History GenreKiller / VideoGames

* UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 was caused chiefly by an overabundance of competitors in a fledgling market and competition from superior micro-computers. The straw that broke the camel's back was a pair of releases for the UsefulNotes/Atari2600, an [[PortingDisaster awful port]] of ''VideoGame/PacMan'' and an ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' game that was [[ObviousBeta quite obviously]] rushed out the door [[ChristmasRushed for the holidays]], despite having more copies of the game made than there were Atari 2600 consoles that could play it. These twin disasters killed the home console market in the United States for about two years. Perhaps more importantly, it effectively wiped out North American game/console development, to the point where it took over two decades to fully regain the ground that had been lost to Japanese competitors. There wasn't a successful game console from an American company between the Atari 2600, which died around 1983, and the Microsoft UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, released in November of 2001, ''eighteen years'' later.
** When Creator/{{Nintendo}} debuted the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1985, they redesigned the console to work more like a VCR and bundled it with a light gun and [[VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy battery-operated robot peripheral that only worked with two games]], primarily to disguise the fact that it actually was a ''video game'' console. [[CrazyEnoughToWork It worked]], and the rest is history.
** It's important to note that the impact was far more limited in Europe, especially the UK. Brits were using 8-bit microcomputers as the main way of playing home videogames by 1982, which would last until the late '80s/early '90s when consoles started taking off (with the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Mega Drive]] and UsefulNotes/{{S|uperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}}NES). This may also be related to why Nintendo consoles such as the NES, UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, and [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Switch]] tend [[AmericansHateTingle not to sell especially well in the UK]] even if it's one of the "Big Three" console manufacturers elsewhere, as there wasn't the same market vacuum for them to fill as there was in the United States.

* Wrestling/{{WCW}} and Wrestling/{{ECW}} folding within a couple months of each other in early 2001 pretty much killed the UsefulNotes/ProfessionalWrestling game genre outside of the games bearing the Wrestling/{{WWE}} license, which despite [[GameBreakingBug having their problems]] still sell well to the hardcore WWE fans. In the early 2000s a few developers tried putting out games without a tie to a promotion (but often featuring real wrestlers not employed by WWE) like ''Legends of Wrestling'', ''Backyard Wrestling'', and ''Rumble Roses'', which sold well enough to get sequels but not well enough to get extended to the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames next generation of consoles]], and little else since. The only other licensed games since WCW and ECW imploded were a [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] game in 2008 and a Wrestling/{{AAA}} game in 2010, both of which were panned by critics (of both video games and wrestling) and had pretty weak sales. Wrestling/{{AEW}}'s potential offering being stuck in DevelopmentHell isn't helping[[note]]''AEW Fight Forever'' was finally released in June 2023 and while the hardcore AEW fans are into it the reaction from everyone else has been somewhere between "Meh" ([[Main/SoOkayItsAverage averaging around 65% on Metacritic depending on the console]]) and "This took '''four years'''?"[[/note]], nor is a general decline in the popularity of wrestling as a whole. ''VideoGame/FireProWrestling'' is still chugging along (though it usually [[NoExportForYou doesn't leave Japan]]) mainly thanks to name recognition and being cheap to produce[[note]]''Fire Pro'' is completely 2D and uses old-school sprite graphics and while the more recent games boast a roster of over 300 real wrestlers [[Main/NoCelebritiesWereHarmed they use fake names so they don't have to pay said wrestlers]][[/note]], but the slow pacing and steep learning curve has mostly relegated ''Fire Pro'' to being a niche product for uber-[[SmartMark smark]] fans.

* The InteractiveMovie genre, which emerged in the 80s and saw a ton of notable releases in the 90s, died out due largely to the advancing technology of consoles like the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and the CD format becoming nigh-universal outside of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64. Much of what made those early games notable was that little could match them graphically, but when you could fit lavish prerendered or pre-filmed cutscenes into a game and still have the space for more substantive game design, they quickly became rather obsolete. It certainly didn't help that, unless you were ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' or ''VideoGame/TexMurphy'', the common judgment of interactive movies was that the "movie" part was SoBadItsGood at best. InteractiveFiction has seen a rise since then, but the classical "watching a live-action sequence while you occasionally press buttons" format is extremely rare outside of indie titles. An attempt to revive the genre with Enix's game ''Love Story'' for the then-brand new UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 flopped hard and the genre stayed buried ever since. FMV games ''would'' make a surprising resurgence in the New 10's, but operate more as "choose your own adventure" stories, without trying to bring back the PressXToNotDie aspects of their predecessors.

** The other hit took longer for its effects to be noticeable, but did more permanent damage - and, ironically, it was the release of one of the most preeminent games in the genre, the aforementioned ''Warcraft III'', which came with a robust map editor that lead to the invention of the MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena. While early MOBA-like concepts appeared in the ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'' custom map "Aeon of Strife," ''Warcraft''[='=]s addition of RPGElements like hero XP and items codified the fledgling genre. ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' became so popular that it spawned an entire new genre emphasizing micromanaging and tactics. As a result, the traditional RTS largely evaporated; in TheNewTens, with the end of both of the traditional RTS genre's progenitors (''Command & Conquer'' only seeing one failed attempt at a new game after the aforementioned ''[=C&C4=]'', ''Warcraft'' having long since shifted focus to [[MorePopularSpinoff the more popular and lucrative]] ''World of Warcraft'') and the rise of ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' and ''VideoGame/Dota2'' (which was the most popular game on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} for close to five years), outside of the three parts of ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' the only traditional RTS releases of note have been [[UpdatedRerelease HD remakes]] of the genre's progenitors and the very rare {{retraux}} game in their style.

* The arcade racing genre suffered a decline in popularity and variety during the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh generation of consoles]], thanks to the commercial failures of ''VideoGame/{{Blur}}'' and ''VideoGame/SplitSecond2010'' (both of which lead to [[CreatorKiller the dissolution of their studios]]) as the industry shifted towards realism and how many [[ProductPlacement licenses]] they could get, which led to the dominance of ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' and ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' as the go-to racing games backed heavily by real life racing teams using the aforementioned games as [[IKnowMortalKombat training simulations]]. In the [[UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames eighth generation]], only the fan favorite ''VideoGame/MarioKart'', the free-to-play ''Asphalt'' series, and the long-running ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' series remain active.

* While motion-controlled minigame collections struggled to win over hardcore gamers from the get-go, they at least generally sold very well for most of the seventh console generation. ''VideoGame/KinectStarWars'', however, is in retrospect widely seen as the game that put the genre beyond the point of no return. Heavily hyped up as the KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360's Kinect add-on, the game received a ''massive'' backlash when it turned out to be yet another collection of cheesy, poorly-designed minigames, implemented in a way that was seen by many to be outright insulting to the franchise, and was the point where even most casual gamers finally realized the genre was never going to significantly evolve; one of the games in particular, a ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' clone that had Star Wars characters dancing to terrible covers of popular music rewritten to be about the franchise, became an emblem of how bad an idea the game was. Microsoft tried to persevere with the Kinect 2.0 that was initially included with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, but both the add-on and the motion-controlled game genre in general were widely seen as dead-on-arrival by the time the console launched, contributing to its early struggles. Games with motion controls as optional extras remain a thing to this day, but even Nintendo, who popularized the genre, have to date only bothered releasing a very small number of titles based entirely around motion controls (most prominently ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', ''VideoGame/OneTwoSwitch'', and ''VideoGame/NintendoSwitchSports'') on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and even then, all three of the aforementioned games struggled (the first was cannibalized by ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' and thus ended up a StillbornFranchise, the second had its sequel test so poorly Nintendo contemplated cancelling it entirely before [[InvisibleAdvertising unceremoniously releasing it]], and the third was hit with a massive backlash by long-time ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' fans).

* While motion-controlled minigame collections struggled to win over hardcore gamers from the get-go, they at least generally sold very well for most of the seventh console generation. ''Kinect Star Wars'', however, is in retrospect widely seen as the game that put the genre beyond the point of no return. Heavily hyped up as the KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360's Kinect add-on, the game received a ''massive'' backlash when it turned out to be yet another collection of cheesy, poorly-designed minigames, implemented in a way that was seen by many to be outright insulting to the franchise, and was the point where even most casual gamers finally realized the genre was never going to significantly evolve; one of the games in particular, a ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' clone that had Star Wars characters dancing to terrible covers of popular music rewritten to be about the franchise, became an emblem of how bad an idea the game was. Microsoft tried to persevere with the Kinect 2.0 that was initially included with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, but both the add-on and the motion-controlled game genre in general were widely seen as dead-on-arrival by the time the console launched, contributing to its early struggles. Games with motion controls as optional extras remain a thing to this day, but even Nintendo, who popularized the genre, have to date only bothered releasing a very small number of titles based entirely around motion controls (most prominently ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', ''VideoGame/OneTwoSwitch'', and ''VideoGame/NintendoSwitchSports'') on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and even then, all three of the aforementioned games struggled (the first was cannibalized by ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' and thus ended up a StillbornFranchise, the second had its sequel test so poorly Nintendo contemplated cancelling it entirely before [[InvisibleAdvertising unceremoniously releasing it]], and the third was hit with a massive backlash by long-time ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' fans).

** Creator/BenCroshaw (who has created a number of adventure games himself, most notably the ''VideoGame/ChzoMythos'') postulated that the adventure game genre was killed by advancements in technology. The inventory-management puzzle was a simple vehicle to drive gameplay and lengthen content that didn't consume much in the way of processing power, which made it easy for games like ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' or ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' to squeeze in high-quality visuals and storytelling for their time. This was especially notable when many adventure games were computer-based, which gave them a niche over consoles. When technology evolved to the point that games could fit both decent faster-paced gameplay ''and'' decent visuals and story, and developers created or codified other dedicated genres like RealTimeStrategy (''VideoGame/DuneII'') and FirstPersonShooter (''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' and especially ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', which still has a fair number of classic adventure game fans who dislike it on this principle), adventure games suffered badly by comparison by [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny suddenly appearing much less advanced]].

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' is so bloated that it killed off the CollectAThonPlatformer genre. While this specific game went way overboard with the collecting aspect[[note]]The game's GottaCatchThemAll mechanic is seen as a rather notorious example of {{Padding}}, especially some objects can only be picked up by certain Kongs for seemingly rather arbitrary reasons, which necessitates the player to [[CharacterSelectForcing frequently switch characters]], which again is only something that be done in certain locations, if they want to accomplish it. Making things even worse is how often it happens that collectibles for one character will be hidden behind a door that only ''another character'' can open, so you can't even just scour the whole level one time each per character. Even if you are not going for [[HundredPercentCompletion 101% Completion]], it is still rather time consuming to even get to the point where the FinalBoss is unlocked.[[/note]], the genre became extremely over saturated and cliche, turning people off the already tired trend as a result. It often got overused in lazily designed platformer games, particularly licensed ones, helping send the trend to an early grave. Even the Mario games, which kicked off the trend in the first place with ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', moved on to more standard platforming as of ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' is so bloated that it killed off the CollectAThon genre. While this specific game went way overboard with the collecting aspect[[note]]The game's GottaCatchThemAll mechanic is seen as a rather notorious example of {{Padding}}, especially some objects can only be picked up by certain Kongs for seemingly rather arbitrary reasons, which necessitates the player to [[CharacterSelectForcing frequently switch characters]], which again is only something that be done in certain locations, if they want to accomplish it. Making things even worse is how often it happens that collectibles for one character will be hidden behind a door that only ''another character'' can open, so you can't even just scour the whole level one time each per character. Even if you are not going for [[HundredPercentCompletion 101% Completion]], it is still rather time consuming to even get to the point where the FinalBoss is unlocked.[[/note]], the genre became extremely over saturated and cliche, turning people off the already tired trend as a result. It often got overused in lazily designed platformer games, particularly licensed ones, helping send the trend to an early grave. Even the Mario games, which kicked off the trend in the first place with ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', moved on to more standard platforming as of ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' is so bloated that it killed off the {{Collectathon}} genre. While this specific game way overboard with the collecting aspect, the genre became extremely over saturated and cliche, turning people off the already tired trend as a result. It often got overused in lazily designed platformer games, particularly licensed ones, helping send the trend to an early grave. Even the Mario games, which kicked off the trend in the first place with ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', moved on to more standard platforming as of ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''.

%%* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' is so bloated that it killed off the {{Collectathon}} genre.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' is so bloated that it killed off the {{Collectathon}} genre.

* The Anthropomorphic MascotWithAttitude platformers that sprang up in the wake of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' started petering out after ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' and the ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' dipped their toes into [[AnimatedAdaptation the world of multimedia franchising]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Bubsy}} saw incredibly]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Battletoads}} disastrous results]]. When Bubsy subsequently underwent a catastrophic VideoGame3DLeap with the infamous ''Bubsy 3D'', the resulting backlash more or less exterminated every radical mascot that was not the {{Trope Maker|s}} himself[[note]]And even then, as many could tell you, he's not exactly had a good time of it either, at least since 2002[[/note]]. Thankfully, the general acclaim and quality of throwback platformers such as ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' and ''VideoGame/SparkTheElectricJester'' could hopefully spark the return of such "Sonic-lite" games. And by some miracle, even Bubsy's been getting more games as of late.

* [[ImmersiveSim Immersive Sims]] never had it easy from a commercial standpoint in spite of the games being overall well-received, very often being overshadowed by their more straighforward counterparts[[note]]''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' when ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'' came out, ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' when ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' came out, and ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' when ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'' came out[[/note]], but they still cultivated enough of a dedicated playerbase. However, the overall failure of ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' (not helping was that it was released right after ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty1''), combined with Ion Storm Austin's closing the following year, soured what remaining goodwill there was towards the genre. It wouldn't be until the success of ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' that the genre would start its road to recovery, culminating in the successes of ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' and ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}''. However, the commercial failures of those two titles' [[VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided respective]] [[VideoGame/Dishonored2 sequels]] and ''VideoGame/Prey2017'' (not helping was them [[ExecutiveMeddling being shafted around]] and their [[InvisibleAdvertising nonexistent advertising]]) effectively ended their GenreRelaunch in the mainstream. Immersive sims are still being made to this day but are very often done so by indie developers and for a relatively niche audience.

* [[ImmersiveSim Immersive Sims]] never had it easy from a commercial standpoint in spite of the games being overall well-received, very often being overshadowed by their more straighforward counterparts[[note]]''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' when ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'' came out, ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' when ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' came out, and ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' when ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'' came out[[/note]], but they still cultivated enough of a dedicated playerbase. However, the overall failure of ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' (not helping was that it was released right after ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty1''), combined with Ion Storm Austin's closing the following year, soured what remaining goodwill there was towards the genre. It wouldn't be until the success of ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' that the genre would start its road to recovery, culminating in the successes of ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' and ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}''. However, the commercial failures of those two titles' [[VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided respective]] [[VideoGame/Dishonored2 sequels]] and ''VideoGame/Prey2017'' (note helping was them [[ExecutiveMeddling being shafted around]] and their [[InvisibleAdvertising nonexistent advertising]]) effectively ended their GenreRelaunch in the mainstream. Immersive sims are still being made to this day but are very often done so by indie developers and for a relatively niche audience.

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII FPS games once reigned supreme, being bolstered by the successes of ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'', ''VideoGame/Battlefield1942'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty1''. Because of the successes of those three games, [[FollowTheLeader a plethora of imitators]] soon followed. While ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'' stood out for its greater focus on squad gameplay and being more akin to tactical shooters like ''Rainbow Six'' and ''Ghost Recon'' than arcadey shooters like those three, the vast majority of said imitators [[StrictlyFormula copied what those three titles did wholesale]] until they eventually drowned in their own excess and gamers, having grown tired of the repetitive nature of these games, began gravitating to alternatives. The final deathblow was the major failure of ''Hour of Victory'', with ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' writing its obituary soon after, heraldig the shift from ''World War II'' shooters to modern-day shooters as the norm. ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' would be the final World War II FPS to be released before the whole subgenre went into dormancy. The only games that would come out since would do so years later, such as ''VideoGame/DayOfInfamy'', ''VideoGame/HellLetLoose'', and the free-to-play ''VideoGame/HeroesAndGenerals''. However, it should be noted that this only applies to purely historic type shooters (''World at War'' was itself the final WWII-based ''Call of Duty'' game at the time, made mostly as a fall-back because Activision [[ItWillNeverCatchOn was convinced the modern-day jump wouldn't stick]], and ending up only really noticed because of [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies the Zombies mode that would become iconic to the franchise]]). AlternateHistory-type games with plots that haven't been seen (or, for that matter, read about in your history class) a million times before, like ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'', have still been going strong, the former helping itself by [[VideoGame/ZombieArmyTrilogy jumping on the zombies bandwagon]] while the latter has [[VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder pushed itself]] [[VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus beyond the]] [[VideoGame/WolfensteinYoungblood historical war]].

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII FPS games once reigned supreme, being bolstered by the successes of ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'', ''VideoGame/Battlefield1942'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty1''. Because of the successes of those three games, [[FollowTheLeader a plethora of imitators]] soon followed. While ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'' stood out for its greater focus on squad gameplay and being more akin to tactical shooters like ''Rainbow Six'' and ''Ghost Recon'' than arcadey shooters like those three, the vast majority of said imitators [[StriclyFormula copied what those three titles did wholesale]] until they eventually drowned in their own excess and gamers, having grown tired of the repetitive nature of these games, began gravitating to alternatives. The final deathblow was the major failure of ''Hour of Victory'', with ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' writing its obituary soon after, heraldig the shift from ''World War II'' shooters to modern-day shooters as the norm. ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' would be the final World War II FPS to be released before the whole subgenre went into dormancy. The only games that would come out since would do so years later, such as ''VideoGame/DayOfInfamy'', ''VideoGame/HellLetLoose'', and the free-to-play ''VideoGame/HeroesAndGenerals''. However, it should be noted that this only applies to purely historic type shooters (''World at War'' was itself the final WWII-based ''Call of Duty'' game at the time, made mostly as a fall-back because Activision [[ItWillNeverCatchOn was convinced the modern-day jump wouldn't stick]], and ending up only really noticed because of [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies the Zombies mode that would become iconic to the franchise]]). AlternateHistory-type games with plots that haven't been seen (or, for that matter, read about in your history class) a million times before, like ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'', have still been going strong, the former helping itself by [[VideoGame/ZombieArmyTrilogy jumping on the zombies bandwagon]] while the latter has [[VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder pushed itself]] [[VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus beyond the]] [[VideoGame/WolfensteinYoungblood historical war]].

* The execrable UsefulNotes/WorldWarII FPS ''Hour of Victory'' (2007) killed off WWII shooters for a while, with the only noticeably successful ones since ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' (2008) coming out nearly a full decade afterward, like ''VideoGame/DayOfInfamy'', ''VideoGame/HellLetLoose'', and the free-to-play ''VideoGame/HeroesAndGenerals''. However, it should be noted that the market had been absolutely saturated with WWII shooters for about a decade by then and the major franchises had shifted to a modern setting (''World at War'' was itself the final WWII-based ''Call of Duty'' game at the time, made mostly as a fall-back because Activision [[ItWillNeverCatchOn was convinced the modern-day jump wouldn't stick]], and ending up only really noticed because of [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies the Zombies mode that would become iconic to the franchise]]). Also, most of the damage was focused on games that follow the historical battles of the war; AlternateHistory-type games with plots that haven't been seen (or, for that matter, read about in your history class) a million times before, like ''VideoGame/SniperElite'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'', have still been going strong, the former helping itself by [[VideoGame/ZombieArmyTrilogy jumping on the zombies bandwagon]] while the latter has [[TheBadGuyWins pushed itself beyond the historical war]].
* In a rather similar vein to the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' examples, the "pulp-cinematic modern military shooter" subgenre of first-person shooters was popularized by ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', which was liked for its storytelling, comtemporary setting and dramatic scripted setpieces giving the games a SummerBlockbuster movie-like feel. A [[FollowTheLeader glut of imitators followed]], many of which had little to offer and [[StrictlyFormula were derivative to a tee]], culminating in the high-profile failure of ''VideoGame/{{Homefront}}'', which ended up [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks souring mainstream gamers' tastes towards these games]]. Rising backlash against the US military's involvement in the Middle East and criticism towards the UnfortunateImplications often present in these kinds of games also played a role in the subgenre's decline. This backlash would become unified with ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' in 2012, which was acclaimed precisely for its merciless {{deconstruction}} of the subgenre that ''Modern Warfare'' popularized. While it didn't outright kill the subgenre, it effectively wrote its obituary. The only notable attempt to do a pulp-cinematic take akin to the ''Modern Warfare'' games since 2012 and still succeed is the ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' series, and even then (out of necessity) it still has a number of features distinct enough to prevent it from being given the now-derisive label of "''Call of Duty'' clone". ''Call of Duty'' still thrives to this day but this is because of GrandfatherClause courtesy of it being the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier of the subgenre, with most attempts outside of the series since 2012 being often doomed to failure. Outside of ''Call of Duty'' the subgenre is effectively dead in the water, with little hope of recovery.

* In a rather similar vein to the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' examples, the "pulp-cinematic modern military shooter" subgenre of first-person shooters was popularized by ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', which was liked for its storytelling, comtemporary setting and dramatic scripted setpieces giving the games a SummerBlockbuster movie-like feel. A glut of imitators followed, many of which had little to offer and [[FollowTheLeader were derivative to a tee]], culminating in the high-profile failure of ''VideoGame/{{Homefront}}'', which ended up souring mainstream gamers' tastes towards these games. Rising backlash against the US military's involvement in the Middle East and criticism towards the UnfortunateImplications often present in these kinds of games also played a role in the subgenre's decline. This backlash would become unified with ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' in 2012, which was acclaimed precisely for its merciless {{deconstruction}} of the subgenre that ''Modern Warfare'' popularized. While it didn't outright kill the subgenre, it effectively wrote its obituary. The only notable attempt to do a pulp-cinematic take akin to the ''Modern Warfare'' games since 2012 and still succeed is the ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' series, and even then (out of necessity) it still has a number of features distinct enough to prevent it from being given the now-derisive label of "''Call of Duty'' clone". ''Call of Duty'' still thrives to this day but this is because of GrandfatherClause courtesy of it being the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier of the subgenre, with most attempts outside of the series since 2012 being often doomed to failure.

* In a rather similar vein to the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' examples, the "pulp-cinematic modern military shooter" subgenre of first-person shooters was popularized by ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', which was liked for its storytelling, comtemporary setting and dramatic scripted setpieces giving the games a SummerBlockbuster movie-like feel. A glut of imitators followed, many of which had little to offer and [[StrictlyFormula were derivative to a tee]], culminating in the high-profile failure of ''VideoGame/{{Homefront}}'', which ended up souring mainstream gamers' tastes towards these games. Rising backlash against the US military's involvement in the Middle East and criticism towards the UnfortunateImplications often present in these kinds of games also played a role in the subgenre's decline. This backlash would become unified with ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' in 2012, which was acclaimed precisely for its merciless {{deconstruction}} of the subgenre that ''Modern Warfare'' popularized. While it didn't outright kill the subgenre, it effectively wrote its obituary. The only notable attempt to do a pulp-cinematic take akin to the ''Modern Warfare'' games since 2012 and still succeed is the ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' series, and even then it still features a number of features distinct enough to prevent it from being given the derisive label of ''Call of Duty'' clone. ''Call of Duty'' still thrives to this day but this is because of GrandfatherClause courtesy of it being the TropeMaker and TropeCodifier of the subgenre, with most attempts outside of the series since 2012 being often doomed to failure.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' can itself also be linked to the death of WWII shooters and the shift to modern/near-future settings, due to the extreme popularity of the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' sub-series, ''VideoGame/{{Call of Duty 4|ModernWarfare}}'' (2007) in particular [[FollowTheLeader spawning a notable amount]] of linear FPS games with dramatic scripted setpieces, [[StrictlyFormula usually including]] an [[DeathFromAbove AC-130 section]], a setting in the Middle East or a hypothetical war with Russia, and [[TheHeroDies a player character dying]]. The ''Modern Warfare'' style modern-military shooter craze eventually died down after 2012, and games started moving towards 'near future'/sci-fi territory with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'' and ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}''. Arguably, the combination of the failures of ''VideoGame/{{Homefront}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Medal of Honor|2010}} Warfighter'', rising sentiment against the US military's involvement in the Middle East, {{deconstruction game}}s such as ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', and a backlash from gamers towards obviously-derivative modern day shooters, has led to this shift in subject. Of course, [[HereWeGoAgain this simply lead to a similar glut of near-future copycat shooters]]. Since then, ''Call of Duty'' at least seems to have settled on trying to split the difference between games set [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII during]] the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard war]] or [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar elsewhere]] in the past, games set in [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps4 the future]], and games [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 set in]] the [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfareII modern day]].

* While motion-controlled minigame collections struggled to win over hardcore gamers from the get-go, they at least generally sold very well for most of the seventh console generation. ''Kinect Star Wars'', however, is in retrospect widely seen as the game that put the genre beyond the point of no return. Heavily hyped up as the KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360's Kinect add-on, the game received a ''massive'' backlash when it turned out to be yet another collection of cheesy, poorly-designed minigames, implemented in a way that was seen by many to be outright insulting to the franchise, and was the point where even most casual gamers finally realized the genre was never going to significantly evolve; one of the games in particular, a ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'' clone that had Star Wars characters dancing to terrible covers of popular music rewritten to be about the franchise, became an emblem of how bad an idea the game was. Microsoft tried to persevere with the Kinect 2.0 that was initially included with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, but both the add-on and the motion-controlled game genre in general were widely seen as dead-on-arrival by the time the console launched, contributing to its early struggles. Games with motion controls as optional extras remain a thing to this day, but even Nintendo, who popularized the genre, have to date only bothered releasing a very small number of titles based entirely around motion controls (most prominently ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', ''VideoGame/OneTwoSwitch'', and ''Nintendo Switch Sports'') on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

** An alternative theory as to what killed point-and-click adventure games is presented by [[http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/77.html this article]] on Website/OldManMurray, in response to [[https://web.archive.org/web/20010417091751/http://gamecenter.com:80/Features/Exclusives/Deadburied/ss01.html another article]] which blamed ''Myst''[='=]s success for it - they filled themselves with so many [[MoonLogicPuzzle contrived and illogical puzzles]] which [[GuideDangIt no rational human being could conceive the answer to on their own]] (specifically citing the infamous "cat hair mustache" puzzle from ''VideoGame/GabrielKnight 3'') that they effectively committed suicide by driving away their own playerbase. The fact that many of these obtuse puzzles appeared to be [[RevenueEnhancingDevices pretexts to market strategy guides, "game help phone hotlines", and clue books to the same customers]] didn't help.

* Wrestling/{{WCW}} and Wrestling/{{ECW}} folding within a couple months of each other in early 2001 pretty much killed the UsefulNotes/ProfessionalWrestling game genre outside of the games bearing the Wrestling/{{WWE}} license, which despite [[GameBreakingBug having their problems]] still sell well to the hardcore WWE fans. In the early 2000s a few developers tried putting out games without a tie to a promotion (but often featuring real wrestlers not employed by WWE) like ''Legends of Wrestling'', ''Backyard Wrestling'', and ''Rumble Roses'', which sold well enough to get sequels but not well enough to get extended to the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames next generation of consoles]], and little else since. The only other licensed games since WCW and ECW imploded were a [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] game in 2008 and a Wrestling/{{AAA}} game in 2010, both of which were panned by critics (of both video games and wrestling) and had pretty weak sales. Wrestling/{{AEW}}'s potential offering being stuck in DevelopmentHell isn't helping, nor is a general decline in the popularity of wrestling as a whole. ''VideoGame/FireProWrestling'' is still chugging along (though it usually [[NoExportForYou doesn't leave Japan]]) mainly thanks to name recognition and being cheap to produce[[note]]''Fire Pro'' is completely 2D and uses old-school sprite graphics and while the more recent games boast a roster of over 300 real wrestlers [[Main/NoCelebritiesWereHarmed they use fake names so they don't have to pay said wrestlers]][[/note]], but the slow pacing and steep learning curve has mostly relegated ''Fire Pro'' to being a niche product for uber-[[SmartMark smark]] fans.

* While motion-controlled minigame collections struggled to win over hardcore gamers from the get-go, they at least generally sold very well for most of the seventh console generation. ''Kinect Star Wars'', however, is in retrospect widely seen as the game that put the genre beyond the point of no return. Heavily hyped up as the KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360's Kinect add-on, the game received a ''massive'' backlash when it turned out to be yet another collection of cheesy, poorly-designed minigames, implemented in a way that was seen by many to be outright insulting to the franchise, and was the point where even most casual gamers finally realized the genre was never going to significantly evolve; one of the games in particular, a ''VideoGame/JustDance'' clone that had Star Wars characters dancing to terrible covers of popular music rewritten to be about the franchise, became an emblem of how bad an idea the game was. Microsoft tried to persevere with the Kinect 2.0 that was initially included with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, but both the add-on and the motion-controlled game genre in general were widely seen as dead-on-arrival by the time the console launched, contributing to its early struggles. Games with motion controls as optional extras remain a thing to this day, but even Nintendo, who popularized the genre, have to date only bothered releasing a very small number of titles based entirely around motion controls (most prominently ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'', ''VideoGame/OneTwoSwitch'', and ''Nintendo Switch Sports'') on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', while highly successful and acclaimed both in its time and now, has been [[http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil-4-hd/videos/great-games-terrible-legacy-resident-evil-4-6402604/ blamed]] for killing, or at least hastening the demise of, the SurvivalHorror genre in the '00s. This is largely due to its status as the FranchiseOriginalSin for the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series, introducing many shooter-esque gameplay elements that would take over later games in the series, which other survival horror series would copy until, by TheNewTens, most "horror" games were basically action shooters with creepy-crawlies and gothic atmospheres. However, [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard the seventh]] and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage eighth]] games, as well as ''VideoGame/{{PT}}'' (albeit [[VideoGame/SilentHills its full game]] being canned) and several indie productions (notably ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' and ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'') have formed a movement of harkening back to the genre's roots.

* Wrestling/{{WCW}} and Wrestling/{{ECW}} folding within a couple months of each other in early 2001 pretty much killed the UsefulNotes/ProfessionalWrestling game genre outside of the games bearing the Wrestling/{{WWE}} license, which despite [[GameBreakingBug having their problems]] still sell well to the hardcore WWE fans. In the early 2000s a few developers tried putting out games without a tie to a promotion (but often featuring real wrestlers not employed by WWE) like ''Legends of Wrestling'', ''Backyard Wrestling'', and ''Rumble Roses'', which sold well enough to get sequels but not well enough to get extended to the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames next generation of consoles]], and little else since. The only other licensed games since WCW and ECW imploded were a [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] game in 2008 and a Wrestling/{{AAA}} game in 2010, both of which were panned by critics (of video games and wrestling) and had pretty weak sales. Wrestling/{{AEW}}'s potential offering being stuck in DevelopmentHell isn't helping, nor is a general decline in the popularity of wrestling as a whole. ''VideoGame/FireProWrestling'' is still chugging along (though it usually [[NoExportForYou doesn't leave Japan]]) mainly thanks to name recognition and being cheap to produce, but the slow pacing and steep learning curve has mostly relegated ''Fire Pro'' to being a niche product for uber-[[SmartMark smark]] fans.

** The only other gaming aversion would be the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series and most of its spinoffs, which predated ''Pokémon'' and is considered the first successful franchise to use Mons, even if [[UnbuiltTrope it looks like a deconstruction]] compared to ''Pokémon''. Another factor of its success was due to simply not fitting into the "Pokémon clone" stigma by virtue of being less cute, cuddly {{Mon}} creatures with PokemonSpeak that you [[GottaCatchEmAll catch to collect yourself]], so much as [[OurDemonsAreDifferent mythological demons]] from [[AllMythsAreTrue all religions and legends]] that you make pacts with to act as your familiars and regularly [[FusionDance dispose of to fuse into stronger demons]]. Combine that with ''Shin Megami Tensei'' having heaps of ethical analysis of its three alignments with GreyAndGrayMorality and [[ShownTheirWork lavishly-detailed research of its myths]], and the contrast it has to ''Pokémon's'' BlackAndWhiteMorality and emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship, it's probably the biggest reason why ''Shin Megami Tensei'' is even allowed to exist inside the public international consciousness as a MonsSeries. Outside of ''Pokémon'', ''Yo-kai Watch'', ''Fate'', and ''Shin Megami Tensei'', however, video game Mons series are few and far between and not known by most.

** The only other gaming aversion would be the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series and most of its spinoffs, which predated ''Pokémon'' and is considered the first successful franchise to use Mons, even if [[UnbuiltTrope it looks like a deconstruction]] compared to ''Pokémon''. Another factor of its success was due to simply not fitting into the "Pokémon clone" stigma by virtue of being less cute, cuddly {{Mon}} creatures with PokemonSpeak that you [[GottaCatchEmAll catch to collect yourself]], so much as [[OurDemonsAreDifferent mythological demons]] from [[AllMythsAreTrue all religions and legends]] that you make pacts with to act as your familiars and regularly [[FusionDance dispose of to fuse into stronger demons]]. Combine that with ''Shin Megami Tensei'' having heaps of ethical analysis of its three alignments with GreyAndGrayMorality and [[ShownTheirWork lavishly-detailed research of its myths]], and the contrast it has to ''Pokémon's'' BlackAndWhiteMorality and emphasis on ThePowerOfFriendship, it's probably the biggest reason why ''Shin Megami Tensei'' is even allowed to exist inside the public international consciousness as a MonSeries. Outside of ''Pokémon'', ''Yo-kai Watch'', ''Fate'', and ''Shin Megami Tensei'', however, video game Mons series are few and far between and not known by most.

** The only other gaming aversion would be the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series and most of its spinoffs, which predated ''Pokémon'' and is considered the first successful franchise to use Mons, even if [[UnbuiltTrope it looks like a deconstruction]] compared to ''Pokémon''. Another factor of its success was due to simply not fitting into the "Pokémon clone" stigma by virtue of being less cute, cuddly {{Mon}} creatures with PokemonSpeak so much as [[AllMythsAreTrue mythological demons from all religions and legends]]. Outside of ''Pokémon'', ''Yo-kai Watch'', ''Fate'', and ''Shin Megami Tensei'', video game Mons series are few and far between and not known by most.

** The only other gaming aversion would be the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series and most of its spinoffs, which predated ''Pokémon'' and is considered the first successful franchise to use Mons, even if [[UnbuiltTrope it looks like a deconstruction]] compared to ''Pokémon''. Another factor of its success was due to simply not fitting into the "Pokémon clone" stigma by virtue of being less cute, cuddly {{Mon}} creatures with PokemonSpeak so much as [[AllMythAreTrue mythological demons from all religions and legends]]. Outside of ''Pokémon'', ''Yo-kai Watch'', ''Fate'', and ''Shin Megami Tensei'', video game Mons series are few and far between and not known by most.