The perception that "woke games" are dying or failing has gained traction in recent years, with several high-profile titles facing commercial setbacks and public backlash. Games like Concord, a shooter from Sony Entertainment, saw an extremely low player count at launch, with only around 697 concurrent players on release day, plummeting to an average of just over 100 players shortly after, despite an estimated budget of $50–200 million. Similarly, Dustborn, an indie title, failed to gain traction, contributing to the narrative that games perceived as overly focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are alienating core audiences. Another example is Black Myth: Wukong, a politically neutral game that sold 10 million copies within three days, highlighting a stark contrast in market reception between non-woke and allegedly "woke" titles.
