10 Great Video Games Everybody Wanted (But Nobody Bought)

It's always disappointing to see a breath-taking video game unable to turn a profit, despite its reception being unanimously positive. Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, and many other iconic titles failed because there was little buzz surrounding them at the time of release.

But every once in a while, a game will tank despite being hyped beyond measure. Even though the gaming community seemed giddy to get their hands on certain titles, you would never guess after seeing the sales count.

Of course, the most obvious reason why this happens is because the plugged property isn't as good as expected. Although players were pumped for The Order: 1886, Alpha Protocol, and Fallout 76, interest dried up when the woeful reviews came out.

However, a heavily promoted IP can still fail even if it revolutionises the industry and sweeps up every award under the sun. If the the game in question was released at the end of a console's life cycle or was buried by a bigger brand that came out the same time, it can fail through no fault of its own.

Though the masses were begging for the ten entries on this list, nobody showed up when they hit the shelves.

After Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands failed to impress, it was no surprise when the chrono-platformer went into hibernation. However, nobody expected the franchise to lay dormant for 14 years. So, when 2024's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was announced, excitement was in the air.

Although the trailer was initially met with hostility, there were plenty of PoP lovers dying to revisit the classic IP. The 2.5D side-scroller was lavished with glowing reviews, proving the naysayers wrong. Due to its innovative combat and impeccable level design, The Lost Crown deserves its place among the best modern Metroidvanias.

But the Prince of Persia series didn't get the comeback it deserved. Firstly, selling the title at full-price was a bad move. With the best Metroidvanias costing under £20, consumers balked after seeing this hefty price tag. On top of that, (and as painful a truth this may well be) Prince of Persia doesn't carry the same weight it once did, despite its dedicated fanbase. As a result, the bulk of its potential audience didn't gravitate towards it.

Despite every critic singing The Lost Crown's praises, it only sold 300,000 units in the first two weeks. Although Ubisoft lowered the price soon after, it merely softened the damage instead of reversing it. If the company priced The Lost Crown more reasonably from the get-go, it probably would've sold significantly better.