10 Good Games That SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED

The video game industry is a challenging business where some games become massive franchises while others fail due to fan reception, poor sales, or unrealistic publisher expectations. This discussion highlights ten games that deserved more success than they achieved. Starting with number 10, "2x KO," a fighting game based on the popular "League of Legends" and "Arcane," seemed like an easy win for Riot Games. However, poor planning and unrealistic expectations killed its potential. Despite talented developers and solid mechanics, Riot's lack of understanding of fighting games, loss of faith in the project, or inexplicable expectation for immediate, insane success without adequate advertisement led to its downfall. Just three weeks after its 1.0 launch in January 2026, Riot fired half the team, stating the "overall momentum hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term." This indicates the game is entering maintenance mode. Even at 1.0, "2x KO" felt like an early access title, launching with only 11 characters, which is small for a modern fighting game. The game also featured overpriced skins, a grind to unlock characters, and lacked extra modes or casual content. It was a self-inflicted failure, a game that deserved more. Number 9 is "Sonic Racing Crossworlds," a successor to "Allstars Racing Transforms." Fans consider it a strong competitor to "Mario Kart" and even the better racer of 2025. Despite positive word-of-mouth and over a million units sold worldwide, Sega Sammy's vice president, Kohici Fukazawa, stated that "initial performance did not meet our expectations." While Sega is continuing DLC support, some crossovers like Spongebob Squarepants or Ang from Avatar are expensive, lack voice lines, and don't appeal to the core Sonic fanbase. Though fan-favorite IDW Sonic comic characters like Tangle and Whisper were added, much of the season pass content left fans cold. The game is feature-complete and good, but its post-launch support isn't doing enough to expand its audience and achieve Sega's desired sales success. At number 8, "Marathon," Bungie's take on the extraction shooter genre, launched only two months ago, making it too early to call a complete failure. Bungie has publicly committed to supporting the game for years, so a turnaround is possible. While "Marathon" is highly regarded by its dedicated players, it hasn't attracted casual players. Its launch player count was not disastrously low, but it was overshadowed by "Slay the Spire 2," an indie game with a fraction of its budget. As an online multiplayer live service game, "Marathon" relies on a steady player base, which has been declining week over week, currently sitting below 15,000 concurrent players. While new seasons might bring temporary boosts, many players seem to be leaving for good. "Marathon" is good at what it does but appears too niche for a big-budget live service title that needs a constant influx of new players. Number 7 is "Ninja Gaiden 4." While sales haven't been publicly disclosed, the lack of positive updates from Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja suggests it underperformed. Best estimates place sales around 500,000 to 750,000 units across all platforms. This is not terrible but pales in comparison to "Ninja Gaiden" and "Ninja Gaiden 2," which both surpassed 1 million sales in an era with a smaller industry install base. "Ninja Gaiden 4" is a step in the right direction for the series, offering a great platinum experience despite a lower budget. Potential reasons for its low sales include Game Pass cannibalizing sales, the lingering negative perception from "Ninja Gaiden 3," or a sudden announcement and release that caused it to be missed. It's a good game that deserved more recognition. At number 6, "Hell is Us," a dark, moody, and unconventional adventure game, was never destined for mainstream popularity due to its intentional weirdness. However, its release coincided with the surprise drop of "Hollow Knight: Silksong." "Silksong" had over half a million concurrent players on launch day, while "Hell is Us" had less than 5,000. Estimates suggest "Hell is Us" sold around 200,000 copies, a sales failure. The "Silksong" announcement came only two weeks before its release, making it impossible for other developers to shift their dates. This colossal bad luck overshadowed an interesting and unique game that deserved more attention. Number 5, "Steel Hunters," faced the challenge of a crowded live service market. It had a solid core with fun gameplay and varied mechs, but its core game mode quickly became stale due to a lack of content. It needed more mechs, game modes, or a more refined core experience with a satisfying progression system. The game peaked at only 4,500 concurrent players, indicating an insufficient player base for a live service title. It lasted only seven months before servers closed, rendering it unplayable. The main issue was its uninspired game mode; a 5v5 team deathmatch rather than a light battle royale might have made it more popular. Number 4 is "Mio Memories in Orbit," a Mobius-inspired Metroidvania with exceptional style and craftsmanship, comparable to "Hollow Knight." Despite excellent player feedback, it failed commercially. Publisher Pull-Up reported that "Memories in Orbit" and "Starship Troopers Ultimate Bug War" did not achieve expected commercial success. A unique, potentially alienating mechanic is the permanent loss of max health as the game progresses. While balanced, this irreversible feature can be a turn-off for many players, similar to how players dislike time limits. Regardless of this mechanic, "Mio" is a deserving game that struggled to find a wider audience. At number 3, "Hyper Lightbreaker" was a follow-up to the excellent "Hyper Light Drifter." The original was praised for its stunning pixel art, vague story, and solid action. "Hyper Lightbreaker," however, was a co-op roguelike, a departure from what fans wanted. Despite ambition, the team at Heart Machine ultimately cut their losses, announcing layoffs and ending development on the early access game in October 2025. While some were relieved, others mourned its potential. The team had experience with 3D games, as seen with "Solar Ash," but "Breaker" would have required a complete rethink. What should have been an easy win for a "Hyper Light Drifter" follow-up became an unfinished early access mess. Number 2 is "MultiVersus," an attempt to compete with "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," which sold 37.5 million copies. When "MultiVersus" launched in open beta in 2022, it showed promise with solid mechanics and a roster of Warner Bros. IPs. However, cracks soon appeared: worsening monetization, less interesting mechanics due to patches that slowed combat, and developers responding to the wrong criticisms. The biggest mistake was the baffling decision to go offline in 2023 for almost a year before "relaunching" in 2024. This killed all hype, alienated fans who were promised continuous online play, and left new players confused. The year-long downtime was the nail in the coffin, and despite the relaunch, interest never returned. The game closed entirely in 2025, ending what started as a promising live service fighter with a whimper. Finally, at number 1, "Scott Pilgrim EX." While the beat 'em up genre is experiencing a revival, sales numbers are generally lower than other game types. "Scott Pilgrim EX" is a follow-up to the game that essentially kickstarted the beat 'em up revival in 2010. Developed by Tribute Games, known for the excellent "TMNT Shredder's Revenge," it should have garnered significant interest. However, based on Steam DB numbers, which don't reflect total sales but still indicate low engagement, the game has been largely overlooked. "TMNT Shredder's Revenge" sold over a