByTheLawyers the ongoing legal problems]] regarding ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics writer Creator/KenPenders, who claimed that the Brotherhood aped his own characters.

* ''VideoGame/AsgardsWrath'': The ending of the first game revealing that [[spoiler:the lovable characters you encountered and befriended in the tavern were AllJustADream]] did not go over well with fans, and neither did [[spoiler:Loki [[TheBadGuyWins successfully escaping]] and leaving you trapped in his prison]], as both things basically made everything the player experienced there feel [[ShaggyDogStory utterly pointless]]. Famous video game countdowner Creator/JoshScorcher called it the single worst ending he ever encountered in a video game, even worse than the infamous ending to ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.

{{Audience Alienating Ending}}s in VideoGames.
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!!Examples:

* ''VideoGame/TwelveMinutes'': Enthusiasm for the game died pretty quick once word got out about the TwistEnding, which implies that the whole game was AllJustADream as a man copes with the revelation that his lover is [[SurpriseIncest half-]][[BrotherSisterIncest sister]].

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', the second part of an already divisive trilogy, ends with [[TheBadGuyWins Caius winning and destroying the world]], [[ShootTheShaggyDog no matter what the player does]], and your reward for getting OneHundredPercentCompletion is TheStinger that just consists of Caius taunting you for thinking you could get a better ending. While clearly intended to be a SecondChapterCliffhanger, so many fans found this (along with the other disliked parts of the game) a giant slap in the face for all the time and effort required to beat the game that when ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'', the third and final part, came out and ultimately provided a BelatedHappyEnding, [[http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/27/lightning-returns-lowest-opening-sales-final-fantasy-xiii-game it only barely achieved]] half the sales that '''XIII-2'' did.

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger it is and how they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to a combination of lukewarm sales, Creator/{{Bioware}} getting bought out by Creator/ElectronicArts, and the ongoing legal problems regarding ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics writer Creator/KenPenders, who claimed that the Brotherhood aped his own characters.

* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite: Burial at Sea Part 2'' ends by revealing the [[VideoGame/BioShock first game]] was set in motion by Elizabeth's ThanatosGambit just before Altas/Frank Fontaine brains her to death. Players were upset by how their beloved sidekick that they spent an entire game protecting is denied her happy ending and dies a painful death instead, and ultimately ends up an unknown footnote in the story of Jack Ryan, a SilentProtagonist with no characterization beyond what the player makes him do. On top of that, Elizabeth dies specifically in exchange for the life of a Little Sister, and with the expectation that Jack will one day save her, meaning that her sacrifice can be rendered pointless if the player has Jack harvest the Little Sisters he comes across-- or worse, ignore them altogether, leaving them to become Big Sisters at the hands of Sofia Lamb and ultimately killed by Delta or Sigma.

** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was instantly slammed by the old guard once the ending of the first part came to light. [[spoiler:Sephiroth ([[EpilepticTrees potentially]] the same Sephiroth from '''[[TimeTravel after]]''' the events of ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'') manipulates Cloud and his friends into killing the "[[TimePolice arbiters of fate]]", leading to alterations in the timeline, the biggest of which is [[HeroOfAnotherStory Zack]]'s survival, with the implication that future events will not happen as they were supposed to as now Cloud and co. are aware of them]]. A lot of this is a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks when many players were left convinced that future installments would [[OffTheRails veer more heavily from the plot of the original]]. It's also an interesting case of BrokenAesop crossed with OpeningACanOfClones, as the ending introduces several tropes (and has [[EpilepticTrees spawned numerous fan theories]] containing such tropes [[AlternateUniverse among others]]) which many players find 1) antithetical to [[CentralTheme certain themes]] from the original and 2) potentially render the entire ''Remake'' trilogy [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse inconsequential]] from [[ShaggyDogStory a story perspective]]. The fact that [[spoiler: many characters now appear to have been SparedByTheAdaptation]] has also led to accusations of [[SweetnessAversion cheapening the story]] and thus feeling like a FixFic. As a result, a considerable number of players who loved ''Remake'' prior to the final chapter, along with more skeptical fans who were waiting for word-of-mouth, turned on it after the ending's revelations came to light, and expressed that they have no interest in parts ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth 2]]'' and ''3'' if the ending is a sign of where the series will be going. Granted, the exact ramifications and extent of such changes are as yet unknown, and some have interpreted them as an attempt to [[spoiler: salvage the otherwise divisive ''Compilation'' and better incorporate its materials into the original game’s narrative]], and are thus more curious about the series' future.

* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': The original ending divided a lot of fans, some reviews going so far as to say it ruined the experience. Some complain that [[spoiler:the Circle Consortium winning and enslaving Ann at the end of the game is an unsatisfying and left-field way to end the game]], and others complain that the entire late game [[spoiler:introduces too many elements and new characters [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot then abruptly ends the game when so much was left unexplored]]]], and others (most of whom are unaware about that game being [[spoiler:originally part of [[Website/SCPFoundation the SCP universe]] [[DivorcedInstallment until it was changed]]]]) that [[spoiler:the [[CosmicHorrorReveal sudden shift into the paranormal and supernatural elements]] from a rather normal Cyberpunk series was just too dramatic of a genre shift]]. Fortunately, the ending was given a significant extension to completely revamped the aforementioned complaints.

* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': The original ending divided a lot of fans, some reviews going so far as to say it ruined the experience. Some complain that [[spoiler:the Circle Consortium winning and enslaving Ann at the end of the game is an unsatisfying and left-field way to end the game]], and others complain that the entire late game [[spoiler:introduces too many elements and new characters [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot then abruptly ends the game when so much was left unexplored]]]], and others (most of whom are unaware about that game being [[spoiler:originally part of the SCP universe until it was changed]]) that [[spoiler:the [[CosmicHorrorReveal sudden shift into the paranormal and supernatural elements]] from a rather normal Cyberpunk series was just too dramatic of a genre shift]]. Fortunately, the ending was given a significant extension to completely revamped the aforementioned complaints.

** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was instantly slammed by the old guard once the ending of the first part came to light. [[spoiler:Sephiroth ([[EpilepticTrees potentially]] the same Sephiroth from '''[[TimeTravel after]]''' the events of ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'') manipulates Cloud and his friends into killing the "[[TimePolice arbiters of fate]]", leading to alterations in the timeline, the biggest of which is [[HeroOfAnotherStory Zack]]'s survival, with the implication that future events will not happen as they were supposed to as now Cloud and co. are aware of them]]. A lot of this is a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks when many players were left convinced that future installments would [[OffTheRails veer more heavily from the plot of the original]]. It's also an interesting case of BrokenAesop crossed with OpeningACanOfClones, as the ending introduces several tropes (and has [[EpilepticTrees spawned numerous fan theories]] containing such tropes [[AlternateUniverse among others]]) which many players find 1) antithetical to [[CentralTheme certain themes]] from the original and 2) potentially render the entire ''Remake'' trilogy [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse inconsequential]] from [[ShaggyDogStory a story perspective]]. The fact that [[spoiler: many characters now appear to have been SparedByTheAdaptation]] has also led to accusations of [[SweetnessAversion cheapening the story]] and thus feeling like a FixFic. As a result, a considerable number of players who loved ''Remake'' prior to the final chapter, along with more skeptical fans who were waiting for word-of-mouth, turned on it after the ending's revelations came to light, and expressed that they have no interest in parts ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth 2]]'' and 3 if the ending is a sign of where the series will be going. Granted, the exact ramifications and extent of such changes are as yet unknown, and some have interpreted them as an attempt to [[spoiler: salvage the otherwise divisive ''Compilation'' and better incorporate its materials into the original game’s narrative]], and are thus more curious about the series' future.

** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was instantly slammed by the old guard once the ending of the first part came to light. [[spoiler:Sephiroth ([[EpilepticTrees potentially]] the same Sephiroth from '''[[TimeTravel after]]''' the events of ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'') manipulates Cloud and his friends into killing the "[[TimePolice arbiters of fate]]", leading to alterations in the timeline, the biggest of which is [[HeroOfAnotherStory Zack]]'s survival, with the implication that future events will not happen as they were supposed to as now Cloud and co. are aware of them]]. A lot of this is a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks when many players were left convinced that future installments would [[OffTheRails veer more heavily from the plot of the original]]. It's also an interesting case of BrokenAesop crossed with OpeningACanOfClones, as the ending introduces several tropes (and has [[EpilepticTrees spawned numerous fan theories]] containing such tropes [[AlternateUniverse and more]]) which many players find 1) antithetical to [[CentralTheme certain themes]] from the original and 2) potentially render the entire ''Remake'' trilogy [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse inconsequential]] from [[ShaggyDogStory a story perspective]]. The fact that [[spoiler: many characters now appear to have been SparedByTheAdaptation]] has also led to accusations of [[SweetnessAversion cheapening the story]] for the sake of PanderingToTheBase. As a result, a considerable number of players who loved ''Remake'' prior to the final chapter, along with more skeptical fans who were waiting for word-of-mouth, turned on it after the ending's revelations came to light, and expressed that they have no interest in parts ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake 2]]'' and 3 if the ending is a sign of where the series will be going. Granted, the exact ramifications and extent of such changes are as yet unknown, and some have interpreted them as an attempt to [[spoiler: salvage the otherwise divisive ''Compilation'' and better incorporate its materials into the original game’s narrative]], and are thus more curious about the series' future.

** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was instantly slammed by the old guard once the ending of the first part came to light. [[spoiler:Sephiroth ([[EpilepticTrees potentially]] the same Sephiroth from '''[[TimeTravel after]]''' the events of ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'') manipulates Cloud and his friends into killing the "[[TimePolice arbiters of fate]]", leading to alterations in the timeline, the biggest of which is [[HeroOfAnotherStory Zack]]'s survival, with the implication that future events will not happen as they were supposed to as now Cloud and co. are aware of them]]. A lot of this is a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks when many players were left convinced that future installments would [[OffTheRails veer more heavily from the plot of the original]]. It's also an interesting case of BrokenAesop crossed with OpeningACanOfClones, as the ending introduces several tropes (and has [[EpilepticTrees spawned numerous fan theories]] containing such tropes [[AlternateUniverse and more]]) which many players find not simply antithetical to [[CentralTheme certain themes]] from the original, but potentially render the entire series [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse inconsequential]] from [[ShaggyDogStory a story perspective]] (the fact that [[spoiler: many characters now appear to have been SparedByTheAdaptation]] has also led to accusations of '[[SweetnessAversion saccharine poisoning]]'). As a result, a considerable number of players who loved ''Remake'' prior to the final chapter, along with more skeptical fans who were waiting for word-of-mouth, turned on it after the ending's revelations came to light, and expressed that they have no further interest in the series if the ending is a sign of where future installments will be going. Granted, the exact ramifications and extent of such changes are as yet unknown, and some have interpreted them as an attempt to [[spoiler: salvage the otherwise divisive ''Compilation'' and better incorporate its materials into the original game’s narrative]], and are thus more curious about the series' future.

* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'' ends with [[spoiler: [[TheRival Jeanne]] being [[ShootTheShaggyDog killed by the person that she spent the whole game trying to save]], Bayonetta and Luka [[StrangledByTheRedString suddenly getting into a relationship in the final hour of the game]] before both of them are DraggedOffToHell, and [[ButtMonkey Viola]] being [[PassingTheTorch declared to be the new Bayonetta]] despite doing very little to justify it]]. Cue the DancePartyEnding! Needless to say, the fanbase was not impressed.

* The endings of all the routes in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' have been heavily criticized [[spoiler: for not resolving the plot and leaving the audience hanging, with Golden Wildfire's ending being particularly ambiguous]]. They all end in such a way that suggests a continuation is coming, but as the game received no DLC, instead each ending just happens and leaves the story feeling incomplete. Azure Gleam's ending has additionally been criticized for [[spoiler: leaving Edelgard in a brainwashed state with no indication that she will ever recover, and Dimitri leaving her behind in a way that many feel is brutally out of character for him]], turning some fans off from playing the route entirely.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' was instantly slammed by the old guard once the ending of the first part came to light. [[spoiler:Sephiroth ([[EpilepticTrees potentially]] the same Sephiroth from '''[[TimeTravel after]]''' the events of ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'') manipulates Cloud and his friends into killing the "[[TimePolice arbiters of fate]]", leading to alterations in the timeline, the biggest of which is [[HeroOfAnotherStory Zack]]'s survival, with the implication that future events will not happen as they were supposed to as now Cloud and co. are aware of them]]. A lot of this is a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks when many players were left convinced that future installments would [[OffTheRails veer more heavily from the plot of the original]]. It's also an interesting case of BrokenAesop crossed with OpeningACanOfClones, as the ending [[AlternateTimeline introduces]] [[TimeTravel several]] [[ScrewDestiny tropes]] (and has [[EpilepticTrees spawned numerous fan theories]] containing such tropes [[AlternateUniverse and more]]) which many players find not simply antithetical to [[CentralTheme certain themes]] from the original, but potentially render the entire series [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse inconsequential from]] [[ShaggyDogStory a story perspective]] (the fact that [[spoiler: many characters now appear to have been SparedByTheAdaptation]] has also led to accusations of '[[SweetnessAversion saccharine poisoning]]'). As a result, a considerable number of players who loved ''Remake'' prior to the final chapter, along with more skeptical fans who were waiting for word-of-mouth, turned on it after the ending's revelations came to light, and expressed that they have no further interest in the series if the ending is a sign of where future installments will be going. Granted, the exact ramifications and extent of such changes are as yet unknown, and some have interpreted them as an attempt to [[spoiler: salvage the otherwise divisive ''Compilation'' and better incorporate its materials into the original game’s narrative]], and are thus more curious about the series' future.

* ''VideoGame/DyingLight'': Both of the endings in The Following result in [[spoiler:either Crane being turned into a volatile and spreading the infection outside of quarantine, or willingly activating a nuclear warhead to contain the infection by destroying all of Harran and its inhabitants]]. Suffice to say, the endings hurt many potential players' desire to play the DLC, or even the original game, for that matter.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' has gained a reputation of being to VideoGames what ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is to LiveActionTelevision and what ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is to {{anime}} (something made especially infamous by an interview with the developers pre-release, which mentioned ''Lost'' by name and explicitly promised that the ending wouldn't be anything like that). Many factors contributed to the uproar, ranging from the endings' lackluster integration with the trilogy's elaborate, [[OldSaveBonus multi-game-spanning]] ChoiceAndConsequenceSystem[[note]]it ends with a LastSecondEndingChoice between 3 (4 with DLC) options, whose availability depends on a single number (Galactic Readiness) to which ''all'' previous story choices are reduced[[/note]] and KarmaMeter[[note]]the trilogy's story choices all revolve around the moral dualism of Paragon vs. Renegade, but its endings jarringly break away from this formula in the last second[[/note]], to their underlying premise being thematically at odds with several major storylines of the trilogy[[note]]the reason given for Shepard's SadisticChoice at the end is that all synthetic lifeforms inevitably [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turn on their organic creators]]; meanwhile, the trilogy at large has stressed again and again that such conflicts ''can'' be resolved before they escalate into mutural extermination (see: Rannoch storyline, Legion and EDI's arcs)[[/note]]. The overwhelmingly poorly received original ending scared off numerous potential players, although the company [[SalvagedStory later released]] DLC that made the endings more palatable and reduced the effect to some degree. The next game, ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', is only tangentially related to the original trilogy, with a new cast and setting completely divorced from and unaffected by the infamous ending. The announcement of a new ''Mass Effect'' game in November 2020, confirmed to take place after ''3'', raised hopes that said ending could be made null and void for good.

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger it is and how they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to a combination of lukewarm sales, Creator/{{Bioware}} getting bought out by Creator/ElectronicArts, and the ongoing legal problems regarding Creator/KenPenders, who claimed that the Brotherhood aped his own characters.

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' ends with Eggman having successfully conquered the Earth while Sonic and Co. were busy fighting the titular Brotherhood in [[YearInsideHourOutside the Twilight Cage]]. The game then cuts to credits while Sonic and Co. [[BreakingTheFourthWall talk about how big of a cliffhanger it is and how they can't wait for the sequel]]. Said sequel never materialized due to a combination of lukewarm sales and Creator/{{Bioware}} getting bought out by Creator/ElectronicArts.

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' had this thanks to a desire by franchise co-creator Ed Boon to create a completely new cast of characters for the next game. For this to happen, [[EverybodyDiesEnding they killed off nearly the entire cast]] at the [[PyrrhicVictory end of Story Mode]] in a very sloppy fight scene where the Earthrealm warriors are killed off one by one by Sindel and [[ReforgedIntoAMinion turned into evil undead revenants]]. The purpose of this scene was clearly to allow for a roster full of new characters in the next game. However, the ensuing fan backlash over the deaths of iconic characters like Kung Lao, [[AnIcePerson Younger Sub-Zero]], [[ScaryBlackMan Jax]], [[MsFanservice Kitana]] and [[AmbiguouslyBrown Jade]] and promising reimagined characters like Smoke forced them to include non-canonical older versions in the roster of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' (except for Sub-Zero and Jax, who were fully revived). This was most notable with ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' as its story brings the younger versions of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kitana, and Jade (alongside a pre-CharacterDevelopment Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and a younger and optimistic Jax) into the present to fight their evil undead versions.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'''s ending involves [[SadisticChoice either the Lone Wanderer or Sarah Lyons]] [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing themselves]] to activate Project Purity by entering a chamber filled with lethal amounts of radiation, which received widespread backlash since the Lone Wanderer has access to three different companions who are outright ''immune to radiation'', yet all of them will refuse to be the one to enter the chamber and flip the switch despite that making far more sense. Even the ghoul who has been brainwashed to obey your every command will just tell you to he isn't going in there, after following ''every other order'' from you. Later DLC would add the ability to send in a radiation-immune companion. However, while said companions all got new dialogue to the effect of "Oh yeah, it ''would'' make more sense for me to do that, wouldn't it?", the narrator did not, so Creator/RonPerlman still calls you a coward the same as if you had sent in Sarah to die in your place.

{{Audience Alienating Ending}}s in VideoGames.
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* ''VideoGame/{{XIII}}'', a Licensed Game based on the first five volumes of [[ComicBook/{{XIII}} the Belgian comic book series of the same name]], ends with a "ToBeContinued" after TheReveal of TheManBehindTheMan. The game's poor sales meant that no further adaptations of the comics would be made.