History OvershadowedByControversy / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/StarGagnant'': While otherwise a solid ''VideoGame/StarSoldier''-esque shooter with the involvement of Creator/TakahashiMeijin, his involvement may have caused more harm than good for this game's reception and sales due to the game being centered around its rapid-fire system, clearly in an attempt to ride on his talent of being able to tap at up to 16 times per second. Many players go as far as to call this game a '''health hazard''' due to the injuries that can occur from furiously mashing a button over the course of 30 minutes (in a vein similar to the "rotate the control stick" minigames in ''VideoGame/MarioParty1'') and the lack of segments where the player can just hold the shot button and reliably deal damage with the regular shot.

* ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' was known for its realistic graphics and violent content, leading to MoralGuardians to question the game. However, it's not as extreme as the controversies over other games released around the time, such as ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''.

* The first ''VideoGame/MarioParty1'' is fondly remembered by those that have played it, but it's more often associated with the rampant [[ScrappyMechanic control-stick spinning minigames]], in particular ''Tug o' War'' and ''Pedal Power''. The most efficient way to win at these minigames was to use the palm of your hand rather than your thumb, but this technique applied a dangerous amount of friction to the players' skin, which led to several players contracting blisters while playing. [[https://www.cnet.com/news/nintendo-offers-glove-to-prevent-joystick-injuries/ Nintendo was eventually forced to offer free protective gloves]] to any player who had injured themselves while playing the game. Later installments would remove these types of minigames, and the whole controversy is believed to be the main reason why [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes it took until 2022 for the game]] to be re-released virtually through Platform/NintendoSwitch Online, albeit with [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope a warning about certain techniques]]. The ''Tug o' War'' would be individually got re-released on ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'' for the Switch as well, with the same warning.

* ''VideoGame/PoppyPlaytime'':
** In December of 2021, MOB Games announced on Twitter the release of a set of [=NFTs=][[note]]"Non-fungible tokens", a type of cryptocurrency that is a non-interchangeable unit of data that can be sold or traded, which have become extremely controversial because of the harm their energy requirements cause to the environment[[/note]] to promote the release of Chapter 2. This move was met with ''immediate'' backlash from the fanbase, with most being upset that the [=NFTs=] contained more lore than the game itself at the time, and MOB Games deleted the tweet soon after. Even after MOB Games issued an apology, most may have never heard of the game if it weren't for what some have called an unnecessary business move.
** Adding to the [=NFTs=] debacle, the game is chained to larger controversy revolving around MOB Games' business practices. Things like the company's focus on selling merch and making movie deals over producing more content for the game itself, alongside largely unrelated criticism toward the [[WebAnimation/FazbearAndFriendsZamination web series]] the company helps produce, has left the game itself with a sour reputation more due to its association than anything else.
** Yet another controversy soon added itself: [=YouTuber=] [[https://youtube.com/c/Ekrcoaster Ekrcoaster]] pointed out some uncanny similarities between ''Poppy Playtime'' and his own game. Then it was revealed that the latter had been bullied in the past by MOB Games' CEO and his brother. Said bullying was so bad that Ekrcoaster was almost driven to suicide and had to go through psychological therapy.

** The game was clearly intended to ride on the popularity of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, and ended up suffering greatly for it: the more realistic art style caused several Capcom characters (most prominently [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Chun-Li]], [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]], and [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]], who all [[NewWorkRecycledGraphics reused]] their more cartoony ''[=MvC3=]'' models) to fall ''hard'' into the UnintentionalUncannyValley, the iconic character themes from past games were replaced with generic movie-style music, and, most damning of all, the ''ComicBook/XMen'' and ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' characters were cut entirely from the roster due to Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter's infamous petty feud with 20th Century Fox over the film rights over the aforementioned characters.[[note]]Fans weren't too happy with Capcom's side of the roster either, both for bringing back a number of less-popular characters like [[VideoGame/BionicCommando the "my arm is my wife" version of Spencer]] and [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Firebrand]], while characters they wanted to see like [[VideoGame/StreetFighterV Rashid]] and [[VideoGame/AsurasWrath Asura]] were nowhere to be found.[[/note]]

* Creator/ProjectMoon was once an upstart South Korean indie gaming company known for its existential themes and one of the darkest settings possible in the {{Cyberpunk}} genre, but its reputation has been tainted during the release of [[VideoGame/LimbusCompany Limbus Company's]] Intervallo IV.5, some players complained that the Molar Boatworks Identities of Ishmael wasn't sexualized enough and claimed that the game was tainted by feminist extremists, and framed the CG artist, Vellmori as one of them over alleged dogwhistling for feminist extremism in story cutscenes, causing Project Moon to supposedly lay her off and starting a series of uproars within not just the fandom, but also by the Korean game community as well. While it was later revealed that Vellmori voluntarily resigned due to the harassment, the incident remains as a major problem of South Korea's infamous gender war issues, and it becomes inevitable that any discussions about the company or its works will involve the Vellmori incident at some point.

* ''Battlecruiser 3000 A.D.'' is a space flight simulator that went through a long, TroubledProduction before being released for [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows MS-DOS]] in 1996, to a cold reception for being an [[ObviousBeta incomplete, bug-ridden mess]]. Furthermore, the game's lead developer, Derek Smart, made several ambitious promises that he ultimately failed to deliver on (though he claimed that [[Creator/TakeTwoInteractive Take-Two]] released the game too early), and reacted to criticism with vitriol, to the point of contributing to one of the longest {{Flame War}}s in UsefulNotes/{{Usenet}} history. As a result, the game's development and Smart's unprofessional behavior have become more known than the game itself.

* The CompilationRerelease ''Sonic Origins'', which includes ports of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 Sonic 1]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]'' and ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, Platform/NintendoSwitch and PC, has been the center of many controversies before and after its release. First, Creator/{{Sega}}'s decision to remove the original games from online platforms (Platform/PlayStationNetwork, Platform/XboxLive, Nintendo eShop and Platform/{{Steam}}) in May 2022 was considered a not-subtle way to push consumers to this compilation, and the use of the [[MediaNotes/DigitalRightsManagement Denuvo]] protection for the PC version was criticized because of the implications that it may slow down computers. The in-game coin system which is necessary to unlock some bonuses and which is sold through [[DownloadableContent DLC]] didn't help either. After the release, some players realized the following things: some bugs in the games were not corrected yet because Sega didn't include them properly in the compilation; despite what the intro and outro cutscenes supposed, Amy Rose is not playable; and while the replacement of Music/MichaelJackson tracks in ''Sonic 3 and Knuckles'' was accepted because of [[UsefulNotes/{{Copyright}} the legal issues around them]], the decision to remix the PC tracks instead of remastering the prototype ones was not well-received.

* Creator/ProjectMoon was once an upstart South Korean indie gaming company known for its existential themes and one of the darkest settings possible in the {{Cyberpunk}} genre, but its reputation has been tainted during the release of [[VideoGame/LimbusCompany Limbus Company's]] Intervallo IV.5, some players complained that the Molar Boatworks Identities of Ishmael wasn't sexualized enough and claimed that the game was tainted by feminist extremists, and framed the CG artist, Vellmori as one of them, causing Project Moon to supposedly lay her off and starting a series of uproars within not just the fandom, but also by the Korean game community as well. While it was later revealed that Vellmori voluntarily resigned due to the harassment, the incident remains as a major problem of South Korea's infamous gender war issues, and it becomes inevitable that any discussions about the company or its works will involve the Vellmori incident at some point.

* ''VideoGame/LimbusCompany'': Once a promising entry to Project Moon's other works, the reputation of it has been tainted when during the release of Intervallo IV.5, some players complained that the Molar Boatworks Identities of Ishmael wasn't sexualized enough and claimed that the game was tainted by feminist extremists, and framed the CG artist, Vellmori as one of them, causing Project Moon to supposedly lay her off and starting a series of uproars within not just the fandom, but also by the Korean game community as well. While it was later revealed that Vellmori voluntarily resigned due to the harassment, the incident remains as an infamous example of major problems regarding South Korea's infamous gender war issues.

** The "Fazbear Fanverse Initiative" is an official collaborative project launched in 2020, designed to help invest in and promote ''FNAF'' {{Fan Game}}s, with fans receiving endorsement and funding by Cawthon to create larger-scope games for the franchise alongside opportunities including official merchandise tie-ins and ports. The initiative received high praise on launch, but nowadays has become more well-known for involving creators that become wracked with scandals, most prominently Phisnom (creator of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysPlus'', who's become well-known for his heavily confrontational online presence, regularly getting into heated arguments against other creators in public and ultimately had the game cancelled after a particularly bad incident on Platform/TwitterX), and {{Creator/Jonochrome}} (creator of the ''VideoGame/OneNightAtFlumptys'' trilogy, who was ousted as having groomed a 13-year-old fan). More often than not, discussions about the drama surrounding those involved in the initiative have become much more known than the initiative itself, with some fans casting doubt on its potential for success as a promotional platform considering the bad publicity attached to it.

* ''VideoGame/YIIKAPostModernRPG'' is plagued with its own issues like story pacing and sluggish gameplay, but what really brought the game into the spotlight were both the revelation that its main developer, Brian Allanson, plagiarized a few paragraphs from Haruki Murakami's novels as a poor attempt at a ShoutOut and his [[WordOfGod confirmation]] on Platform/TwitterX that the game's premise is based on the shadowy real life death of Elisa Lam, the latter of which was condemned by many as disrespectful. Allanson's subsequent tantrums (where he accused gamers of not being able to handle complex subjects or unlikable protagonists) finished sinking the game's reputation, and now any mention you see of ''YIIK'' online will almost always be about its controversies.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' has a massive fanbase with extensive discussion and debate on a lot of topics, but has been especially dominated with a few prevailing issues of concern:

** The "Fazbear Fanverse Initiative" is an official collaborative project launched in 2020, designed to help invest in and promote ''FNAF'' {{Fan Game}}s, with fans receiving endorsement and funding by Cawthon to create larger-scope games for the franchise alongside opportunities including official merchandise tie-ins and ports. The initiative received high praise on launch, but nowadays has become more well-known for involving creators that become wracked with scandals, most prominently Phisnom (creator of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysPlus'', who's become well-known for his heavily confrontational online presence, regularly getting into heated arguments against other creators in public and ultimately had the game cancelled after a particularly bad incident on Twitter), and {{Creator/Jonochrome}} (creator of the ''VideoGame/OneNightAtFlumptys'' trilogy, who was ousted as having groomed a 13-year-old fan). More often than not, discussions about the drama surrounding those involved in the initiative have become much more known than the initiative itself, with some fans casting doubt on its potential for success as a promotional platform considering the bad publicity attached to it.

* ''VideoGame/GachaLife'' would've remained a relatively standard, if popular VirtualPaperDoll game if not for the fact that many of its (mostly underage) users have been discovered making softcore pornographic content (which often gained millions of views on Website/YouTube from other minors) using the game's Studio function. As such, almost all discussion of the game focuses on the inappropriate content its users generate rather than any of its actual merits. Though developer Lunime [[https://old.reddit.com/r/GachaLifeCringe/comments/ek8q0v/finally/ issued an update]] removing certain props from the game in an attempt to curb the issue, it has been criticized as a half-hearted attempt to fix the issue, especially as players continue to make {{NSFW}} content using the game. Additionally, Luni themselves have been accused of enabling pedophiliac behavior, due to a combination of the aforementioned neglect and the [[https://www.reddit.com/r/GachaLifeCringe/comments/p0tj4q/luni_doesnt_want_gacha_heat_also_luni discovery]] of content sexualizing a minor in a previous ''Gacha'' game.

* The Platform/OculusQuest 2 VR Headset is generally considered pretty good from a technical perspective, but it has been heavily criticized for its Website/{{Facebook}} integration: the headset cannot be used unless you log in with a valid Facebook account. If you have been banned from Facebook for any reason, don't want to create an account due to privacy concerns, or are too young to have an account (and Facebook has measures to prevent people from creating an account with false information, so using a SockPuppet is not possible), the headset is completely useless. While the headset still managed to become a best-seller, it's hard to find any discussion of it that doesn't mention the Facebook requirement as a major issue.

* Imagos Softworks' ''Starr Mazer: DSP'' is best known for the bizarre, sustained contract and copyright dispute that occurred in 2017 between composer Alex Mauer and Imagos, which saw Mauer successfully and frequently filing fraudulent [[MediaNotes/DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct DMCA]] claims against Website/YouTube videos of the game in retaliation against Imagos, attracting massive backlash and drawing attention to how easily the site's DMCA report system could be abused.
* Any and all discussion of ''VideoGame/{{Star Wars Battlefront II|2017}}'' was swallowed up by the backlash against its {{microtransaction}} system, which was implemented in a way that many felt tread dangerously close to outright pay-to-win gambling, especially since, being a ''Franchise/StarWars'' game, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids it was guaranteed to be played by children despite the T (13+) rating]]:

* ''VideoGame/YIIKAPostModernRPG'' is plagued with its own issues like story pacing and sluggish gameplay, but what really brought the game into the spotlight were both the revelation that its main developer, Brian Allanson, plagiarized a few paragraphs from Haruki Murakami's novels as a poor attempt at a ShoutOut and his [[WordOfGod confirmation]] on Website/{{Twitter}} that the game's premise is based on the shadowy real life death of Elisa Lam, the latter of which was condemned by many as disrespectful. Allanson's subsequent tantrums (where he accused gamers of not being able to handle complex subjects or unlikable protagonists) finished sinking the game's reputation, and now any mention you see of ''YIIK'' online will almost always be about its controversies.

* Creator/BlizzardEntertainment has seen its once-stellar reputation take a nosedive in the late 2010s and early 2020s following several controversial incidents. While there were prior incidents like the botched launch of ''VideoGame/DiabloIII''[[note]]At launch, the game suffered from DemandOverload, and its always-online [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement DRM]] meant many gamers couldn't play it at all[[/note]] and negative audience reaction to the announcement of the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal'' at [=BlizzCon=] 2018[[note]]The event is rather noteworthy as the first time in [=BlizzCon=] history that an announcement was met with vocal negativity. Much of the backlash was because the [[Platform/IBMPersonalComputer PC]]-centric crowd had paid $200 each to attend with expectations of seeing a new mainline ''Diablo'' installment, or at least a remaster of ''[[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Diablo I]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/DiabloII II]]''. Their reactions weren't helped by ''Diablo Immortal'' being announced at the very end of the convention as TheClimax, or by the exasperated response by Blizzard employees who [[DidntSeeThatComing had not anticipated such a negative reception]] i.e. "[[MemeticMutation Do you guys not have phones?]]"[[/note]], Blizzard became the center of international controversy following the Blitzchung controversy in which Blizzard suspended the ''[[VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft Hearthstone]]'' [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports]] player Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung for a year and stripped him of his winnings after he voiced support for the 2019 Hong Kong protests during an interview. This response spurred furious protests from not only Blizzard's audience, but also from fans of other video games, Blizzard's own employees, the general public and politicians, all accusing the company of engaging in censorship to appease the Chinese government and Blizzard's Chinese investors so their games [[BannedInChina wouldn't be banned]].[[note]]While some believed "Blitzchung" should be punished for making a political speech during a non-political interview (which is against Blizzard's guidelines), even they thought his punishment was disproportionately harsh and more about appeasing China, especially since several professional ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' players received lighter punishments for racism and sexism.[[/note]] 2020 also saw a similar controversy with the one at 2018 with their release of ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reforged'', which is considered one of the worst video game remake attempts of all time with unfulfilled promises from the trailers and extremely damaging for Blizzard; since they were known as one of the kings of the RealTimeStrategy genre with ''Warcraft'', their attempt to revive the genre plummeted it deeper into the grave and made it harder for fans to forget their previous two controversies. However, the nadir of Blizzard's controversies came in the middle of 2021[[note]]Right after people thought they calmed down since ''Warcraft III: Reforged'', which was at the beginning of 2020, they had one year and a half reprieve and Blizzard did try to restore their reputation with ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}} 2'', ''VideoGame/{{Diablo IV}}'' and trying to do better in remakes with ''VideoGame/DiabloII: Resurrected'', which was going smoothly until those were shattered with the events as described soon[[/note]] when news reports and lawsuits revealed that Blizzard had terrible working conditions with some employees receiving starvation wages and male employees regularly sexually harassing female employees[[note]]Both the financial and sexual discrimination have existed at the company for many years[[/note]], with one harassed woman eventually committing suicide. Even worse was that the company's leadership was aware of harassment yet chose to either downplay incidents at best, or to actively defend sexual harassers and retaliate against victims of harassment at worst. These reports led to Blizzard employees staging strikes, sponsors pulling out from Blizzard's eSports tournaments and both the state of California and federal government investigating Blizzard for workplace violations. Given Blizzard's inclusive image and sterling reputation, as noted by the common quote "Blizzard can do no wrong", the company experienced a greater fall from grace than most, only rivaling Creator/{{Konami}} in disgrace. This gigantic controversy eventually caused their stock to plummet low enough for Creator/{{Microsoft}} to buy out parent company Creator/ActivisionBlizzard, marking the end of the company as an independent titan of gaming. Despite ''all'' of this, however, ''VideoGame/DiabloIV'' proved to be the best-selling game the company had ever made up to that point, resulting in cynical commentators pointing out that all of the trouble and controversy apparently meant nothing if the company made a game people ''wanted''.

* Edge Games was a video game developer and publisher founded in 1990, acquiring the [=IPs=] of its founder and CEO Tim Langdell's former company Softek Software in the process, which itself was founded in 1980. Edge Games is much more well-known for multiple incidents of Langdell filing {{Frivolous Lawsuit}}s against gaming-related companies using the word "edge" in their products such as [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]]'s 1995 [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade game]] ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Edge]]'' or {{Creator/DICE}}[=/=][[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]]'s ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'', (in which Edge Games lost against EA and by extension, had to give up the "Edge" trademark, saving Mobigames' "EDGE", a small indie game by a small indie publisher, in the process) than for any of their games[[note]]Edge Games have a very small library for a company of their age, releasing nine games over the course of twenty-five years from 1989–2014[[/note]].

* The 2008 online [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash flash]] game ''Faith Fighter'', a FightingGame developed by Paolo Pedercini and starring religious figures, is best known for the heated backlash it received the following year from Muslims over the fact that it depicted UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad among its cast[[note]]Creating art of Muhammad is considered blasphemous disrespect among Muslims[[/note]], leading to the game being temporarily withdrawn from its hosting site.

* ''VideoGame/LimboOfTheLost'' became infamous for [[DevelopmentHell being stuck in development since 1994]]. When [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell it was finally released in 2007]], it was generally considered [[SoOkayItsAverage a mediocre game at best]]. What the game is far ''more'' infamous for, however, was the discovery a year later that much of its assets were blatantly [[{{UsefulNotes/Plagiarism}} plagiarised]] from other games and assorted media without permission or credit, ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows'' being just a few examples of many. Because of this, the game was permanently withdrawn from distribution, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes dooming it to collector status]].

* The Platform/Atari2600 port of ''VideoGame/PacMan'' is already considered to be the TropeCodifier for PortingDisaster due to allegations of it [[ChristmasRushed being very rushed]] (it had a fairly normal development cycle according to the port's developer Tod Frye), with its flickering ghosts being its most common complaint. However, it's also infamous for Creator/{{Atari}} manufacturing more cartridges than there were Atari 2600s on the market at the time[[note]]By March 1982, Atari had sold approximately 10 million consoles, but they manufactured approximately 12 million copies of ''Pac-Man''[[/note]], believing that--since the original UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame was (and still is) a huge critical and commercial success--people would order more Atari 2600s just to play ''Pac-Man'' at home. While the game was initially a commercial success, selling 7 million copies, word quickly got out that it was a terrible port of the original arcade game. Very soon, many copies were refunded, and Atari became distrusted by gamers. In short, Atari's botched port and the backlash that ensued was a significant contributor to MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, which the port has become forever associated with.

* The Platform/PlayStation3, despite having some solid exclusives down the line such as ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Metal Gear Solid 4]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'', is still remembered for its infamous 2006 reveal, with the announcement of the "[[MemeticMutation 599 US Dollars]]" launch price. With this being the most expensive launch price of a console in almost a decade, few would end up rushing to pick one up, and Sony's arrogant statements making clear how justified they thought the pricetag was did no favors. Not even being a comparatively cheap UsefulNotes/BluRay player at the time was enough to convince people, and what ''certainly'' didn't help was the 2008 Great Recession that was just around the corner, which stunted the adoption of HD home media as many people during that era could not afford [=HDTVs=] which were required to truly take advantage of Blu-Ray's improved picture quality. It also allowed Nintendo to effortlessly upstage Sony with the Wii's $250 launch price, and for Microsoft to regain their footing after the [=RROD=] debacle. The disastrous launch of the [=PS3=] that was in no small part a result of the conference left Sony with little choice but to drop its price, several times, in order to get people to start buying the system. This presentation helped ensure that the [=PS3=] stayed in dead last among their competition in the 7th console generation for a long time, despite dominating the industry for the past two generations and their solid recovery efforts that barely put its sales ahead of the Xbox 360 years later. Watch the presentation in its entirety [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtB4pbojEfk here]].

* ''VideoGame/TheSettlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom'' actually fixed many of the complaints people have had over the last games and is as a result often considered the best ''Settlers'' game in almost a decade. Unfortunately, though, the game's problematic, always-online [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement DRM]] and [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore infamously bad]] [[https://gamefaqs1.cbsistatic.com/box/3/6/0/128360_front.jpg North American box art]] meant most people didn't bother to find out.
* The first thing people tend to remember about ''VideoGame/SimCity2013'' is its utterly disastrous launch. The game was intended to be a reboot for [[VideoGame/SimCity the eponymous franchise]], but those who bought it on launch-day discovered that its servers were so overloaded that the game was next to impossible to start playing, and since [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement the game requires an always-online connection to the servers to run at all]], it was essentially unplayable; gaming journalists explicitly said they couldn't review it. Then, when the server issues ''were'' resolved, the game was generally agreed to be [[SoOkayItsAverage average]] at best, with smaller maps compared to previous entries, as well as features missing from previous entries, being cited as causes for complaint. In 2015, Creator/ParadoxInteractive published ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines'', a SpiritualSuccessor made in direct response to the miserable launch of ''[=SimCity=] (2013)'', which has been acclaimed by ''[=SimCity=]'' fans as the superior game. In contrast, the ''[=SimCity=]'' franchise has yet to recover from the controversies of its 2013 instalment and [[FranchiseKiller languishes in obscurity]], though many older entries continue to be played and remembered fondly by fans.

* ''The Slaughtering Grounds'' was a cheaply made, [[UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}} asset-flip]] ridden first-person shooter game done by two people that seemed to have only made the game for a quick buck. Jim Sterling of ''WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}}'' fame tore the game a new one by heavily criticizing the game's broken mechanics, boring gameplay, and heavy use of purchased stock assets that did not fit the theme of the game and clashed with every other asset. The developers tried to silence Sterling with a copyright takedown, and when the takedown failed (along with other attempts to discredit Sterling), the duo then outright ''sued Sterling'' for defamation and other damages, to the tune of 10 million dollars. [[StreisandEffect The moment the lawsuit happened, the game quickly became known]] for two people that [[CantTakeCriticism couldn't take criticism]] over a crappy and broken game, and caused whole internet communities to spring up solely dedicated to scrutinizing and mocking the duo's previous work. Their reputation would only plummet even further when the duo tried ''suing Platform/{{Steam}} users for leaving negative reviews of their games''--a move that led to Creator/{{Valve}} swiftly pulling all of the duo's games from the service in response. This reputation has followed these developers to every new online storefront they join since being booted from Steam, in spite of them assuming new aliases and trying to stay under the radar.

* The CompilationRerelease ''Sonic Origins'', which includes ports of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 Sonic 1]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]'' and ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/PlayStation5, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, Platform/NintendoSwitch and PC, has been the center of many controversies before and after its release. First, Creator/{{Sega}}'s decision to remove the original games from online platforms (Platform/PlayStationNetwork, Platform/XboxLive, Nintendo eShop and Platform/{{Steam}}) in May 2022 was considered a not-subtle way to push consumers to this compilation, and the use of the [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement Denuvo]] protection for the PC version was criticized because of the implications that it may slow down computers. The in-game coin system which is necessary to unlock some bonuses and which is sold through [[DownloadableContent DLC]] didn't help either. After the release, some players realized the following things: some bugs in the games were not corrected yet because Sega didn't include them properly in the compilation; despite what the intro and outro cutscenes supposed, Amy Rose is not playable; and while the replacement of Music/MichaelJackson tracks in ''Sonic 3 and Knuckles'' was accepted because of [[UsefulNotes/{{Copyright}} the legal issues around them]], the decision to remix the PC tracks instead of remastering the prototype ones was not well-received.

* Imagos Softworks' ''Starr Mazer: DSP'' is best known for the bizarre, sustained contract and copyright dispute that occurred in 2017 between composer Alex Mauer and Imagos, which saw Mauer successfully and frequently filing fraudulent [[UsefulNotes/DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct DMCA]] claims against Website/YouTube videos of the game in retaliation against Imagos, attracting massive backlash and drawing attention to how easily the site's DMCA report system could be abused.

* ''VideoGame/ThrillKill'' is a case where the controversy was enough for the game to never get released (it was [[{{Gorn}} so violent]] the ESRB gave it an [[UsefulNotes/AdultsOnlyRatingESRB Adults-Only rating]], and thus Electronic Arts pulled the plug despite it being finished).

*** ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', while being one of the best-selling games of all time, is also infamous for being the TropeNamer for the HotCoffeeMinigame. When hackers managed to unearth the DummiedOut Hot Coffee minigame files from the game and published them online, it caused outrage among MoralGuardians, resulting in Rockstar Games being entangled in several lawsuits and forcing them to re-release the game with all traces of the minigame deleted. Some commented on the irony that, of all the terrible things GTA protagonists can do (and in some cases, have canonically done), what drew the most ire was one of them having consensual sex. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y-RkiPhpPY Yahtzee Croshaw sums it up here.]]

* Video game music composer Music/TommyTallarico was known for much of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s for his works as a composer on popular games (most notably ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'') and the ''Video Games Live'' concerts. While his tenure as co-host of the television show ''Electric Playground'' and reaction to online critics generated controversy, he was still primarily known as a talented musician. Cracks in his reputation deepened when Tallarico took over the Platform/{{Intellivision}} brand and began work on a new video game system called the Platform/IntellivisionAmico. Tommy's [[TakeThatCritics highly abrassive attitude toward people critical of the Amico]] [[note]]including slander towards the Platform/NintendoSwitch and collectively calling detractors of the console "gaming racists"[[/note]] and habit of making grandiose promises about the Amico hardware and software pipeline that had a pattern of not materializing garnered him a growing number of detractors. This led to these detractors digging into his history, uncovering a pattern of misappropriating credits from people who worked under him and lying about his personal accomplishments and involvement in projects his name was attached to. This truly hit the mainstream when popular [=YouTuber=] WebVideo/HBomberguy released a video discussing Tallarico's lawsuit with the developers of ''Platform/{{Roblox}}'' and his checkered history, introducing the controversy to a much larger audience. These days, Tommy Tallarico's reputation as a liar and a fraud has overtook his reputation as a composer, with many commentators throwing the validity of his entire career into doubt.

** The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games have suffered from this through the years. Whether it's about beating up sex workers, [[MurderSimulators being a scapegoat for criminals to blame their wrongdoings on]], accusations of bigotry, or depictions of ColdBloodedTorture, every game in the series has had their own share of controversy:

* ''VideoGame/CarnEvil'' is considered a classic of the RailShooter genre, but it's also well-known for the fact that one of the bosses in the game is a twenty-foot-tall undead ''baby''. Aware of the possible backlash from shooting a giant dead baby to pieces, the developers included a switch that would change the boss to a teddy bear, but that wasn't enough to stop it from seeing numerous bans from arcades nationwide, and most gamers other than Rail Shooter fans will likely know very little, if anything about ''[=CarnEvil=]'' other than the controversy surrounding the aforementioned boss.

* ''VideoGame/DepressionQuest'' is a small independent text-based game focused on helping the player character deal with their severe depression, based on the real-life experiences of creator Zoë Quinn. However, it's best known for sparking [[{{Scandalgate}} Gamergate]], a huge controversy associated with harassment that dominated online discourse throughout 2014 and 2015 after an ex-boyfriend of Quinn's wrote a blog post claiming that they'd[[note]]Quinn identified as a woman at the time, later coming out as non-binary in 2017[[/note]] engaged in some toxic and manipulative behavior, most notably saying they'd had an affair with Kotaku journalist Nathan Grayson who gave positive coverage to the game, possibly [[CastingCouch in exchange for said coverage]]. The online backlash that resulted from this claim -- which birthed a huge rift in the gaming community and journalism -- led to a massive debate about sexism, gender roles, diversity, and journalistic integrity in the gaming industry and subculture, the ramifications of which are still being felt to this day. The lingering hot-button nature of this incident still seeps into wider pop culture and American politics, and both ''Depression Quest'' and Quinn themself continue to see the incident loom over discussions of them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Devotion}}'', a horror game by Taiwanese developers Red Candle Games, received massively positive reviews at launch... until it was discovered that the game contained an image of a Fulu talisman (a ritual object roughly analogous to a voodoo doll) with the text "UsefulNotes/XiJinping Franchise/WinnieThePooh Moron" on it, supposedly a placeholder asset that Red Candle forgot to remove. Winnie the Pooh is [[MemeticMutation used as a mocking nickname]] for Chinese president Xi Jinping, and political speech critical of the Chinese government is a big deal over there, so its presence led to intense negative review-bombing from Chinese players and the game ultimately being pulled from Platform/{{Steam}}. This incident is now better-known than the game itself. In 2021, the game became available again through Red Candle Games' new e-store, but is still BannedInChina, whose government remains unforgiving despite the provocative text having long been patched out.

** ''VideoGame/DiabloImmortal'', a free-to-play [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]] ''Diablo'' {{interquel}} taking place during the TimeSkip between the second and third mainline games, is difficult to judge objectively. The game's announcement [[TaintedByThePreview met a cold reception]]: though intended for the Chinese market, where mobile gaming is ''very'' lucrative, it was announced to the English-speaking, PC-centric [=BlizzCon=] 2018 audience. (Those people were also disappointed because they were hoping ''VideoGame/DiabloIV'' was going to be announced instead; see [[OvershadowedByControversy/RealLife the Real Life page]] for more about that. Blizzard managed to defuse this by announcing ''that'' title a year later.) Even worse, upon release in 2022, the game was attacked for its [[AllegedlyFreeGame extremely aggressive monetization practices]]; without getting too technical, there are documented cases of players spending thousands or even ''tens'' of thousands of dollars without the {{Lootboxes}} yielding top-tier items. This led to the game [[BannedInChina being forbidden in Belgium and the Netherlands]], which have deemed the use of Loot Boxes gambling, and quickly made ''DI'' into ''the'' biggest example of everything wrong with mobile gaming. The game's reputation is tainted even within CommonKnowledge for this reason. Finally, there's the fact that, while the game actually has decent touchscreen controls, defying one of the major concerns about it, it would play better with a mouse and keyboard... Or rather, ''does'' play better with a mouse and keyboard, since it has been avaiable for PC since Day One.

* Although it has ultimately managed to escape this reputation, for a period in the late '90s and early '00s, ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' was inexorably linked to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre who were huge fans of the game. There were even rumors that they rehearsed the massacre by means of a modded ''Doom'' map in the shape of the school's floor plan.[[note]]Harris and Klebold really did make ''Doom'' mods. But a ''Doom'' map shaped like Columbine High School created by the two killers has never been found, if it ever existed at all. It is also dubious because the shooting spree was not their actual plan; they had intended to bomb the school. The shooting was what they resorted to when [[WheresTheKaboom their bombs failed to go off]].[[/note]] Over the years, the supposed link between [[MurderSimulators violent video games and real violence]] has been increasingly debunked, advocates of the existence of the link are now largely seen as being [[DiscoDan behind-the-times]], and ''Doom'' has been recognized as a classic of the FirstPersonShooter genre and spawned an acclaimed franchise that continues to this day.

* The Platform/Atari2600 port of ''VideoGame/PacMan'' is already considered to be the TropeCodifier for PortingDisaster due to allegations of it [[ChristmasRushed being very rushed]] (it hat a fairly normal development cycle according to the port's developer Tod Frye), with its flickering ghosts being its most common complaint. However, it's also infamous for Creator/{{Atari}} manufacturing more cartridges than there were Atari 2600s on the market at the time[[note]]By March 1982, Atari had sold approximately 10 million consoles, but they manufactured approximately 12 million copies of ''Pac-Man''[[/note]], believing that--since the original UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame was (and still is) a huge critical and commercial success--people would order more Atari 2600s just to play ''Pac-Man'' at home. While the game was initially a commercial success, selling 7 million copies, word quickly got out that it was a terrible port of the original arcade game. Very soon, many copies were refunded, and Atari became distrusted by gamers. In short, Atari's botched port and the backlash that ensued was a significant contributor to MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, which the port has become forever associated with.

** Looking through the game files revealed a questionable texture for Maria Robotnik[[note]]The texture in question is underwear with the writing "bad girl" on it[[/note]], which was used on Maria's character model, but not visible during her boss fight. This is considered to be disturbing, since Maria was canonically established to be 12 years old before her death, and fans have accused Ouroboros of hiring a pedophile to work on the game.

* ''VideoGame/WiiMusic'' probably would have been forgotten shortly after its release if it wasn't for Creator/{{Nintendo}} [[ThisIsGoingToBeHuge pushing the title as the Wii's big holiday game]] at the [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3 2008 press conference]]. The move alienated fans who were hoping to see a new ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' or ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' game, and were instead given a mediocre rhythm game. It got to the point that Creator/SatoruIwata [[OldShame issued a public apology days after the conference]], explaining that the company was trying to experiment with their press conference presentations. It didn't help that the stage performance was an adequate indicator of the game's actual quality, as its simplistic control scheme and track list of public domain songs made it pale in comparison to other music-based titles available on the platform (namely ''[[VideoGame/GuitarHero Guitar Hero III]]'') and become one of the most critically-derided games in the ''Wii'' series.

* Once a heavily anticipated indie title whose debug builds gained it a wide fandom overnight, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' is better-known nowadays for the heavy amounts of drama surrounding its lead developer, [=YandereDev=]. Most notorious is the fact that the game has been in an alpha state since 2014, which resulted in many accusing him of milking DevelopmentHell for profit, with the demos' [[DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming poor coding]] resulting in widespread ridicule that only corroborated the controversy surrounding his apparent approach to game development, which was not helped by [=YandereDev=] being shown to have mistreated both volunteers and fans alike in the past, as well as having shown a generally creepy behaviour. As a result, any attempts at discussing ''Yandere Simulator'' today will inevitably circle around to [=YandereDev=] himself and especially his treatment of the game. Things only took a turn for the worse in September of 2023, [[https://thegamer.com/yandere-simulator-grooming-allegations-16-year-old-voice-actors-quit/ when allegations against YandereDev grooming a 16-year-old girl were brought forward]], which resulted in many of the volunteers and all of the voice actors who worked on the game quitting the project and cutting ties with [=YandereDev=] in response, as well as many of the ''Yandere Simulator'' content creators dropping the game in disgust, all of which only sunk the game's already tarnished reputation even further.

* Once a heavily anticipated indie title whose demos gained it a wide fandom overnight, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' is better-known nowadays for the heavy amounts of drama surrounding its lead developer, [=YandereDev=]. Most notorious is the fact that the game has been in an alpha state since 2014, which resulted in many accusing him of milking DevelopmentHell for profit, with the demos' [[DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming poor coding]] resulting in widespread ridicule that only corroborated the controversy surrounding his apparent approach to game development. As a result, any attempts at discussing ''Yandere Simulator'' today will inevitably circle around to [=YandereDev=] himself and especially his treatment of the game. Things only took a turn for the worse in September of 2023, [[https://thegamer.com/yandere-simulator-grooming-allegations-16-year-old-voice-actors-quit/ when allegations against YandereDev grooming a 16-year-old girl were brought forward]], which resulted in many of the volunteers and all of the voice actors who worked on the game quitting the project and cutting ties with [=YandereDev=] in response, as well as many of the ''Yandere Simulator'' content creators dropping the game in disgust, all of which only sunk the game's already tarnished reputation even further.

* Once a heavily anticipated indie title whose demos gained it a wide fandom overnight, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' is better-known nowadays for the heavy amounts of drama surrounding its lead developer, [=YandereDev=]. Most notorious is the fact that the game has been in an alpha state since 2014, which resulted in many accusing him of milking DevelopmentHell for profit, with the demos' [[DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming poor coding]] resulting in widespread ridicule that only corroborated the controversy surrounding his apparent approach to game development. As a result, any attempts at discussing ''Yandere Simulator'' today will inevitably circle around to [=YandereDev=] himself and especially his treatment of the game.

%% Please do not add any discussion of the sexual misconduct allegations against [=YandereDev=] until March 25, 2024.

*** ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'', while being one of the best-selling games of all time, is also infamous for being the TropeNamer for the HotCoffeeMinigame. When hackers managed to unearth the DummiedOut Hot Coffee minigame files from the game and published them online, it caused outrage among MoralGuardians, resulting in Rockstar Games being entangled in several lawsuits and forcing them to re-release the game with all traces of the minigame deleted. Some commented on the irony that, of all the terrible things GTA protagonists have done, what drew the most ire was one of them having consensual sex. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y-RkiPhpPY Yahtzee Croshaw sums it up here.]]

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is more known for its KudzuPlot. This problem actually gets worse and worse as the series progresses, ''especially'' after ''Dream Drop Distance''.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' is remembered for adding time travel to an already confusing villain plot and invalidating both the DarkIsNotEvil aesop previously brought in ''II'' by making the dark-themed Spirit Dream Eaters ''actually being sided with light'' (while this isn't the first time the aesop is invalidated, as ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' also did this despite being told to a light-aligned character's face by having darkness always cause problems with light always being the solution, ''Birth By Sleep'' [[FranchiseOriginalSin has the excuse of being a prequel]]), as well as everything the heroes did by revealing [[XanatosGambit everything they did was what Xehanort wanted]]. This turned Xehanort, previously well-liked as a villain, into [[BaseBreakingCharacter the most polarizing character in the series]], with his time-travelling young self in particular being [[TheScrappy a fandom pariah]].
** And ''then'' [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX a mobile game]] added in that everything everyone did was something The Master of Masters wanted, as he wanted to set a singular future (where the entire universe ends engulfed in darkness) in stone. The Master of Masters' enforcing of YouCantFightFate made the series suffocatingly nihilistic.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is more known for its KudzuPlot. This problem actually gets worse and worse as the series progresses, ''especially after ''Dream Drop Distance''.

** And ''then'' [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX a mobile game]] added in that everything everyone did was something The Master of Masters wanted, as he wanted to set a singular future in stone despite the real-life laws of time telling there can be thousands, if not millions of possible futures. The Master of Masters' enforcing of YouCantFightFate made the series suffocatingly nihilistic.