History YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness / VideoGames

* The G-Man pulls a non lethal version of the trope on [[spoiler: Gordon Freeman]] at the end of ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' where he decides that [[spoiler: Alyx]] proved to be a much more capable "employee" and whisks them away while leaving the former behind for not making any progression on his assignments.

* Toward the end of Book III of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', [[ArcVillain Hel]] orders her daughter Eir to betray and kill [[PlayerCharacter the Summoner]]. Once Eir has apparently accomplished her task, [[AbusiveParents Hel]] [[OffingTheOffspring plans on killing Eir]] [[OutOfContinues for the final time]]. [[spoiler:It turns out that the heroes tricked Hel by faking the Summoner's death, and then defeat her.]]
** In Book V, Otr offers to marry Nott if she turns over [[PlayerCharacter the Summoner]] and the sword Gramr for him. After she fulfills her end of the bargain, he leaves her behind to fight the heroes in the hopes that they'll kill each other, since he refuses to uphold his end of the bargain. Unfortunately for him, Nott does a HeelFaceTurn and helps th heroes.

People who [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness the villains don't need anymore]] in video games.

* In any game where you can [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential kill allies and receive any upgrades they might have]], the potential often prompts many players to use this trope themselves. Take, for example, the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''. Guards can help you out by being a second gun and shooting enemies, but once you come to an inevitable [[AirVentEscape airduct]] where they can't follow, well… it's a shame to just leave that ammo behind.

* In any game where you can [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential kill allies and receive any upgrades they might have]], the potential often prompts many players to use this trope themselves. Take, for example, the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''. Guards can help you out by being a second gun and shooting enemies… but once you come to an inevitable [[AirVentEscape airduct]] where they can't follow, well… it's a shame to just leave that ammo behind…

* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', [[spoiler:after Reznov and Dimitri have captured Steiner and secured Nova 6, Dragovich uses Dimitri as a guinea pig to test Nova 6. Reznov manages to escape, but ends up in Vorkuta prison]].
** Also, one of the missions has Hudson and Weaver going to secure a scientist, Clarke, [[spoiler:because Dragovich is cutting loose ends and they want to get to him before Dragovich does. They do get to him first, but unfortunately, Clarke is killed during the escape]].

* Happens a few times in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', such as with Barton Thorn (who asks you to clear some Gecko off a ridge to save his girlfriend, when in reality he just wants a haul of treasure) and Logan (who recruits you into his band of mercenaries in order to loot a town after it becomes irradiated); in these two cases, it is an egregious display of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on their part. The player can also pull this in certain quests, such as snitching the Powder Gangers to the NCR after helping the former massacre Goodsprings.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' tells you that he doesn't care what happens to your comrades once they get inside the casino, and while it's up to you whether they live or die, if it was up to him, they'd all be dead. Once you've broken into the vault, he will attempt to kill you as well.

** Similarly, in the last chapter of the same game, in a rare heroic example, MagnificentBastard[=/=]GuileHero Seraph Lamington does this to [[spoiler:Vulcanus by rewarding him with a [[BalefulPolymorph transformation into a flower]] (or a frog in ''Anime/MakaiSenkiDisgaea'', take your pick) — that also serves as punishment for making pacts with demons and using humans to attack innocent demons — after he has served his purpose of bringing peace between angels, demons, and humans well. This was a very satisfying punishment for Vulcanus]]. [[spoiler:However, despite turning out to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure[=/=]BigGood, Lamington still ends up being the FinalBoss after [[SuicideByCop he deliberately provokes Laharl into a fight]] as a SecretTestOfCharacter by turning Flonne into a flower as well.]]

* While he's not killed, Bowser gets this from Ganondorf in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''. The two of them are going to report to Master Hand when Ganondorf decides to turn Bowser into a trophy in preparation to usurp the Master Hand. (Later, when Bowser is restored and ''Ganondorf'' is a trophy, Bowser takes his sweet revenge... or tries to, anyway.)
** But it's all good, because then Tabuu gives the boot to Ganondorf so that he can join the heroes in time for the final battle.

* While he's not killed, Bowser gets this from Ganondorf in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl''. The two of them are going to report to Master Hand when Ganondorf decides to turn Bowser into a trophy in preparation to usurp the Master Hand. (Later, when Bowser is restored and ''Ganondorf'' is a trophy, Bowser takes his sweet revenge... or tries to, anyway.)

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'': In the intro, Uka Uka successfully creates a portal for Cortex, N. Tropy and himself to finally escape the hellscape they had been trapped in at the end of VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped, only to pass out from exertion. While Cortex shows mild concern over Uka Uka's wellbeing, N. Tropy coldly turns his back on his old boss and leaves him for dead, stating that he'd "served his purpose".

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3''; [[TheStarscream Vergil]] stabs [[BigBad Arkham]] through the midsection after it became apparent that he was useless to him. [[spoiler:Arkham may have brought this on purpose, in order to later convince Lady to hunt Vergil and complete his plan for world domination. Dialogue and AlternateCharacterInterpretation suggests it's also quite possible that Vergil attempted to kill Arkham [[EvenEvilHasStandards out of disgust]]; Arkham is an active worshiper of Evil and murdered his own wife, while Vergil is simply power-hungry and seeks to regain what he sees as his own heritage. In any case, Vergil's attempted slaying of Arkham doesn't take, and it's actually Lady who finishes him off, with a bullet to the head in revenge for killing her mother, just before Dante and Vergil's final battle.]]

* [[BigBad Imperator Ix]], during the events of ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'', promptly blows Shade off Angel Island for questioning his motives after Sonic and his team rough him up. After he jacks the Master Emerald and sends Angel Island plummeting into Metropolis, Shade [[HeelFaceTurn allies with Sonic and company]] [[TheAtoner to abort his scheme]].

** In ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'', Rosa Cossette D’Elise, the princess of Erusea, had been manipulated by young Erusean officers called the Radicals to declare war on Osea under the belief that she was protecting her country from what she perceived as Osean Imperialism. During the war, the Radicals used her as a propaganda girl to bolster troop moral, and rally support for Erusea against Osea. [[spoiler:However, when Farbanti had fallen under Osea control, and Rosa fled in her personal plane, the Radicals had tried to kill her by shooting down her personal aircraft, as she was no longer of any use to them, and because their drone army was nearing completion. After she barely survived, Rosa was taken in by the Oseans to help bring about the end of the war.]]

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'': In the intro, Uka Uka successfully creates a portal for Cortex, N. Tropy and himself to finally escape the hellscape they had been trapped in at the end of VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped, only to pass out from exertion. While Cortex shows mild concern over Uka Uka's wellbeing, N. Tropy coldly turns his back on his old boss, stating that he'd "served his purpose".

* Sephiroth of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has this policy towards the various tatooed men that you encounter (ie. [[spoiler:victims of [[MadScientist Hojo]]'s Mako experiment]]), ruthlessly slaughtering them, among many others, after they are manipulated to joining the "reunion" in the Northern Crater. Strangely enough, [[TomatoInTheMirror this also includes the main character]].

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', [[spoiler:the Illusive Man]]'s new antagonism towards Shepard is apparently a case of this, [[spoiler:though in fact it's because he's indoctrinated]]. Later on during the game, during the attempted siege on the Citadel, [[spoiler:Cerberus has a mole inside C-Sec, who is killed shortly before Shepard gets there for this reason.]] Another mission reveals the Illusive Man has started doing this ''en masse'' to his scientists. The minute any of them finish a research project, they're 'disappeared'. Eventually, some of them got wise, grabbed what they could and ran for it.

-->'''Will Turner:''' There it is. The skull of Skull of Teoxuacata. ''[…]'' It's beautiful.\\

** Also in ''Dual Strike'' are the clones of the Allied [=COs=] who only last for a short amount of time before disintegrating if abandoned, and are thus [[LeftForDead left behind to die]] if they fail their missions. It leads to a particularly [[TearJerker sad scene]] where the Allies stay with the clone of Andy until he dies, after they learn [[WhatMeasureIsAHuman the clones have emotions like real people]] and the clone [[BittersweetEnding finds comfort in how its original has friends]]:

* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'': ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'': After the {{b|loodKnight}}arbarian known as The Beast is defeated in Mission 10, the game's BigBad [[LeftForDead leaves him to die]] as the experimental drugs he was injected with ravage his psyche.
** He does (or threatens to do) something similar several times during the game. Considering that [[StrawNihilist he deems human life as a waste of natural resources]] or, at best, material [[ForScience for experiments]], this is hardly surprising.
** Midway through ''Dual Strike'', Von Bolt tries to off [[spoiler:Hawke and Lash]] when [[HeKnowsTooMuch their questioning of his plans surpasses their usefulness to him]]. This prompts their subsequent HeelFaceTurn.

* Flavor text in ''{{VideoGame/Armello}}'' suggests that the Rot will consider the King to be this if he is killed by somebody even more corrupted than him.