Nene seems to have as many fans as she does haters. With her fans loving her cute and fun personality as well as her endearing love and worry for her friend. Her haters though find her an annoying girl with an obnoxious voice who lacks even the most basic of common sense. There's also the large amount of focus she receives after being hired as a part-time game tester.
Momiji, who's either a great addition to a main cast that was growing stale, or annoying and too similar to Hifumi. There's also the question of whether her rivalry with Aoba is a good thing for the latter's development. Another controversial topic is her winning against Aoba in the character design competition. Some say that Momo didn't deserve the win, while others point out that the contest essentially boiled down to who could draw what Hajime was looking for, so it wasn't necessarily a test of skill (Momo herself is dissatisfied, believing she didn't really win).
Naru gets a lot of hate from Nene fans for her animosity toward her fellow programmer. It also doesn't help that she indirectly insulted Umiko by accusing her of hiring Nene just for having connections. Her feelings of Nene getting special treatment has even sparked arguments in the fandom about whether Nene was hired for her potential skill or if the fact that she was friends with many at Eagle Jump had a bigger part. This even leads to discussion on hiring practices in general and whether it's more advantageous to be highly skilled with no connections or moderately skilled and have connections. Still there are quite a few fans who believe Naru is justified in thinking that Nene just lucked into the very job that Naru is working very hard to obtain, and even Umiko herself has said that Nene lacks the skill needed to actually work on games at Eagle Jump, which somewhat confirms that while she was seen to have great potential Nene was mostly hired because of her friendship with Umiko. In fact, Nene herself admits that Naru isn't exactly wrong.
There are some who are disappointed that the series isn't a critical look into video game development, a bit like the gaming industry's equivalent of Shirobako, while others are fine with it being a character-focused comedy. Some even go so far as to claim Tokuno (a former tri-Ace employee) knows nothing about the video games industry.
Chapter 49/ S2E06. Detractors criticize the chapter in which Aoba is not allowed to draw the key visual despite having become character designer of having borderline Break the Cutie elements that is unsuitable for the Iyashikei-heavy Manga Time Kirara Caret. Supporters instead say the discussed situation is common at least among Japanese developers, and Tokuno's playing it Lighter and Softer.
Season 2 is either a refreshing, more dramatic take on the series with real conflict and interesting new characters, or a massive downgrade that focuses too much on the drama and brings new characters at the cost of older ones falling Out of Focus. Not helping is how Naru and Momo are pretty divisive to begin with.
The series post-volume 6/the end of Season 2, following Ko going to France. Detractors don't like the direction that the series has taken now, especially considering that one of the more popular characters is no longer at Eagle Jump. Fans, however, are more open-minded, seeing this as an opportunity for everyone else to improve their skills, which is what Ko wanted.
Early on in the series, Hajime ponders what she'd do if she got promoted and became Kou's boss, resulting in Kou and Yun saying they'd quit if that happened, and Aoba sheepishly being unable to say anything in Hajime's defense. Hajime eventually does become the director, after Kou leaves for Blue Rose(Yun, however, stays on), and the arc following that was somewhat poorly received by viewers.
The early, lighthearted discussion about the game being cancelled if the demo/beta isn't shaping up becomes a lot harsher when Fairies Story 4 is abruptly halted by the publisher.
An early chapter has Aoba, Yun, and Hajime discuss how Fairy Stories 3 might be cancelled, with a disclaimer that it happens a lot in the gaming industry. Then, in chapter 135, development of Fairy Stories 4 is shut down right as Aoba is on the verge of finally doing a key visual.
All the inspiration, positivity, and support Aoba and Hotaru give each other becomes more bittersweet when Catherine pits them against each other to decide who will do Fairy Stories 4's key visual.
Hilarious in Hindsight: The manga was criticized by some for violating the iyashikei-spirit by pitting its moe girls against each other in competition to create key visuals. Tokuno's next work, IDOL × IDOL STORY!, is nothing butmoe girls being pitted against each other in competition (to become idols this time), and it does not shy away from the Break the Cutie elements that caused New Game fans to dislike chapter 49 at all. If anything, the competition arcs in New Game seem like Tokuno was just stretching his legs.
Anime Tiddies.Explanation Originates from Tumblr. A user edited a frame from Chapter 11 of the manga when Aoba searches for Girlish Pigtails to a search for "Anime Tiddies"◊, poking fun at gainaxing. This image has become one of the most emblematic of that trope, despite people hardly know the original image comes from New Game! until the anime adaptation in 2016, nor does anyone from the series falls victim to that trope.
Ganbaruzoi!Explanation In Chapter 9/ Episode 4, Aoba said "Kyou mo ichinichi ganbaru zoi" (Let's do my best today-zoi) as she starts work. Just because of Rule of Funny, this -zoi mutated into Aoba's Verbal Tic in fanon. Crunchyroll's subtitles does not translate this literally, using League of Legends meme "donezo"—"Let's get some work donezo." Seven Seas Entertainment uses a more literal translation: "do my bestest". (emphasis in quote)
In a very minor extent; The lack of main/supporting male characters (as they're merely background characters) in the series is also viewed the manga's universe as a Lady Land a la Love Live!.
Moe: The style of the series. Aoba looks to be especially huggable. Taken up to eleven when Aoba's in her Hi-bear-nating Bag, which reaches Penguin Chiyo levels of adorable.
Ship-to-Ship Combat: Aoba/Hifumi vs Aoba/Ko vs Aoba/Nene. Aoba/Ko vs Rin/Ko is also a pretty common ship war.
Tear Jerker: When Umiko finds out that the minigames Naru made have a lot of bugs as a result of Naru cutting corners, Naru goes over the Despair Event Horizon, concluding that she'll never work for the gaming industry and regretting causing trouble for Momo and the others. Luckily, Nene comes to her rescue and helps fix the bugs.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Aoba's breakdown and consequential Heroic BSoD only lasts a total of 15 pages across 2 chapters. Given this was supposed to be the last conflict of the series, and how dark this plot thread is compared to the rest of the series, it got solved way too quickly and nonchalantly for how heavy of a subject that was. Even worse is how that conflict was solved: Momo, who had absolutely no relation to this plot thread whatsoever, just went to a mentally broken Aoba's house, gave her a punch to the face and told her to get over it, because she wanted the position Aoba had, and thus it wasn't fair that she got depressed. Keep in mind that Aoba has a much closer relationship with the people directly involved in this mess - Hotaru, who came out of nowhere to steal her thunder, and Kou, who essentially kickstarted the whole thing by not defending her when it counted. By stealing the spotlight, Momo robbed the chances of either of them coming out in a better light through this whole mess, only being relegated to (somewhat) unwilling antagonists in the very final arc that was supposed to bring closure to their friendly rivalry.
Kou becomes this in the final arc. Not only does she refuse to defend her decision to make Aoba the Key Visual designer for Fairy Story 4, which leads her to a deep depression for a whole week, when it comes the time to show her trust in her subordinate by facing her head on like she's always done, Kou instead decides to not lift a finger and place all the responsibility on Aoba's shoulders. Bonus points for relaying a message through Momiji, of all people, instead of making any efforts to talk to her prior to the resolution.
Momiji, in the same arc, resorts to punching Aoba out of her depression, essentially telling her she doesn't have the right to be sad because she (Momiji) wanted to be in her position instead. To throw salt into the injury, it works.]]
Vindicated by History: A minor case, but the second season/the Peco arc has been somewhat more fondly remembered in comparison to the dodgeball arc (which, as of this writing, has not been adapted into the anime). Reasons include the tone being significantly lighter, Kou still being at Eagle Jump, and there still being roles for secondary characters like Hifumi and Umiko.
Watch It for the Meme: According to the Japanese Wikipedia article, the manga originally had a lukewarm reception until a panel of Aoba declaring "I'll do my best today!" caused it to explode in popularity, which caught the manga author off-guard since it was just a simple line of dialogue and not his attempt at a Moe "never give up" statement of intent. But that one meme single-handedly brought the manga to national attention in Japan, to the point Aoba's voice actress repeatedly rehearsed the line to get it just right.
They could've just called Aoba's sleeping bag her Bear Sleeping Bag, but Funimation went the extra mile by referring it as her "Hi-bear-nating Bag". Sufficed to say, Teddie would be proud.
In Chapter 25, after Kou runs into a pole, Rin says, "But it's good that you didn't get into a traffic accident like your name, XX-chan," (Kou's name is bleeped out of the surveillance camera footage). In the localization of the manga, Rin makes a pun about Kou suffering a "Kou-cussion."
The dub avoids giving specific money amounts, likely to avoid having to explain to Western viewers how much various sums of yen are worth. For example, when Nene unwittingly eats Ko's pudding, which cost 100 yen(roughly $1 US), Ko says the pudding cost "pocket change."
When Aoba goes out drinking with her newly of age friends, she drunkenly makes a pun about her surname, Suzukaze(which means "cool wind") as she goes out for some air. In the localization of the manga, she says, "See you on the Aoba side."
