Line #44 SleeperHit/VideoGames


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11	* Creator/{{Nintendo}} has several examples that prove that great consoles don't need powerful hardware:
12	** The Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, and by proxy ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', had a lot of uncertainty around the time of their release. MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 made console gaming a joke in America, and as such, retailers were not real eager to stock their shelves with any consoles. This made it necessary to sell the NES with R.O.B. so that people would [[JustForFun/ComeForTheXStayForTheY buy it for the toy robot but keep it for the video games]]. Mario had seen some moderate success with ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' and ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', but not on a scale that was terribly notable. But ''very'' impressive word-of-mouth for ''Super Mario Bros.'', coupled with the game being bundled with the NES, made both the console and the game into smash hits.
13	** When Nintendo made the Platform/{{Wii}}, it was hoped to turn around the diminishing returns for each home console Nintendo released, just a little. The gaming press laughed it off, expecting Nintendo to finally go third party after the Wii flopped (and the system still has extreme CriticalDissonance). Instead, casual audiences ate up the idea that you could [[VideoGame/WiiSports go bowling without a bowling ball]], parents got it for their kids, and it became sold out for years and even outsold the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]]. It's also the third home console to sell over 100 million units. As such, a whole generation of future gamers grew up with it and look back on the system's games with incredible fondness.
14	** Similarly to the Wii, a large amount of critics and gamers initially laughed off the Platform/NintendoSwitch in the months between its announcement and release, due to it being on the heels of the massive commercial flop that was the Platform/WiiU. In addition, its controversial paid online system, return to cartridges instead of discs, continued use of motion controls long after they fell out of favor, and near-last-minute reveal (being announced mere ''months'' before launch) earned considerable skepticism from those outside of Nintendo's core fanbase. However, come March 2017, it ended up being a smash success for Nintendo, selling out within a day and repeatedly suffering from the same stock shortages that hit the Wii and NES due to its demand being ''that unexpectedly high.'' By the end of the fiscal year, the Switch had become the fastest-selling game console of all time, beating out even the [=PS2's=] year one sales. Since then, it has achieved over 100 million units sold at the end of December 2021, becoming Nintendo's best-selling home console of all time and their second best-selling console overall, only behind the DS.
15	* The Platform/{{PlayStation}} itself is one. Or, at least in North America. In early 1995, the system had proven to be a huge success in Japan. However, things seemed a bit less promising on the North American front. Creator/{{Sega}} was busily hyping its upcoming Platform/SegaSaturn, while Creator/{{Nintendo}} was silently creating some buzz for its upcoming Platform/Nintendo64 (then known as the Ultra 64). How could Sony, then a newcomer to the video game industry, possibly compete? By taking note of and learning from the mistakes their competitors were making. Sega ultimately botched the Saturn's chances of success with a hastily-executed stealth launch, some questionable design choices and a $399 price tag.[[note]]Which was unheard of for a gaming console at the time.[[/note]] Meanwhile, Nintendo's infamous bowdlerization practices, and their insistence on sticking with a cartridge format for the [=N64=], led many gamers and third party developers, including [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]], to abandon the company in favor of Sony. The [=PlayStation=], despite little pre-release hype, eventually went on to become the most successful video game console of all time until its successor, the Platform/PlayStation2, succeeded that throne in 2006.
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18	[[folder:Video games and development houses]]
19	* ''VideoGame/AmongUs'' released on IOS in June 2018 and later on Steam in November, initially amassing a small but dedicated fanbase of a couple hundred players at best. It saw a surge on popularity in mid-2020 driven by South Korean and Brazilian content creators, but it wasn't until July, when Twitch streamer Sodapoppin got his hands on the game and spread the good word-of-mouth around other big-name streamers and content creators, that the game truly exploded worldwide. Also that it was on the time of the pandemic, and people are mandated to stay indoors, leaving some players to play the game for its co-op, and player interaction features.
20	* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' has proven itself to be the little [[Platform/{{iOS}} iPhone app]] that could, having reached the top of the Apple App Store download rankings in over 60 countries.
21	* Edmund [=McMillen=] didn't hold a lot of hope in ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'', mostly because he thought it would be [[NintendoHard too difficult]], [[GrossoutShow disturbing]], [[ReligiousHorror sacreligous]], and[=/=]or [[MindScrew weird]] for most people to get into it. It was quite a surprise for him when it managed to sell 500,000 copies, and in a relatively short time! He originally planned this game as a side project between ''[[VideoGame/MeatBoy Super Meat Boy]]'' and another game.
22	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' was planned by developer Larian Studios to be a moderate success. [[Franchise/BaldursGate The core franchise]] was a series of well-respected RPG titles that had all grown in reputation over time, but ultimately were quite niche and not very well-known. However, good word-of-mouth about the game's size, scale, and development -- including a promise that there would be no microtransactions or in-app purchases, which was a major issue in gaming circles at the time -- caused the title to sell [[https://www.pcgamer.com/larians-boss-worried-baldurs-gate-3-had-peaked-in-early-access-so-its-massive-800k-concurrent-player-launch-was-way-way-beyond-expectations/ way beyond expectations]]. At its peak, the game had nearly one million concurrent players on Steam alone, with sales as of 2024 putting it somewhere between six and ten million copies sold, along with the Game of the Year honors at the 2023 Game Awards.
23	* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'': Creator/GearboxSoftware had some minor hits before this game to their name, such as the ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'' ExpansionPack for ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' and the ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'' series, but it wasn't until the release of this game that the company would have their CashCowFranchise that's still rolling. Even then, it took several months and ''lots'' of word of mouth in order to make the series the huge success it became, and the series wasn't too heavily promoted, being an original franchise from a relatively unknown studio becoming universally acclaimed was unexpected, to say the least. As Randy Pitchford noted in one interview, the game actually sold better as time went on, compared to the usual pattern of a burst of sales at release, and it was all thanks to word of mouth advertising. This led to the sequel, ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'', getting a bigger budget and proper advertising, and the franchise finally exploding in popularity and becoming Gearbox's flagship series.
24	* ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'' was not expected to do particularly well, so to ship copies Microsoft gave away the ''VideoGame/Halo3'' Beta to anyone who bought the game, with the expectation of a high refund rate. However, this didn't happen as it was very well-received by the Gaming public and press alike. It ended up spawning two sequels on 360 and Xbox One.
25	* ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncientsAllStars'': Originally just ''Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft 3'', it's gone on to become not only a sleeper hit but actually [[GenrePopularizer start a genre of games]].
26	* ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' quickly grew a reputation for its [[NintendoHard punishing difficulty]], and proved to be a hit with both players and critics, garnering several "Game of the Year" awards in 2009 and possibly convincing Creator/{{Atlus}} and Creator/FromSoftware to extend the life of its online servers well beyond its planned six-month period (in fact, they finally shut the servers down at the start of ''2018''!).
27	* After the infamous flop that was ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' and the lackluster release of ''Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3'', hardly anyone was excited about Creator/IonStorm's ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. The game was a surprise hit that ended up being game of the year of 2000 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.
28	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'', a modest indie UrbanFantasy RolePlayingGame from 2019 developed by the small Estonian game development collective ZA/UM, was not expected to stand out as its year of release was a year already stuffed with critically acclaimed titles from both the West and East. However, in spite of its unconventional design it became a critical and commercial darling and wound up not only being nominated in four categories for the 2019 Game Awards, including Best RPG and Best Narrative, but also sweeping the award in all four categories. Its success would continue in 2020, where it won three MediaNotes/{{BAFTA}}s, and, thanks to a translation patch, became a surprise hit in China.
29	* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'' was the sixth game in an obscure WesternRPG series from Belgium, and while the groundwork for its success on Website/{{Kickstarter}} was laid by Creator/LarianStudios faithfully delivering on their promises for the [[VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin previous installment]], ''nobody'' -- not even the devs -- expected it to become the best-reviewed PC game of 2017, as well as in Larian's history, to sell a million copies within a couple months (despite little fanfare or marketing), and to win a Game of the Year (from PC Gamer) and numerous Best RPG awards.
30	* Creator/EpicGames managed to pull this ''twice'':
31	** ''VideoGame/{{Unreal\|I}}'' was released to modest success after three years of development. While it was lauded for its [[SceneryPorn gorgeous landscapes]] and an intriguing plot that managed to subvert ASpaceMarineIsYou, it was launched in 1998, a year [[OvershadowedByAwesome with plenty of notable releases]] in the FirstPersonShooter genre (most notably ''VideoGame/QuakeII'', ''VideoGame/{{Sin}}'', and especially that year's Game of the Year, ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''), plus its multiplayer mode was riddled with a lot of technical problems. So a multiplayer-based ExpansionPack began development, only for the devs to realize that it would be better if said pack were released instead as a standalone game. This game is known as ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'', and gathered [[http://unreal.fandom.com/wiki/Unreal_Tournament/Reception a lot of critical acclaim upon release]], changing the landscape of the FirstPersonShooter genre alongside Creator/IdSoftware's ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'', as well as becoming the TropeCodifier for CaptureTheFlag, [[OneHitKill Instagib matches]] and [[AnnouncerChatter continuous, loud announcements over every action in the game]].
32	** ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' was announced in 2012, and got little attention. When it came to release in 2017, it wasn't an instant success. Then when Battle Royale came out, the game caught enough attention over time thanks to streamers that the audience ballooned to levels previously unheard of. Now, Fortnite is a legitimate cultural phenomenon to the surprise of everyone including its creators.
33	* ''VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator'', similar to many games of this page, started out as one more game in the borderline shovelware category of extremely niche vehicle simulators, with most of its initial players buying it ironically in order to make fun of it on social and streaming media. However, unlike many similar videogames, it had one big difference: it did try to be fun, and tried its best to appeal to people outside of the utilitary vehicle fandom. Unlike most vehicle simulators, which were all about recreating in minute detail every single little button, gage and internal mechanism first and foremost, ''Euro Truck Simulator'' [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality did acknowledge that sometimes realism is at odds with fun]] and was not afraid of cutting short some things in the name of gameplay. Core aspects that vehicle fans like such as faithful, detailed models, realistic physics and highly detailed controls were maintained; aspects that people were more likely to find annoying were reduced or simplified such as compressing spacetime by 20-fold, keeping AI-controlled traffic light and giving it a reasonably smart AI, or simplifying some controls in order to not require an analog controller to play the game properly; and in addition to all that, elements that give the player a purpose beyond just driving trucks were added, such as aftermarket parts that cost in-game money, a level-up system, online-based jobs, six gameplay stages that require putting a good few hours to unlock with in-game money, or nods to hardcore achievers with elements that make the game more challenging such as heavy loads, time-constrained missions or eighteen wheeler trailers. These differences, coupled with a laidback, relaxing driving experience, a planar corporate structure that favored creativity over discipline and authority, and an always constant development that takes feedback from actual truckers who play the game, caused many ironic players to end up actually enjoying the game unironically, leading them to praise the game through word of mouth and positive Steam reviews. Six years after its release, ''Euro Truck Simulator'' has managed to make it more than once to Steam's weekly top selling charts, gained the coveted "Overwhelmingly Positive" user review score, spawned its [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore hardcore-looking]] sibling game ''VideoGame/AmericanTruckSimulator'' as well as eight major expansions with increasing degrees of artistic polish, created one of the most thriving modding communities on the entire Steam Workshop (going as far as creating entire countries such as Canada, Mexico or Brazil), and has even begun to increase its media presence through racing team sponsorships.
34	* The original ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy\|I}}'' was so named because it was supposed to be Squaresoft's swan song title. The company was on the verge of going bankrupt, but the team decided to make one last game on their way out. Instead, the game became a hit, and managed to fish the dwindling developer out from near-bankruptcy and helped turned it into the [[RunningGag fiend-slayingly popular franchise]] it is today.
35	* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series hit a slump when the remake of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight the first game]] slumped on the Platform/NintendoDS, which was enough for the (better) remake of the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem third game]] to not be exported. It's been mentioned in interviews that had ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' not sold over the 250k mark (and the fanfare that North America has given it was a major bonus), Nintendo would've pulled the plug on the series. Instead, not only did ''Awakening'' save the franchise, but it was the first in the series to break a million sales. With the [[NewbieBoom large amount of newcomers]] to the series, ''Fire Emblem'' has gone from being "that series with the swordsmen in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''," to becoming popular on its own merits, leading to heavy worldwide promotion for the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates succeeding]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses games]].
36	* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' started out as a failed kickstarter (it raised exactly ''$0'') project intended to be the SwanSong of developer Scott Cawthon's career, but upon release, he felt it reignite. At last count, [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 there]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 have]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4 been]] ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation six]]'' [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator sequels]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach released]], alongside [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld an RPG spin-off]], [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted two VR]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysHelpWanted2 games]], several novels, and [[Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023 a live-action film]].
37	* ''VideoGame/{{GoldenEye\|1997}}''. The game had little pre-release hype or fanfare, getting a listless reaction from critics at E3 1997 and suffering a rather TroubledProduction cycle. In fact, ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' was originally supposed to be Nintendo's big summer blockbuster that year. However, once ''[=GoldenEye=]'' was released, the game garnered overwhelming critical acclaim and quickly went on to become the N64's flagship title. It garnered numerous "Game of the Year" awards, and even today, stands as one of the most influential video games of all time, as well as possibly [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames the greatest example of how to do a movie-based]] LicensedGame [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames right]], and was a major milestone in the FirstPersonShooter genre, especially when it game to bringing the genre to consoles.
38	* Creator/GrasshopperManufacture:
39	** ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' became this in 2007; even though it didn't sell very well (40,000 in Japan, 208,000 in North America), it has a rather sizable fanbase [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle and a sequel]], and is widely considered one of the best games on the Wii. One could chalk it up to the fact that it's one of the very few UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 games on the Wii, and that its [[VideoGame/Killer7 pedigree]] was a cult classic. The series went on hiatus for a while, but returned with the GaidenGame ''VideoGame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes'' in 2019, ports of the first two games to the Platform/NintendoSwitch in 2020, and the official third installment planned for 2021.
40	** ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw''. Due to the mixed reception from critics, and the fact that previous [=SUDA51=] games like ''[=Killer7=]'' and ''No More Heroes'' weren't all that successful in sales (especially ''[=Killer7=]'', which is one of the most sought-after [=GameCube=] titles, even to this very day), most [=SUDA51=] fans were expecting this one to have low sales too, when actually, it ended up selling 700,000 copies worldwide as of August 2012, a mere ''two months'' after the game's release.
41	* ''VideoGame/HelixJump'' had very little advertisement and had gotten almost no media attention. Despite that, the game has over 380 million downloads, granting it an ObscurePopularity status.
42	* ''VideoGame/HiFiRush'', a Rhythm-Action game developed by Tango Gameworks, a studio [[CreatorsOddball previously known only for horror games]]. The game was kept under wraps right up until its launch date, when it was revealed during January 2023 Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct. Thanks to strong word-of-mouth, within a day of its release, it was the #4 top selling game on Steam and became known as a KillerApp for Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS (finally giving it a console-exclusive title not also available on the Platform/XboxOne) with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
43	* ''Hitman Go'', a mobile puzzle game based on ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series, was met with heavy skepticism at first and seen as a shameless attempt at milking the franchise. Despite negative expectations, it ended up being a well-received title with solid gameplay and complicated puzzles, and got popular enough to not only be ported on modern consoles as an UpdatedRerelease, but also spawn its own series of sequels, with installments based on ''Franchise/TombRaider'' and ''Deus Ex''.
44	* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' by Creator/{{Sierra}} in 1999 did not have a heavy advertising campaign. The mood of the game also screams hard science fiction, which scares off a lot of casual fans. There is also the Chris Foss/Peter Elson inspiration behind much of the design that screams old-school Sci-Fi. Not a single human character is seen onscreen during the game and the voice acting is humorless, technical and stoic which gives it a detached, cold feeling. Word of mouth spread until it had become very popular as fans loved the fully realized 3D gameplay that was light years ahead of the RTS games of the time, the dark & engaging immersive plotline, the moody in-game music (such as the brilliant use of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiuC_CaObbI Samuel Barber's "Agnus Dei"]]) and the ClosingCredits song by ProgressiveRock group Music/{{Yes}}. It had several sequels as well as a remastering and remake for modern systems.
45	* Despite its novel premise (the MediaNotes/ConsoleWars as an actual war for market share waged by goddess [[FunWithAcronyms Console Patron Units]]), nobody expected ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' to sell very well and it was developed [[NoBudget for peanuts]]. Surprisingly, it not only got a Western release, but became far and away the best-selling release from Creator/CompileHeart, garnering two (properly-funded) sequels.
46	* ''VideoGame/KanColle'' was originally meant for the very niche market of military {{Otaku}} (something it shared with ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'', which has a very similar premise of [[MoeAnthropomorphism Japanese warships personified as cute girls]]); but thanks to some {{Colbert Bump}}s from big names in the manga and anime industries (the most notable example being [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Kohta Hirano's]] epic meltdowns about the game on Website/{{Twitter}}), it got a lot more popular than intended.
47	* The original ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' initially had moderate, but still not-as-expected success in Japan. After numerous positive reviews, the sales of the game kept gradually increasing, especially when it came to North America.
48	* ''Videogame/LethalCompany'' bears the distinction of being a small co-op horror roguelike made by a single developer with virtually no marketing that nevertheless managed to surpass Left 4 Dead 2 and Overwatch 2 in player count as well as outsell the latest ''Call Of Duty''.
49	* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' was quietly announced by Square Enix in August 2014. They didn't exactly ignore it as far as marketing went, but the first episode released to little fanfare and modest reviews in January 2015. The intriguing premise and two female leads also drew in a hefty queer audience, and word of mouth boosted the game's profile significantly as more and more episodes got released. The game ended up selling well over 5 million copies over the next few years and it started up a new flagship franchise for Square Enix Europe.
50	* ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' was released on the Platform/SegaCD and was one of the first {{Eastern RPG}}s to hit the States during the 16-bit era. It got so popular that Game Arts couldn't [[PortOverdosed stop making remakes]].
51	* ''VideoGame/MadMax2015'' had been in development for years, until ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' entered production, whereupon it actually picked up the ''Mad Max'' license to become an official game just in time for both film and game to be finished around the same time. In a twist of fate, both the game and film became sleeper hits. After being released a few months after ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' launched on PC, and on the ''same day'' as mega hit ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', it eventually found a niche in the open world genre, and fans began to realize it was far from the rushed licensed tie in game that many expected, and instead was a very solid action adventure game that fit incredibly well into the ''Mad Max'' aesthetic.
52	* The original ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man\|1}}'' fell under the radar until positive word of mouth made into Creator/{{Capcom}}'s flagship franchise.
53	* Though it would become one of the most iconic game in the Platform/NeoGeo library, ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' had very little expectations from SNK. The game was purely a passion project for its developers, who made it in their spare time as Nazca was set up for porting SNK's games to the Saturn and [=PS1=]. The [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original "tank" version]] was poorly-received in location testing and the game was released in a slow quarter. Furthermore, it was a 2D sidescrolling game in a time where fighting games were dominating the arcades and 3D was king. This is one of the reason why the "home" Neo Geo version is surprisingly rare as SNK didn't produce many copies, expecting it to be a flop.
54	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' was never exactly an obscure series, [[CultClassic and received praise from its dedicated fanbase]], but prior to ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', it wasn't tremendously popular either, with Creator/{{Nintendo}} and the series creators leaving it dormant following 1994's acclaimed, but average-selling ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''. Then came a newly-formed western subsidiary named Creator/RetroStudios, who -- after several false starts in getting their first game off the ground -- got the greenlight surrounding a scifi-themed shooter project that they were convinced by Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto himself to turn into a ''Metroid'' game, mostly under the pretense that ''Metroid'' was a fairly low-stakes IP that they could risk giving [[GaidenGame an experimental, foreign-made twist]] (it was even said by Retro developers that "Miyamoto didn't care if we killed it"). When the game -- now titled ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' -- was first announced at [=SpaceWorld=] 2000, it received a staggeringly positive reaction, so surprising that Nintendo drastically reevaluated the franchise and expedited a companion game: ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion''. Both were released in 2002 to rave reviews and high sales, with the success of ''Prime'' [[BreakthroughHit putting Retro Studios on the map]], and while it's [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff definitely more popular among western gamers than Nintendo's native Japan]], ''Metroid'' has since been held in higher regard as one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, spawning [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy an insular trilogy]] and several other mainline titles.
55	* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', initially a one-man project, gained a ton of press by word-of-mouth alone, and still regularly tops the sales charts on [[PortOverdosed most of the platforms it's been released on]]. The Xbox 360 version ended up being one of the most popular games on the system. As of late 2024, 15 years after its very first release, 300 million copies have been sold across all platforms, making it the best selling single video game of all time.
56	* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'' was made simply to fill a hole in Creator/{{Midway\|Games}}'s arcade schedule. A four-man team was given 10 months to churn out a fighting game and pretty much gave them free reign to do what they wanted since it was a small project. The team turned it into one big RuleOfCool game that gave Midway its signature, money-making franchise and cut way more into ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''[='=]s marketshare than they could have imagined.
57	* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'', a sequel to the CultClassic yet niche ''VideoGame/NieR'', was expected to be a modest hit at best because of its limited appeal on paper, and especially with the amount of competition it had on initial release.[[note]]It was surrounded by ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', to name a few.[[/note]] Despite this, a combination of the strong critical praise, popularity of the main character's design, dramatic plotline, well-written characterization, and just enough marketing by Creator/SquareEnix without going overboard, led to the game not only becoming the best selling title in [[Franchise/{{Drakengard}} its whole franchise]] in a little more than a week, but also managing to break one million sales worldwide, becoming the third Creator/PlatinumGames title to do so and the very first for Creator/YokoTaro.
58	* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' was largely overlooked when it was first announced, as not only were people much more hyped for other Nintendo Switch games shown off around the same time like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', but the game's {{Retraux}} "2D-HD" aesthetic got it pegged as an inherently niche title regardless. When the game came out, though, it managed to sell well enough to become one of the Switch's most popular original role-playing games, roughly on par with the bigger-budgeted and more heavily hyped ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2''. The number of initial physical copies for the game were so low that it repeatedly sold out despite Square Enix restocking it multiple times.
59	* ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' was first released as an open beta in 2016 and garnered little attention, other than for being like "a less polished ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''". Jump to 2017, where after numerous improvements to the graphics and gameplay, nearly double the amount of Champions, a slew of customization options, and ''Paladins'' has risen to being the only other HeroShooter that could seriously be considered TheRival to ''Overwatch'', with 11 million players announced soon after the Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/XboxOne version were released.
60	* ''VideoGame/{{Palworld}}'' was mostly derided as nothing more than a "Pokémon with guns and animal cruelty" ShallowParody meme game ever since the first trailers back in 2021 were shown. It sold 5 million copies in three days after its release and has received mostly positive reception.
61	* When ''[[VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds]]'' was released in 2017 as an early-access title, most pundits wrote it off as just another forgettable bland shooter. Yet it became the most played game on Steam with ''3 million'' concurrent players as of December 2017, with its closest competitor ''VideoGame/Dota2'', a "triple-A" game made by Valve Corporation, only having 1.29 million peak players. Not only that, but it also sold ''20 million'' copies in early access and managed to spawn the "Battle Royale" sub-genre of shooter.
62	* Like ''Franchise/StarWars'', it's hard to believe that ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' was this. When it was first released over in Japan, the Platform/GameBoy was on its last legs. Despite this, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' kept selling, spurred by rumors of a hidden 151st Pokémon. By the time it reached North America, the juggernaut was in full swing. It took a while to catch on in North America, however, as Western divisions of Nintendo had dismissed it until its popularity had exploded in Japan. Gamers used to complain that ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' weren't in color, unaware that they came out only one month ahead of the Game Boy Color in North America and years earlier in Japan.
63	* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' was intended as a small bonus to ''The Orange Box'' compilation, but became an instant cult classic of ''The Orange Box''. To put things in perspective, the other games on ''The Orange Box'' included ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and its episodes, including what was the much-anticipated at the time ''Episode 2'', and the [[DevelopmentHell much-anticipated]] ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' (which would later go on to becoming Valve's most successful game ''of all time''). That package sold altogether for $50 at launch. ''VideoGame/Portal2'' sold for the same price and was still a hit. A GaidenGame developed by ten people as a follow on to the student project ''VideoGame/NarbacularDrop'', was put on ''The Orange Box'' with little fanfare. Fans ate it up, the critics loved it, it sold quickly when released as a stand alone, and it has inspired [[SequelEscalation a massive sequel]].
64	* ''VideoGame/PowerRangersBattleForTheGrid'' had a massive uphill battle. A game created for the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]], it was being created by a company that just previously released ''VideoGame/PowerRangersLegacyWars'', a mobile game that initially promoted ''Film/PowerRangers2017'' before it became a BoxOfficeBomb. Its release was not spectacular with the game being buggy and lackluster. However, the company, N-Way, refused to back down and worked on the game, improving its engine, adding a vast cast, adding in voice actors (going so far as to recruit some of the original actors, too) and making the game fun that it is now part of the fighting game community. One of the things that saved the game was its amazing rollback netcode, which was even better than what ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' had.
65	* As revealed in [[http://shmuplations.com/seibukaihatsu2/ this]] interview, the original ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'' was a low-expectation project Seibu Kaihatsu only made because their previous game, ''VideoGame/DynamiteDuke'', flopped and a VerticalScrollingShooter was all they could do with the alloted budget. The game initially sold poorly, but eventually ended up being very successful thanks to positive word-of-mouth. Seibu's U.S. distributor Fabtek boasted in a [[http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=4414&image=1 flyer promoting the sequel]]:
66	-->The original ''Raiden'' has been on the charts since September 1990--38 consecutive months and counting -- with 26 months in the top 10. Not even [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII the most popular fighting game ever]] can make that claim.
67	* ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure'' qualifies: while performing decently enough in its initial launch in 2019 amid competition from the likes of ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' and fellow Platform/NintendoSwitch title ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', it really took off in 2020 after many gyms were forced to close due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic ; selling over 5 million copies worldwide. New copies can easily go for $300 at online resale, five times the $60 list price. Since then, it has sold over 13.5 million copies as of December 2021, becoming the 10th best selling Nintendo-published Switch title.
68	* ''VideoGame/RocketLeague'' was a fairly small game with not a lot of press during development, made as a sequel to a game that was not particularly well received but became something of a CultClassic. Then the beta happened, at which point the game's popularity and press shot through the roof to the point that when it came out, it was the #2 best seller on Steam and became a part of Sony's [=PlayStation=] Plus "Instant Game Collection" service.
69	* ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}''. While developers 5th Cell were not ''unknown'' at the time, having already made the well-liked ''VideoGame/DrawnToLife'' and ''VideoGame/LocksQuest'', they weren't considered ''hugely'' big contenders in the game scene, and ''Scribblenauts'' premiered with little fanfare. The concept was enticing, but didn't make any waves until E3 2009, when the greater game journalism public got their hands on the game. Cue explosion.
70	* After the troubled launch and release of ''VideoGame/SimCity'' (2013), fans of city-building simulation games hoped to find a viable alternative. In came 2015's ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines'', which rapidly picked up positive buzz as the game those fans wished ''[=SimCity=]'' ''had'' been, with the capability for larger and more expansive cities, and none of the annoying online issues. ''Skylines'' became the fastest-selling and best-reviewed Creator/ParadoxInteractive property in its debut week, [[https://www.paradoxplaza.com/news/The-Newly-Crowned-King-of-City-Builders-Shatters-Paradox-Sales-Records/ selling a quarter of a million copies in just two days]], and [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/16/cities-skylines-sales-pass-the-500000-mark surpassing the half-million mark in six.]]
71	** Notably, the failure of [=SimCity=] has been said by Paradox to be the primary reason they funded the development of Skylines, as there was now a niche that was open to competition.
72	* ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'' garnered major attention during its reveal at E3 2014, being a major new IP from Creator/{{Nintendo}} and a particularly unique take on the ThirdPersonShooter genre. However, considering that it was both on the floundering Platform/WiiU and was a genre that the company had never tackled before, many expected it to be dead on arrival. What happened instead was that the game sold one million copies worldwide in less than a month. More notably, despite shooters rarely selling well in Japan, it managed to completely sell out on release day (Nintendo had to [[https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/604233317760684032 apologize for a shortage of retail copies]]), consistently remained among the Top 5 on Japanese game sales charts for fourteen straight weeks, and went on to be the best-selling Wii U title in Japan. It later garnered [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 two]] [[VideoGame/Splatoon3 sequels]] on the [[Platform/NintendoSwitch Switch]], the former having quickly outsold its predecessor and the latter achieving the highest launch sales of any video game in Japan, ''Splatoon'' references and the ability to race as an Inkling in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8Deluxe'', and have the Inklings be the first new characters announced for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
73	* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon''. Despite being of the niche genre of farming {{Simulation Game}}s, it managed to sell nearly a million copies within a few weeks through mostly word of mouth.
74	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
75	** [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64 The original game]] started a side project by Masahiro Sakurai that Satoru Iwata allowed him to do on the weekends at HAL Laboratory. Eventually, Iwata became interested in this "King of the Hill"-like fighter, and the company asked Nintendo if they could use some of their characters. Nintendo was iffy on the entire thing: keeping the budget on the game incredibly small and planning on a Japan-only release. Despite little promotion, the game took off in Japan and was brought to North America and Europe later that year, becoming a KillerApp for the Nintendo 64. Its sequels have followed the trend.
76	** When the first sequel ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' was released, two characters, Marth and Roy, were originally going to be DummiedOut for the international versions of the game, as at that point, both were part of a franchise that had been Japan-exclusive (and around since 1990, at that). The North American localization team loved the two characters, and their surprising popularity allowed ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' to be exported.
77	* The first ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' game was this: a low-profile game, it became a surprise massive hit thanks to word of mouth. It soon became [[VideoGameLongRunners a long]] and successful CashCowFranchise for Creator/{{Konami}}, and lots of companies tried [[FollowTheLeader to cash on]] the non-H DatingSim genre it created with varied success.
78	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject''. One man [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter making his own]] ShootEmUp games has become one of the best known BulletHell series around.
79	* ''VideoGame/VampireSurvivors'', like many small-time games put out on Steam, released with virtually no fanfare. It was cheap and it looked cheap, and it blended in with all the other obscure releases and shovelware on the platform. This suddenly changed about a month later, when the game was noticed by a number of Youtubers, mostly likely starting with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trc7iuyydmo this video by SplatterCat]]. Afterwards, the game gather huge amounts of steam, generating tens of thousands of players at a time and [[FollowTheLeader creating a trend of imitators to follow]]. In the end, ''Vampire Survivors'' proved to be one of the most fun you can have for just 3 American Dollars[[note]]Which has increased to $5 since[[/note]].
80	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' started out on the backfoot as one of the most prominent examples of ItWillNeverCatchOn in gaming history, with developer Digital Extremes actually unable to find any publisher willing to back it, forcing them to self-publish with their entire company on the line. After a slow start, with its eye-catching premise (space ninjas!) drawing people in and its grindy, repetitive nature turning them away, the game [[PerpetualBeta continued to evolve over the years]] gaining more and more positive word of mouth as DE reworked old systems and added new ones. Around about the time they released [[WhamEpisode "The Second Dream"]] the game's popularity ''exploded'' as what was previously seen as a fun but shallow looter MMO began to be recognised as something close to art, as well as one of the best examples of free-to-play monetisation in a game done intelligently and with integrity. It has subsequently become one of ''the'' foremost [=F2P=] games in the world, with releases on all the consoles as well as PC and millions of [[FanCommunityNicknames registered losers]] logging in every day, making it also one of the foremost modern examples of AndYouThoughtItWouldFail.
81	* ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' was not expected by its development team to do particularly well due to its unconventional gameplay, [[QuirkyWork quirky style]], and being a SpiritualSuccessor to a mode for a game released exclusively on the failed Nintendo [=64DD=]. The game ended up doing well above Nintendo's internal expectation and spawned a long line of sequels.
82	* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'':
83	** [[VideoGame/TheWitcher The original game]] was a PC-only single player CRPG released in 2007 by a development studio largely unknown outside eastern Europe, based off a fantasy book series almost unheard of in the English-speaking world. It proceeded to sell over a million copies in its first year of release, with its [[VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings sequel]] reaching that number in under six months. The success of the games also led to the original novels being promoted globally, followed by an LiveActionAdaptation by Creator/{{Netflix}}.
84	** The first game's success was such a surprise that the studio more or less apologized for their shoestring-budget BlindIdiotTranslation by using some of their windfall to produce a much more polished Enhanced Edition, which further boosted the game's popularity.
85	** [[VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt The third game]]'s entrance into the open world genre turned into a massive smash hit mostly by word of mouth after release.
86	* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' had little to no advertising for its North American release, but word of mouth made it the top selling Platform/NintendoDS game its first week in North America. The only reason it didn't stay that way for the next few was because the stores literally ran out of copies to sell almost overnight and would be back-ordered for quite a while. Even today, it still gets rather high on Amazon's best selling DS games, coming after new releases and Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s cash cow franchises in sort by best selling. It even gotten an [=iOS=] port, followed by a 2018 release on the Platform/NintendoSwitch, an anime adaptation, and eventually a [[VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou sequel]] in 2022.
87	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' got the -tanks part when a small Belorussian gaming studio making "yet another elves and orcs MMO" decided there are bit too many of those. Tank fans were expected to form small yet reliable niche. Notably enough, its popularity also accelerated ''another'' sleeper hit: ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''. This is because just about every ''[=WoT=]'' player watches the Anime. The Reverse is proving true as the aforementioned anime series is practically the main marketing plan for the game's introduction in Japan.
88	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' was [[NoExportForYou outright snubbed for an North American release]] despite previous news that it would be released there. However, the game got itself a very vocal fanbase right from the start, since it was a new JRPG from the creators of the cult classics ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. An entire web campaign (Operation Rainfall) was started to get the game released in Western countries, but Nintendo of America didn't listen. Nintendo of Europe and Australia, however, brought it over to their respective continents. With little advertising and very limited units the game was a surprise hit, garnering positive reviews and rather good sales. Since then, the game was released in North America, along with ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'' and ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'' (the other two games from the [=OpRainfall=] campaign) getting expanded advertising and international releases[[labelnote:note]]Creator/XSEEDGames published ''The Last Story'' in the North America in the late summer of 2012, and released ''Pandora's Tower'' there in the spring of 2013.[[/labelnote]]. Following this, [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX Following]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 games]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 in the series]] have garnered international releases from the get-go, becoming one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, especially in the realm of the JRPG genre, its main protagonist got to appear in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (followed later by the heroine of the sequel), and the original game was ported to the New Platform/Nintendo3DS and received a remake on the Platform/NintendoSwitch.
89	* ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' took only one year to become a multimedia success in Japan comparable to ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' in late 1990s. The franchise's second game sold [[http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/07/yokai_watch_2_sells_a_whopping_13_million_copies_in_launch_week_boosts_3ds_sales an incredible 1.3 million copies in its debut week]], instantly outselling the first game. Its anime adaptation even gets '''better''' ratings than ''Pretty Cure'' and ''Pokémon'' staring from the '''first''' episode and shows no signs of stopping.
90	[[/folder]]

Context SleeperHit / VideoGames