10 Games Which Were Not an Instant Hit But Gained a Massive Fan Following Years After Their Release
If you are curious about games that received massive popularity after a few years of their initial release, we have the entire list prepared for you.
- Not all the games reach the peak of popularity instantly after they release.
- The gaming world has multiple games that weren't welcomed well, but later they reached the top of success.
- Our list has the top 10 games that you won't believe had a tough start initially.
In the ever-evolving gaming industry, quality is the ultimate parameter to judge a game. If you are an avid gamer, you are well aware that the success and failure of a game completely depend on how much the game meets the expectations of players. In this merciless world, a few games have managed to get their grip long after they were initially released, and the amount is not even lesser.
Sometimes games fall victim to poor marketing or the mess that the developers have made during their launch. These two reasons often make players exhausted, and they lose interest in trying these titles out. However, if these games are well-made, they get their ground with time, even if it’s a little late.
Below we have listed the top 10 games that have gained popularity long after their release.
1. Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a glittering star in the world of hero-shooter games, and if one lists the best hero-shooter titles, this free-to-play will come among the top. However, the scenario wasn’t the same when this game was released in 2019. The craze that surrounds the game presently was not there initially.
Four years after its initial release, starting from 2023, this game started gaining popularity among battle royale fans, and in February 2023, this game reached its all-time player peak of over 600,000 concurrent players on Steam. That was the turning point, and now this is among the top battle royales that players grind.
2. Alan Wake
Horror gaming is a rapidly growing genre in recent times, but during 2010, horror games weren’t so popular. No matter how much craze you have seen around Alan Wake or Alan Wake 2 in recent times, this situation was completely different when Alan Wake was initially released in 2010. The sales stat of the game was shockingly low.
However, Microsoft took every possible measurement to make it a hit, and these tricks worked. Alan Wake has become one of the most acknowledged survival-horror titles since players started receiving it as a freebie with every Xbox 360 as part of the holiday bundle. This trick skyrocketed the sales of the game.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a slightly different case. This game has never been a flop game. Instead, it was a massive hit the moment it was launched. The twist here is that this popularity reached a new height after a few years when Netflix’s The Witcher came into existence.
As soon as the series was released, a massive wave of gamers fell over Wild Hunt and took it to a height of popularity that CD Projekt Red hardly imagined it to reach. Netflix’s series has worked as a booster for the game.
4. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords is a game with substantial success. However, when the game was initially released in 2004, it wasn’t at all an appreciated game. Instead, it was kind of a failure by Obsidian Entertainment. Because this sequel was developed only 16 months after the base game was released, the quality was a little bit compromised.
Long after its release, players finally started appreciating this game: the quests, proper endings to major quests, exploration of the world, etc. Once this awakening started, this game kept this fanbase for a long time on Steam.
5. Beyond Good & Evil
Ubisoft is a gigantic name in the gaming world, but the journey wasn’t easy. In 2003, Ubisoft tried making an action-adventure game named Beyond Good & Evil. This game had puzzle-solving, elements of stealth, etc., to attract players’ attention. Unfortunately, the entire effort was wasted. However, soon the game captured the pace.
The experiments that Ubisoft did with this game all fell flat initially, but soon players realized the thrill of the game, and after the rumor of its sequel being developed, the base game started attracting more attention from gamers.
6. Rocket League
Rocket League is one of the most renowned indie games, and gamers are crazy about this game. However, the scenario wasn’t the same when the game was released in 2015. At that point, it was only another indie game with a unique concept. Because indie games are always famous for these unconventional blends of genres, players weren’t very interested in the game.
The change started with the trend of online streaming getting more popular, and streamers began looking for new games to stream. As esports began to appreciate Rocket League for its depth of skill and strategy, the rise of this game received an unexpected boost after years.
7. Fortnite
At this point, if you look at Fortnite, you will be shocked to know that this game wasn’t even getting players when initially Epic Games released it in 2017. When it was first launched, it was a co-op survival game, and the competition was hard in that genre. Therefore, the game didn’t get any attention in its initial stage.
As soon as Epic Games realized this problem, it took a bold decision to introduce the battle royale mode. This was the turning point. The free-to-play battle royale mode, along with its colorful outfits and impressive graphics, won the hearts of gamers instantly and made it one of the most played battle royales of all time.
8. Overwatch
The multiplayer shooter gaming genre has been one of the most crowded genres, with Call of Duty games capturing most of it. Therefore, when Overwatch was released in 2016, it failed to meet expectations, and gamers started questioning whether it could survive competing with the most established games of a similar type.
The reception was disappointing, but Blizzard didn’t lose hope. It kept launching post-launch updates, seasonal events, etc. After some time, Overwatch managed to gain popularity in esports. Thus the rise began.
9. Among Us
Among Us is a glaring example of a game gaining loads of popularity after years of struggle. Innersloth initially brought this game in 2018, but the game failed to attract gamers. Not sure what caused this failure, but this game was out of popularity for a long time. However, during the COVID pandemic, this game started gaining a fanbase.
The tension-filled gameplay, different maps, and, most importantly, finding the imposter started winning the hearts of gamers as soon as online streamers started playing the game on stream. The concept of this game is simple, but the success is unbelievable.
10. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil is undoubtedly one of the most popular gaming series. When initially, this series began, it created a wave of excitement, but at the point when Capcom released Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, the series required a new start. Therefore, players were skeptical about this game, and they passed it without even trying it once.
However, Capcom’s struggle to make Resident Evil 7 a popular game paid off. With its atmospheric setting, tense gameplay, and psychological horror elements, this game reinvented the survival-horror genre and gradually grabbed the attention of gamers over the years.
These are some of the best examples of popular games that started their journey with almost zero popularity but eventually made their strong and stable fanbase.
