Hype is a double-edged sword when it comes to video game marketing. On the one hand, having a lot of hype for an upcoming title will usually make for a lot of pre-orders and first week sales. On the other hand, if a game then fails to meet expectations, its long-term sales can be irreparably damaged. In recent years, many AAA releases seem to have followed the same pattern. First, the game is announced at PAX or E3, and touted as the 'next big thing.' Over a a couple of years of slowly eaked out information, excitement builds. The game is delayed once or twice, but that does little to lower expectations on the whole. Then, by the time it's been released, there's just no way it's able to live up to the years of hype beforehand. This list takes a look at ten video games that fell victim to levels of hype that could never be lived up to. While the majority of the games here are by no means bad, each one managed to disappoint the vast majority of gamers that bought into the pre-release buildup.
