Predicting 2025's Biggest Video Game Bombs

The last few years of gaming have been fairly unpredictable. Massive AAA projects have failed to find an audience, big IP-driven tie-ins have released to zero fanfare, and small indie games have received Game of the Year nominations. It seems almost anything can happen in this industry, and no game is a sure thing. "GTA 6" is obviously the most anticipated game of 2025, but there are actually a ton of big releases on the horizon, including launches for brand new IP and new installments in time-honored franchises. However, some of these have given the gaming community reasons to worry. 

That's why we've compiled a list of games that could potentially flop in 2025. Whether due to overblown fan backlash, a misguided marketing campaign, or something as simple as poor timing — sometimes hype just isn't enough. Some games fail in sales, disappoint the fans, or both. What do we think will be this year's "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?" Read on.

Look: The "Sonic" franchise is beloved by hardcore fans, despite the fact that some of its sequels have stained the franchise. Even some entries with lower critical scores have performed better than they probably should have in the sales department, all thanks to the passionate fans. Nevertheless, this one might be a difficult sell. "Sonic Rumble," an upcoming battle royale party game, will pit 32 players against each other as toy versions of "Sonic" characters, playing through various challenges and minigames. Think a high-speed "Fall Guys."

It's incredibly difficult to set your title apart in the crowded battle royale genre, even with the "Sonic" IP attached. It doesn't help that the game has been drawing criticism since its 2024 beta test. Its controversial gacha mechanics have been removed since then, but early testers have criticized it for feeling ironically slow-paced and uninspired in its mini-game design. "Sonic Rumble" may not have enough going for it to carve out its own niche.

2025 also marks the return of a unique horror franchise, "The Dark Pictures Anthology." This series by Supermassive Games, developer of "Until Dawn" and "The Quarry," is a collection of smaller horror games that release seasonally, similar to a TV show. Each installment explores a different subgenre of horror, with each hosted by the mysterious Curator. The first four titles were released within a year of each other. Now, three years after the release of the last game of "Season One," "The Dark Pictures Anthology" is returning with the sci-fi horror story, "Directive 8020."

Although some fans are excited to see the series return, others aren't sure about the direction "Directive 8020" is taking. Being a vastly different genre from the other entries, "Directive 8020's" sci-fi atmosphere may be too big of a departure for fans of the series. Additionally, the one-two punch of mediocre reviews for the previous entry, "The Devil in Me," and the three-year gap between releases has somewhat dulled the hype the franchise once had. "Directive 8020" might only have "Dark Pictures" diehards tuning in.

"Assassin's Creed" is making some bold moves with its 2025 entry, "Assassin's Creed Shadows." Set in Japan's Sengoku period, "Shadows" will continue the sprawling historical fiction timeline that fans have fallen in love with since the beginning of the series. With a new and improved stealth system and a whole slew of ninja tools at the player's disposal, "Assassin's Creed Shadows" seems like a slam dunk on paper.

Sadly, it has already seen a fairly large amount of pushback from the gaming community. A large subsection of fans complained when it was revealed that the game's protagonists will be a Black samurai named Yasuke and a female shinobi named Naoe. Things got especially contentious when Elon Musk criticized the game on social media. Ubisoft has stood by the developers, reminding gamers that Yasuke was an actual historical figure and that the "AC" franchise has traditionally featured a diverse cast of characters from different ethnic backgrounds. Other fans have distanced themselves from the toxic discourse, instead expressing concerns that the series' gameplay is getting tired at this point. Outside of this backlash, Ubisoft is also being accused of inaccurately portraying the game's time period, including its accidental use of a flag belonging to a historical reenactment group.

"Assassin's Creed Shadows" has already received a bit of a bad reputation that may affect its release. Even if it's a sales success like previous entries, there's no doubt that this will be one of those games that gets review-bombed upon release.

Yet another "Sonic the Hedgehog" spinoff coming in 2025: the long-awaited continuation of the "Sonic Racing" franchise. "Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds" shared its first teaser with the gaming world during the 2024 Game Awards livestream. Although very little was shown in the teaser, it's a safe bet that the new racing game will feature many of the classic party-game mechanics that fans have grown to love from the "Mario Kart" competitor.

However, it seems opinions are changing on the beloved subseries, as many fans seem to be underwhelmed by what they're seeing. Even Game Awards host Geoff Keighley seemed nonplussed by the brevity of the reveal trailer, and gamers are already cracking jokes about Sonic and friends not needing cars to go fast. Some fans are worried that the new game will stray from the classic "Sonic Racing" formula, while others are annoyed that the initial marketing failed to show off anything that would indicate that "Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds" will be a must-play release. 

Without an eye-catching teaser, "Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds: may be off to a bad start. Plus, now that Nintendo has confirmed the existence of a new "Mario Kart" game coming this year as well, some "Sonic" fans fear that "CrossWorlds" is already doomed by the competition.

Continuing the main overarching storyline of the quirky first-person looter-shooter RPG series, "Borderlands 4" introduces players to an all-new roster of Vault Hunters and villains. After a bit of a lukewarm reception for the last entry of the series, many are hoping that the series will be able to win them over once again. However, some fans are already wary of "Borderlands 4," as the first-look trailer revealed some big changes that might be a dealbreaker for the new entry. 

Firstly, the art style, while undoubtedly gorgeous on its own, is noticeably leaning more towards realism than the series' usual vibe. Next, some fans think the designs of the new Vault Hunters don't feel quite as unique or interesting when compared to previous series protagonists. Others worry that the series' trademark juvenile sense of humor is simply outdated at this point. Finally, the franchise as a whole still hasn't fully recovered from the extremely negative reviews and box office failure of the "Borderlands" movie, which heavily tarnished the series in the eyes of the fans. There's still hope, but "Borderlands 4" has a lot to prove.

"Mafia" is yet another time-honored series making its return in 2025. However, rather than pick up where "Mafia 3" left off nearly a decade ago, the new game takes an interesting twist that many fans didn't expect: "Mafia: The Old Country" will instead be a prequel to the original game, taking place in early-1900s Sicily. While the general tone of the series will be similar, the aesthetic is decidedly more old-fashioned. "Mafia: The Old Country" is also more of a linear mission-based experience, rather than an open-world game like its predecessors.

It's already easy to see that "Mafia: The Old Country" is taking big swings, becoming something far different from what fans are used to. Some gamers are reluctant to follow on this new path, while others expect 2025's other big crime sim, "Grand Theft Auto 6," to completely overshadow any hype "The Old Country" could have built up in a year without a return to Vice City.

We're not really sure what to make of "Catly." When a trailer for the game debuted during the Game Awards, many viewers were perplexed and unsure of what exactly the game is about — other than cats. According to the official Steam description, "Catly" will focus on raising cats, building an island, and apparently taking your cats on vacation-themed activities like skiing. 

It sounds like it could be fun, but its surreal art style has led gamers to accuse "Catly" of using AI-generated assets. Others have expressed concerns around the game possibly being built around the use of NFTs. The developers denied this in a statement to IGN, but this has done little to calm down passionate gamers who are afraid of being duped. As noted by Vice, the game's original Steam description — "Hyperrealism, Actions, Cuddle, Speed, Islands, Fashion, Dreams, Snow, Robots, Plants" — did little to combat the generative AI allegations or give gamers an idea of what the game is. There's a lot of commotion surrounding "Catly," but it doesn't seem like the kind that translates to sales. 

Although many thought the series was well over, "Fable" is making its triumphant return in 2025. The 2004 original was painstakingly designed to make players feel like every choice really mattered, incorporating a morality system that many games have since copied for their own immersive purposes. Despite not living up to a number of lofty promises made during development, "Fable" and its sequels are still seen as classics. Sadly, there's one big obstacle that could make the launch of the new "Fable" anything but smooth.

Firstly, with "Fable" being such a well-beloved classic franchise, this new entry has very big shoes to fill. If this wasn't enough, there are rumors that the development team has been struggling with various issues behind the scenes that have caused internal delays. Finally, and most importantly, the game itself is projected to be released in Fall 2025. This may put it into direct competition with "GTA 6," a game projected to become one of the biggest sellers of all time. 

Even the abject failure of "Lord of the Rings: Gollum" can't keep "The Lord of the Rings" down. This time, the franchise is exploring Bilbo and Frodo's hometown in "Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game." This cozy simulation game allows players create and control their own Hobbit and live out a comfortable life in the Shire. Think "Harvest Moon" with a Tolkien twist. It may sound like a dream come true for "LotR" fans, but the response from early players hasn't been exactly positive.

According to those who have played a demo of the game, "Tales of the Shire" is way more boring than fans would hope. While some reviewers have enjoyed their minimal time with the game, others have found the tasks around the Shire to feel mostly pointless and repetitive. Digital Trends' preview noted that the game has some fun ideas, but there's not much that sets it apart from other farming sims. Given the middling response from the demo — as well as the disappointing track record for "LotR" games as of late — "Tales of the Shire" might not exactly be the one game to rule them all.