History AudienceAlienatingEra / VideoGames

* Fans of the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series generally consider the departure of series creator Creator/NaughtyDog in 2000 to be the start of the series' descent into mediocrity, with ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' and ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'' being seen as uninspired copies of ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' and ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'' respectively. An attempt was made to freshen up the series with ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'', but while it did meet a better reception from series fans, its ObviousBeta status caused it to sell poorly. Creator/RadicalEntertainment would proceed to release ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'' and ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'', which received a mixed reception and led to the series going into hibernation for eight years until the well-received ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' and ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' released, and even a brand-new platformer installment in the form of the cheekily-titled ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', marking the end of Crash's Audience-Alienating Era for the time being.

* 2015 was one of the worst times to be an ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' fan, with the releases of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingHappyHomeDesigner'' and ''Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival''. The former was perceived as SoOkayItsAverage for its lack of any challenge or substance beyond the basic gameplay loop, while the latter was critically panned for its board-based gameplay and reliance on the Toys/{{Amiibo}}, and for not being a mainline ''Animal Crossing'' game for the Platform/WiiU. This would eventually be alleviated a bit with the ''Welcome amiibo'' update for ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewLeaf'' in 2016, but the franchise would not get another main game for another five years with ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons''; which would go on to be the best-selling entry in the series by several country miles and the second best-selling [[Platform/NintendoSwitch Switch]] game (only behind ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''[='s=] juggernaut sales), so it's safe to say the dark days of the series are long behind it.

* At the end of that year, the ''Anime/BombermanJetters'' anime and manga were launched. Fans were split down the middle--some liked ''Jetters'' darker storytelling and lore while others hated Shirobon and Max's [[AdaptionalJerkass different characterizations]]. If there was one thing that fans unanimously agreed on, however, it's that no one expected the inevitable RecursiveAdaptation [[VideoGame/BombermanJetters tie-in video game]] to be such a ''catastrophic'' example of TheProblemWithLicensedGames. It had it all: [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading looong loading times]], [[ScrappyMechanic Charaboms]][[note]]To be fair, [[AuthorsSavingThrow the battle system was scrapped]]. Instead, Charaboms can be leveled up twice to gain new abilities and the LevelGrinding has been greatly reduced.[[/note]], [[MarathonLevel dreadfully long]] and [[CutAndPasteEnvironments padded levels]], and the obligatory FakeDifficulty. Worse yet, despite being a sequel to ''Generation'', it was released in Japan ''[[ChristmasRushed six months]]'' after ''Gen'' so it could tie into the anime. Japanese fans weren't happy, and when the game finally made it stateside in 2004, American critics butchered it and fans were through the roof in anger. It singlehandedly [[GenreKiller killed]] the "''64''-esque" gameplay style, [[PutOnABus marked the end of the road]] for the Charaboms (so much so that future games [[ExiledFromContinuity don't even acknowledge them]]) and [[AudienceColoringAdaptation tainted the reputation of]] ''Jetters'' in the west for years.

* ''Bomberman Live'' (''Ultra'' on the Platform/PlayStation3) was supposed to be an apology for ''Act:Zero'', being developed with American fans in mind. While critics loved it, [[CriticalDissonance fans were split]]--some loved it for its Battle Mode-centric gameplay while others hated it for that exact reason, feeling that it was falling into the same trap as ''Online'' and ''Act:Zero'' before it. Both sides agreed that the game wasn't what the series needed to get back on track. It later got a sequel in 2010...that ended up being the last ''Bomberman'' game for a few years.

* ''VideoGame/CustomBattlerBomberman'' was a DS title whose primary gimmick was the ability to create your own Bomberman. Unlike the previous games, ''Custom Battler'' was seen as a [[AuthorsSavingThrow return to form]] for the series due to its innovation and fun gameplay. Unfortunately, not only did the game [[NoExportForYou never see a North American release]], it also had [[InvisibleAdvertising very little marketing]], ensuring that ''Custom Battler'' would be little more than a CultClassic.

* In 2017, Konami released ''Super Bomberman R'' as a launch title for the Platform/NintendoSwitch. While critics thought it was SoOkayItsAverage, fans were disappointed due to the game relying heavily on nostalgia rather than innovating the formula. While there were many updates to ''R'', a lot of longtime fans had lost interest in the game by that point. But somehow, those who still stuck regardless were numerous enough that Konami managed to greenlit ''Super Bomberman R2''.

While people tend to blame ''Act:Zero'' for killing the series, fans would say that the 2000s as a whole was not a good time for ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}''. In fact, it actually led to [[FranchiseKiller the death of the franchise until 2017]]. This was mainly due to ridiculous amounts of NostalgiaFilter-induced CapcomSequelStagnation, [[ScrappyMechanic poorly thought-out gimmicks]], and some truly boneheaded cases of ExecutiveMeddling. It didn't help that Hudson was going through their own Audience-Alienating Era during that time.

Note that some of these entries have been VindicatedByHistory. This does not, however, change the fact that the games were heavily contested at the time of their release.

* Then came ''VideoGame/BombermanTournament'', an early Platform/GameBoyAdvance game and the sequel to ''Bomberman Quest''. While its Battle Game was praised, the story mode was heavily panned for essentially being a watered down version of ''Quest'' with none of its personality or good writing. The removal of ''Quest''[='s=] BossGame gameplay and the addition of the controversial Charabom mechanic (which now ''requires'' you to do extensive LevelGrinding to even stand a chance against the CPU) didn't help matters. ''Tournament'' would eventually be VindicatedByHistory, however.

* At the end of that year, the critically contested ''Anime/BombermanJetters'' anime and marketing campaign, which lasted about a year, was launched. Fans were split down the middle--some liked ''Jetters'' and wanted to see it continue, while others hated it and thought the series had officially [[JumpingTheShark jumped the shark]]. If there was one thing that fans unanimously agreed on, however, it's that no one expected the inevitable RecursiveAdaptation [[VideoGame/BombermanJetters tie-in video game]] to be such a ''catastrophic'' example of TheProblemWithLicensedGames. It had it all: [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading looong loading times]], [[ScrappyMechanic Charaboms]][[note]]To be fair, [[AuthorsSavingThrow the battle system was scrapped]]. Instead, Charaboms can be leveled up twice to gain new abilities and the LevelGrinding has been greatly reduced.[[/note]], [[MarathonLevel dreadfully long]] and [[CutAndPasteEnvironments padded levels]], and the obligatory FakeDifficulty. Worse yet, despite being a sequel to ''Generation'', it was released in Japan ''[[ChristmasRushed six months]]'' after ''Gen'' so it could tie into the anime. Japanese fans weren't happy, and when the game finally made it stateside in 2004, American critics butchered it and fans were through the roof in anger. It singlehandedly [[GenreKiller killed]] the "''64''-esque" gameplay style, [[PutOnABus marked the end of the road]] for the Charaboms (so much so that future games [[ExiledFromContinuity don't even acknowledge them]]) and [[AudienceColoringAdaptation tainted the reputation of]] ''Jetters'' in the west for years.

* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' entered one in the later stages of the Platform/PlayStation3 generation. After the beloved ''Ratchet & Clank Future'' saga wrapped up in 2009, the next game in the series was ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One All 4 One]]'' in 2011, a top-down four player co-op adventure with a vastly de-ephasized story, followed the next year by ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFullFrontalAssault Full Frontal Assault]]'', a smaller digital-focused game with third-person tower defense gameplay and even ''less'' story. Sales and fan attention dwindled to the point that the next traditional game, 2013's ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus Into the Nexus]]'', was a shorter-length budget title, which didn't make any sort of splash and relegated the franchise as washed-up with far too many releases that nobody asked for. It wouldn't be until [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 the PS4 game based on the movie]] came out in 2016 that the series saw an uptick: the public were reminded of how great a traditional ''Ratchet & Clank'' can play and look despite being a slightly cheaper release, setting the stage for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankRiftApart'' to knock it out of the park in 2021 at the start of the Platform/PlayStation5's life.

Around this time, SNK tried to give their series the 3D treatment to disastrous results such as ''Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny'' and ''KOF: Maximum Impact'', which at least was [[AlternateContinuity a standalone spin-off]]. On top of all this, SNK Playmore mostly focused on [[NoExportForYou Asia-only]] mobile and pachinko games to make ends meet.\\\

** During these years, due to the rising trend of DarkerAndEdgier reboots, Capcom decided to cash into this phenomenon using some of their existing franchises. They slipped up badly at least twice: ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' and especially ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry''. The latter was much more pronounced due to ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' being a bigger and more mainstream sensation, yet [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks the radical shift in Dante's personality rubbed the fans in the wrong way]] and [[DearNegativeReader the game's director giving a negative response to legitimate criticism on his design, insulting the players at the same time]], all giving fans reason to believe that Capcom had lost it. On this front, the era ended after Capcom decided to {{Unreboot}} the franchise with ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', which turned out to be a resounding success that restored the fanbase's faith.

** The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' subseries is often thought to have entered one in 2012. It started with ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'', which was a heavily controversial game for removing the story, exploration and RPG elements that made previous installments so beloved (the former [[ExecutiveMeddling being suggested]] by ''[[Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto Miyamoto]]'' no less). ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'' was mostly held aloft by the great gameplay and characterization approach of [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi its other constituent series]], but is itself a ContestedSequel among fans of that series due to still suffering from a few of the same problems as later ''Paper Mario'' games. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'' was slightly better-received, but with fans still soured on ''Sticker Star'' and it being released at the tail of the Wii U era, it still had a pretty divided reaction on release as well as poor sales. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' managed to {{win back|the crowd}} a number of fans, with its improved gameplay, interconnected overworld, greater variation in NPC designs, outstanding soundtrack, and more dramatic plotline all receiving praise, though whether or not it manages to live up to the first three games is still heavily debated. It's also debated whether ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' should count as part of this era, and if ''Color Splash'' may have ended it, as both games had divisive receptions that have since been softened by time. This era seemingly ended in 2023 when a VideoGameRemake of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' was announced to unanimous praise.

* The Platform/WiiU was seen as a tragic case of UncertainAudience sinking most of Nintendo's userbase. It was an attempt to appeal to the core gamer crowd with a more powerful console, but said demographic had already long moved on to their rivals and PC for that, and Nintendo had not been able to shake off their AnimationAgeGhetto stigma.[[note]]Which took off with the [=GameCube=], but contrary to popular belief, that was not an Audience-Alienating Era because it was still very profitable for Nintendo.[[/note]] Besides, the soon impending release of the Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/XboxOne would render any hardware advantage the Wii U offered moot. The Wii U's weaker hardware and unusual (by eighth generation standards, at least) architecture disincentivized multi-platform ports from third-party developers, ensuring that third-party support for the system was dead on arrival save for some [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 ports from very late in the seventh generation. For the casual crowd that jumped on board with the Wii, the name misled people into thinking it was just a Wii add-on, and thus sales plummeted. The one redeeming factor of the Wii U was that the separate [=GamePad=] concept ended up being the foundation of the far more successful Platform/NintendoSwitch. In addition, Nintendo had such massive savings that they could take the loss from this miscalculated risk which would have otherwise doomed a console manufacturer. In the end, Nintendo were forced to cut the Wii U's lifespan short in the middle of the generation, lasting only a little over four years. Despite lingering doubt from gamers and the press, Nintendo was able to replace the Wii U with the Switch, and now with a clear goal and marketing in mind (A hybrid home console that can be played on the go targeting all gamers), it was able to completely move past the AnimationAgeGhetto stigma and be able to be targeted to all interested gamers to much greater success, ending up as one of the best selling video game consoles of all time, with many Wii U games[[note]]Almost all first party ones besides the ones that heavily relied on the [=GamePad=].[[/note]] being ported to Switch (and some to 3DS).

** On the PC side of things, Microsoft's gaming output became increasingly focused on its consoles during the mid to late TurnOfTheMillennium, to the point where they were hardly publishing any PC games at all by the start of the [[TheNewTens next decade]]. This was in spite of the company producing Platform/MicrosoftWindows and [=DirectX=], the operating system and UsefulNotes/{{API}} that the overwhelming majority of PC games run on. A big factor in this was the failure of Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Microsoft's attempt at introducing a centralized gaming service for PC à la Xbox Live, which gamers widely panned as intrusive DRM that made playing multiplayer games a chore at best and actively interfered with playing games at worst. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Valve}} stepped in as the center point of PC gaming, with Platform/{{Steam}} offering the same kind of service that Microsoft promised with GFWL, while being much more user-friendly.\\\

** The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' subseries is often thought to be in one as of 2012. It started with ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'', which was a heavily controversial game for removing the story, exploration and RPG elements that made previous installments so beloved (the former [[ExecutiveMeddling being suggested]] by ''[[Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto Miyamoto]]'' no less). ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'' was mostly held aloft by the great gameplay and characterization approach of [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi its other constituent series]], but is itself a ContestedSequel among fans of that series due to still suffering from a few of the same problems as later ''Paper Mario'' games. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'' was slightly better-received, but with fans still soured on ''Sticker Star'' and it being released at the tail of the Wii U era, it still had a pretty divided reaction on release as well as poor sales. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' managed to {{win back|the crowd}} a number of fans, with its improved gameplay, interconnected overworld, greater variation in NPC designs, outstanding soundtrack, and more dramatic plotline all receiving praise, though whether or not it manages to live up to the first three games is still heavily debated. It's also debated whether ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' should count as part of this era, and if ''Color Splash'' may have ended it, as both games had divisive receptions that have since been softened by time. This era seemingly ended in 2023 when a VideoGameRemake of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' was announced to unanimous praise.

* For quite a few, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' entered one around 2017, due to several factors such as the initial hype of the game dying down, [[TroubledProduction the game's production becoming noticeably more calamitous]] and leading to rampant ScheduleSlip, increased scrutiny towards the game's developer [=YandereDev=] which escalated into semi-frequent sexual abuse allegations against both him and composer [=CameronF305=] starting from TheNewTwenties, and shortcomings that would later become seen as actively detrimental to both the story and gameplay, including but not limited to [[SkewedPriorities minor features such as minigames and easter egg modes being prioritized over major features such as rivals]], [[SpotlightStealingSquad excessive focus on side and even minor characters at the expense of the core cast]], convoluted explanations for background details [[VoodooShark that raised more questions than answers]], the flippant treatment of sensitive topics such as sexual misconduct and mental illness, and [[NintendoHard needlessly brutal difficulty]] (for instance, the first rival out of a planned ten has an almost invincible bodyguard protecting her at nearly all times) becoming much more prevalent.

** About the only Konami video game franchises that managed to remain relatively unaffected were their arcade games, and that's because they're handled by the same divisoin that handles parlor games (including the aforementioned pachinko machines). Even then, this part of Konami didn't go without ill effect: the ''VideoGame/{{BEMANI}}'' franchise was hit with the "BEMANI Sound Team" controversy, in which in-house musicians and other artists had their published output anonymized and started making fewer public appearances, with those few appearances having their likenesses censored out in public streams. But beyond that, ''BEMANI'' fans generally didn't notice anything seriously amiss, as games in this series continued to follow their usual schedules of updates and new releases.

** About the only Konami video game franchises that managed to remain relatively unaffected were their arcade games, and that's because they're handled by the same divisoin that handles parlor games (including the aforementioned pachinko machines). Even then, this part of Konami didn't go without ill effect: the ''VideoGame/{{BEMANI}}'' franchise was hit with the "BEMANI Sound Team" controversy, in which in-house musicians and other artists had their published output anonymized and started making fewer public appearances, with those few appearances having their likenesses censored out in public streams. But beyond that, ''BEMANI'' fans generally didn't notice anything seriously amiss.

** 2020 didn't improve for Blizzard. ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reforged'' became one of the worst video game remakes as it not only failed to match trailer footage but also ended up deleting fan mods of the original title. However, the biggest casualty of that year was Blizzard's signature HeroShooter ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic scuttled ''Overwatch'' League tournaments as social distancing orders made in-person stadium events impossible. Furthermore, ''Overwatch'' experienced declining playercount numbers and revenue due to a lack of updates and because of competition from newer Hero Shooters, most notably ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' and ''VideoGame/{{Valorant}}'',.
** However, 2021 proved to be the nadir of Blizzard controversies. A series of lawsuits and news reports revealed that Blizzard had a decades-long misogynistic work culture where female employees experienced regular sexism that included both financial discrimination and sexual harassment. The harassment was so extreme that one woman committed suicide while on a company trip with an abusive co-worker. Even worse was that the company's leadership was aware of harassment yet chose to either downplay incidents, defend harassers or even retaliate against victims. The scandal lead 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. The scandal also caused parent company Creator/ActivisionBlizzard's stock to plummet low enough for Creator/{{Microsoft}} to announce a corporate buyout of Activision Blizzard.
** 2022 to 2023 marked the twilight years of Blizzard as an independent titan of gaming. 2022 saw the release ''Overwatch 2'', which while having much initial fanfare at launch as a free-to-play game, soon struggled to maintain a player base due to its controversial monetization and how its much touted PvE was released long after launch in a watered down state. 2023 had ''Diablo IV'' which became the best selling game in Blizzard history and earned $666 million within the first five days of release. Yet 2023 also marked the end of the ''Overwatch'' League as Blizzard's attempt to create a multination franchise-based eSports league proved financially unsustainable. The one sliver of hope for Blizzard is the pledge by new company owner Microsoft to provide a more inclusive and hands-off work environment. For now, only time will tell if Blizzard can return to glory under Microsoft's leadership.

* Just like ''Crash Bandicoot,'' ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' faced a very similar decline after the original trilogy. Following the success of the first three games, Creator/IsomniacGames left to work on ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank''; in the meantime, ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly'' would release to negative reception for being a ChristmasRushed mess of a video game with a short runtime, very obvious bugs (one glitch in the hub world even allows you to ''skip to the FinalBoss instantly''), and wonky gameplay. ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'' was seen as a step-up from ''Enter the Dragonfly'', but drew some hate because of its gameplay shift from portal-based to becoming a sandbox-styled game. And then came ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' trilogy, a DarkerAndEdgier reimagining of the series which garnered mixed-to-negative feedback for being a polarizing ContinuityReboot with a change to combat-based gameplay. These games were so poorly received that the franchise went into hibernation for a decade, with Spyro's major appearances in the ''Franchise/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise being the only things released around this time. The series officially got out of its slump with the release of ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'' and his appearance as a new racer in an update for ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled''. While the ''Reignited Trilogy'' is the only new game released so far, it's safe to say that Spyro has officially returned to his former glory.

** ''F1 2015'' was this for Creator/Codemasters' UsefulNotes/FormulaOne games, as it excised the previous entries' career mode (only having a simple championship mode) and several in-game features due to focusing development on moving to a new game engine designed for the Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/XboxOne. These were largely brought back and expanded upon in 2016's entry.

* For quite a few, ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' entered one around 2017, due to several factors such as the initial hype of the game dying down, [[TroubledProduction the game's production becoming noticeably more calamitous]] and leading to rampant ScheduleSlip, increased scrutiny towards the game's developer [=YandereDev=], and shortcomings that would later become seen as actively detrimental to both the story and gameplay, including but not limited to [[SkewedPriorities minor features such as minigames and easter egg modes being prioritized over major features such as rivals]], [[SpotlightStealingSquad excessive focus on side and even minor characters at the expense of the core cast]], and [[NintendoHard needlessly brutal difficulty]] (for instance, the first rival out of a planned ten has an almost invincible bodyguard protecting her at nearly all times) becoming much more prevalent.

** 2018 was when it all went downhill for Blizzard. That year's [=BlizzCon=] convention was {{overshadowed|ByControversy}} by the negative audience reception to the [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]]-[[NoPortForYou exclusive]] ''Diablo Immortal''. What was supposed to be a climactic announcement of a new mainline ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' game turned out to be a mobile spin-off, which infuriated fans who spent upwards of $200 in hopes to witnessing a mainline title announcement. It didn't help that developer Wyatt Cheng impulsively and insensitively asked "Do you guys not have phones?", which quickly became an internet meme. One month later, ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' saw its [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming e-sports side]] abruptly shuttered with participating professional gamers not receiving prior notification or compensation.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' and the entire ''[[Franchise/FabulaNovaCrystallisFinalFantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis]]'' are one of Square Enix's lowest points depending on who you ask. [[CriticalDissonance In spite of how well it reviewed]], the original game was criticised by a number of fans for many aspects, primarily its linearity, convoluted narrative and controversial cast. [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2 The sequel]], while seen as better by some for addressing many aspects of the first game, it still had its detractors for a convoluted story based in time travel shenanigans and an abrupt DownerEnding. By the time [[VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII the third game]] came out, [[ArcFatigue many people had just stopped caring]] -- which wasn't helped by the game coming out at the end of UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. Even outside of the ''XIII'' sub-franchise itself, Square Enix had begun to push Lightning in some of their other products, including ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 [duodecim]: Final Fantasy]]'' [[SpotlightStealingSquad giving her a prominent role in the game]], leading to many accusing her of being a CreatorsPet.

** First, there was ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' in 2014. The first game in the series made for [[UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames eighth-generation consoles]] that wasn't a PolishedPort like ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' had been, ''Unity'' was an ObviousBeta at launch that suffered from [[GameBreakingBug horrible glitches]], many of which quickly went {{memetic|Mutation}} in the worst possible way. Creator/{{Ubisoft}} outright apologized for the state the game was released in, releasing the first DLC campaign for free and giving away a free game[[note]]''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'', ''VideoGame/TheCrew'', ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', ''VideoGame/JustDance 2015'', ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends'', or ''VideoGame/WatchDogs''[[/note]] to everybody who bought the season pass for ''Unity'' as compensation, and temporarily halting the annualized release schedule of the ''Assassin's Creed'' games in order to give their studios more time to fix bugs. Worse, even after the bugs were ironed out, opinion on ''Unity'' was that it was merely SoOkayItsAverage, especially on the story front, with criticism coming in for a cliched ending, a RomanticPlotTumor in Arno and Elise's relationship, and a slanted portrayal of the events of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution that was rooted in royalist conspiracy theories from that era (such that the French leftist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon called it "propaganda"). That said, the game has since started to be VindicatedByHistory when it was discovered that the in-game recreation of Notre Dame could be used to restore the original after it caught fire in early 2019.

** Fortunately, the audience-alienating era was ''completely'' wiped away in 2018, when a new and proper ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' was finally released. The game addressed ''all'' of the problems with ''V'', being a ContinuityReboot that returns to the old status quo, brings back the favorites that were missed, features more content and better story, and more original gameplay mechanics that helped the series stand on its own. It was one of the highest-rated fighters of [[UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames the eighth generation]], and its sales quickly outpaced that of ''V'' with Bandai Namco reporting it as successful. However, the new head of the series, Motohiro Okubo, stated that this ''had'' to happen for ''Soul'' to survive as Bandai Namco was very reluctant to publish another mainline ''Soulcalibur'' game after everything that happened, marking most of the 2010s as this definitively.

** While 2004's ''Underground 2'' was still seen as rock-solid in terms of the core skateboarding gameplay, the [[ToiletHumor juvenile humor]] (including featuring the cast of ''Series/{{Jackass}}'') turned off a lot of players, as did the [[ScrappyMechanic vehicular and on-foot segments]], both of which seemed to indicate that developer Neversoft was running out of ideas. It wasn't until the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh generation]], however, that the franchise truly grew stagnant as annualization took its toll. 2005's ''American Wasteland'' was praised for toning down ''Underground 2''[='=]s DenserAndWackier elements but criticized for a WideOpenSandbox map that felt poorly thought-out and over-reliant on DynamicLoading in the form of bland corridors separating various areas, as well as gameplay that [[ItsEasySoItSucks felt easier than before]]. 2006's ''Project 8'' attempted to [[RevisitingTheRoots take the series back to basics]], but the "Nail the Trick" feature felt gimmicky, and more importantly, it was plagued by ObviousBeta bugs and a poor framerate. Finally, 2007's ''Proving Ground'' went DarkerAndEdgier and doubled down on Nail the Trick and the "back to basics" approach in an attempt to compete with EA Black Box's newly-announced [[DuelingWorks competitor]] ''VideoGame/{{Skate}}'', and came up wanting in comparison, with ''Skate'' outselling it two-to-one and winning acclaim for succeeding at almost every point where ''Proving Ground'' tried and failed. Notably, even Neversoft decided after ''Proving Ground'' that working on the games had become a chore and that it was time to hang it up, with the studio moving its effort to the ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' franchises before being folded into Infinity Ward.

** While things were looking up for Sega financially following the Sammy merger, the company would go through another Audience-Alienating Era following it. Sega took a major shift to how games were released at this time, where any IP that failed to make a profit would be shelved, and the ones that actually did sell tended to be ChristmasRushed. As a result, in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh generation,]] Sega didn't have a lot of variety with their games, and what was released were generally considered to be [[VideoGame/{{Chromehounds}} somewhat]] [[VideoGame/Yakuza3 polarizing]] [[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7 at best,]] or [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 downright]] [[VideoGame/GoldenAxe awful]] [[VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall at worst]]. Not helping matters is that several of Sega's games around this time were [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]] much to the dismay of international fans. Sega clearly realized this strategy wasn't working, and around 2010, things gradually started to get better.

* The EasternRPG (or JRPG, if you want to be specific) genre went through one from about 2007 until 2012, a time period corresponding to UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. The WesternRPG was taking off like a rocket, thanks the efforts of developers like Creator/{{BioWare}} and Creator/BethesdaSoftworks, offering up fresh new stories and gameplay mechanics along with unparalleled production values. The JRPG genre, meanwhile, was largely put on the backburner at this time. For one thing, budgets were substantially reduced, thanks to Western game development largely overtaking Japanese game development in the mid-2000s. While there were [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou a few]] [[VideoGame/Persona4 noteworthy]] [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls games]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIX released]], most [=JRPGs=] at the time were criticized for having recycled plots and being too reliant on well-worn tropes like "small town boy finds himself wrapped up in a massive underground resistance movement against an evil dictator." To make matters worse, smaller companies were constantly localizing Japanese niche titles [[AmericansHateTingle that would have little chance of appeal in the states]], resulting in numerous examples of [[CriticalDissonance critic-audience divide]] (critics panned the games, while dedicated fans defended them). The fact that many popular [=JRPGs=] in this era came out on handheld systems such as the Platform/NintendoDS and Platform/PlaystationPortable further contributed to the genre's decline in the West, since audiences there had largely been introduced to the genre via graphically impressive console games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and saw handheld gaming as the domain of shorter, simpler and/or more casual games instead of lengthy [=RPGs=]. \\\

* ''VideoGame/SimCity2013'' capped off a long Audience-Alienating Era for the ''VideoGame/SimCity'' series. Many fans regard the fourth game, released in 2003, as the series' apex for both its addition of regions with many cities and its HiddenDepths gameplay-wise. However, it was followed up in 2007 by ''[=SimCity=] Societies'', which many fans found to be [[ItsEasySoItSucks painfully easy]] and extremely shallow. The 2013 game was billed as a return to form, but its launch was plagued by [[ObviousBeta disastrous server issues]] that rendered it, with its focus on online connectivity and multiplayer, unplayable for weeks. Worse, even after the server issues were fixed, people who sat down to play it found it once more to be heavily simplified, with the small map sizes and lack of terrain features in particular greatly restricting the kinds of cities that could be built; not even the ''Cities of Tomorrow'' expansion was able to fully salvage the game. The failures of the 2013 game, in fact, led directly to Creator/ParadoxInteractive giving the green light to ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines'', a SpiritualSuccessor to the older ''[=SimCity=]'' games that was overtly marketed to fans disappointed with the later installments.
* Fans of ''VideoGame/TheSims'' will defend the [[VideoGame/TheSims1 first two]] [[VideoGame/TheSims2 games]] until the day they die... but after that, there's a BrokenBase between those who think that ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' put the series in an Audience-Alienating Era, and those who love ''3'' and instead think that ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' did so.

** Hence why the removal of those features from ''4'', with the neighborhoods broken up into smaller areas and items only having a few pre-selected colors and designs available, sparked controversy among the fanbase. This wasn't the end of it, either, as the game at launch did not have a number of features that past games had in their vanilla releases. Much of this can be attributed to last-minute design changes after the release of ''VideoGame/SimCity2013''. Maxis had originally intended for ''4'' to be built around online functionality much like that game was, but the new ''[=SimCity=]''[='=]s sharply negative reception, with the online features singled out for criticism, forced them to hastily retool ''4'' into an offline single-player game, which not only took away time that could've been spent fleshing out the game's features but also left them building on the bones of a game that was originally intended to be played online. The game did slowly WinBackTheCrowd, as free patches not only brought back things like ghosts, swimming pools, basements, family trees, babysitters, and toddlers, but also added new career options, some items, a neighborhood, half-walls, L-shaped staircases, ladders, and even the ability to create transgender Sims (a first for the series), on top of the usual expansion support (now without [=SimPoints=]). Many still miss the open world and customization options from ''3'' and feel that ''4'' regressed by abandoning them, but others argue that the game runs better without them and can once more be played on low-end computers, and praise the depth and ease of use of its own options for creating Sims and their houses. That said, while most fans agree that the game is better than it was at launch, persistent problems with expansions and DLC seen as [[ObviousBeta unpolished]] and lacking content mean that the game is far from universally defended by simmers.

* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'': It’s a general agreement that the franchise hasn’t been the same ever since Creator/{{Rare}} was bought by Creator/{{Microsoft}}. After the success of the first game and ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'', the Microsoft-era games would follow, with mixed to negative reception. First, there was ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieGruntysRevenge'', which was seen as just an [[SoOkayItsAverage okay]] CollectAThonPlatformer that is ultimately quite short, easy, and forgettable at the end of the day, while its Java phone version was panned for being [[PortingDisaster completely non-functional]]. Next, there was ''VideoGame/BanjoPilot'', a spin-off title supposedly based on ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' that was seen as a mediocre racing game similar to ''Grunty’s Revenge''. And of course, one can’t talk about the demise of the bear and bird duo without bringing up ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooieNutsAndBolts''. This game was thrashed by fans for its shift from platforming to a focus on vehicles, a very bizarre ArtEvolution, and in general being a massive change in format for the series that fans couldn’t settle with. The game was so poorly received that it ultimately [[FranchiseKiller killed the franchise altogether]] ([[SelfDeprecation several bits of dialogue in the game even predicted that the game would do poorly]]), and aside from appearing in ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]''[[note]]Only in the Xbox 360 version[[/note]] and as a DLC fighter in ‘’VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate’’, the series has not seen a new title since.

* Most have agreed ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' has entered such an era, although there's disagreement over whether 2014's ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' or 2016's ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' started it. The former received a mixed reception for its unpolished third-person shooter gameplay and a particularly infamous sequence which detractors argued [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale treated girl-on-girl sexual violence for laughs]], while the latter was a SequelInAnotherMedium criticized for several {{Fan Disliked Explanation}}s, particularly when it came to its mastermind, a mostly less compelling new cast mainly consisting of {{Red Shirt}}s, and an ending that received sharply divided responses for [[PanderingToTheBase ramping up the preferential treatment of the returning characters]]. While the SoftReboot ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' released in 2017 attempted to WinBackTheCrowd with its gameplay improvements, it too became a massive ContestedSequel for several controversial story beats, most notoriously [[spoiler:[[DecoyProtagonist initial protagonist Kaede Akamatsu being executed at the end of Chapter 1]]]], and another AudienceAlienatingEnding interpreted by many, particularly Japanese fans, as an outright meanspirited TakeThatAudience intended to TorchTheFranchiseAndRun. The next spin-off ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'' came and went in 2021 without much fanfare, and couple all that with series creator Creator/KazutakaKodaka leaving Creator/SpikeChunsoft following ''Killing Harmony'''s release, fans are quite pessimistic about the possibility of a new mainline installment that could bring ''Danganronpa'' out of its audience-alienating era.