10 Recent Failed Video Games That Became Cult Classics
8. Shenmue III (2019)
The Shenmue series has garnered an infamous reputation for being a 'cult classic' sort of series.
Back in the Dreamcast days, the original Shenmue title had been developed as the most expensive video game in the world; however, by the time it came to the series being rebooted with the third edition, developers had resorted to Kickstarter campaigns to get things off the ground.
Making history as the highest-funded game on the platform, Shenmue III launched in November 2019 and instantly began to divide opinions with its by-the-book approach to things.
Labelled a 'core niche project' by Lars Wingefors, the game sold half the amount of copies as the remastered original Shenmue title, with many reports suggesting sales had been much lower than what had been hoped.
Nevertheless, the game's faithfulness to its series' roots has continued to sit well with the fans who did receive it well.
Following the release of the Battle Rally DLC in January 2020, Shenmue III jumped to 13,000 followers on Steam and has since gone on to elevate that number even higher to just shy of 15,000 as of October 2022.