There are some franchises out there who, regardless of the quality of individual games, seem to be guaranteed success, at least financially, if not always critically. Big series like Call of Duty, FIFA and other big names will generally only surprise these days if they underperform, but plenty of other success stories may surprise you. Below are a few games that, through longevity, low expectations, or just fan opinion, have succeeded in ways the creators probably never expected. Let’s take a look at surprising gaming successes in video games history.
Age of Empires 2
We’re starting with a game that few could argue hasn’t been successful, but in this case, it has been more successful than most ever realize. History proves it’s true. A follow-up to the original classical-era Age of Empires from 1997, regarded as one of the greatest games ever made, the sequel moved everything to the Middle Ages and Medieval times, expanding and refining the original formula.
Despite being released in 1999, Age of Empires 2 has never stopped having a dedicated player base, which led to the creation of an HD remaster in 2013 and then a full new Definitive Edition a little later. It’s already rare for studios to support games after so long at all, but almost unheard of for those studios to start producing brand-new DLC for a game after 20 years, a testament to the game’s enduring popularity.
The Three Stooges
Probably the game you’ve heard about the least on this list, the success here lies in the game’s ability to do so much with so little to start with. The Stooges have had every kind of merchandise and tie-in imaginable, even making regular appearances at real money online casinos in the form of not just one but two separate online slot games featuring all the characters and classic scenes from their movies.
Still, a video game for the NES created in the 80s didn’t have much going for it, mainly because the audiences for the two concepts were many decades apart. Despite everything though, the game was a moderate hit on launch and, more surprisingly, received multiple updates and remakes over the years. It even made it all the way to the PS1 and PC in the early 2000s in basically the original form.
The Oregon Trail
Modern gaming fans may be surprised to learn that the classic game of pioneers and dysentery is officially the longest-running game franchise in history. To be clear, we say franchise, but the game has been updated and rereleased across 50 years without ever changing the core game too much.
Still, there is something fundamentally endearing about The Oregon Trail, a game so old that it has a more brutal game loop than any Souls-like game. 3 or 4 generations of players have enjoyed the same title, and while it has never been a blockbuster, it’s not easy finding a game with more of a cultural legacy behind it.
Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list and there are plenty of other surprising success stories, but the lesson is that success is relative in gaming, and don’t be surprised if more than a few budget indie games prove just as enduring as some of the big names.
