With the success of games like Fire Emblem: Awakening, why is the genre Tactical RPG so niche and not something vital like platform games or regular RPG's for that matter?

I don't think tactical RPGs have ever had a really big mainstream hit. They've not had their Super Mario, or their Final Fantasy 7, or their Starcraft, or their Doom. For whatever reason they've not appealed to a more mainstream audience, and that's just fine -- it doesn't make it an illegitimate genre. The fact that it has a dedicated genre at all is actually doing quite well -- its niche, sure, but a well-established one.

I don't think srpg and tactical rpg are actually the same thing. Single-player RPGs aren't niche at all, they're probably the single most core computer game genre. But I think the Disgaea series is an example of a recent tactical rpg that has had a pretty big audience and large numbers of copies sold. Before that the Final Fantasy one sold out its print run and even used copies were pricy for years, even though it got way less advertising than the main Final Fantasy Games. Dofus is a tactical MMO that is hugely popular in France.

I do think tactical combat is more work to program and make art for than either platformers or 2D RPGs.

I don't think tactical RPGs have ever had a really big mainstream hit. They've not had their Super Mario, or their Final Fantasy 7, or their Starcraft, or their Doom.

what about the x-com series? that's probably as big a mainstream hit as they'll get.

I don't think srpg and tactical rpg are actually the same thing. Single-player RPGs aren't niche at all, they're probably the single most core computer game genre.

by srpg, i think OP meant simulation rpg, not single-player rpg.

assuming OP meant simulation / tactical rpg, here's my take on why they aren't that popular:

1. they were always a hard core niche type game. nowadays there are a larger percentage of casual gamers than in the early days. originally, only geeks had PCs, and games were made by and for hardcore geeks, and the hardest core gamers got into SRPGs.

2. many are turn based. PCs can do real time combat now, which makes turn based somewhat obsolete. sure, some folks may like turn based. But some folks also prefer riding a horse to driving a car - but that doesn't make horses any less obsolete.

3. many are isometric 3rd person view god games. PCs can do 1st person and 3rd person perspective views now. again, this makes them somewhat obsolete.

4. large continuous open worlds with in depth combat and character development and massive optional story line based quests/missions are now possible. why settle for just in-depth combat and character development?

I don't think srpg and tactical rpg are actually the same thing. Single-player RPGs aren't niche at all, they're probably the single most core computer game genre.

by srpg, i think OP meant simulation rpg, not single-player rpg.

Oh, huh. I have never actually come across that acronym before.

As Norman mentions, tactical rpg's have tended to be for a more hardcore audience. Picking up a tactical rpg is like picking up chess and then playing against someone who really knows what they're doing. It takes a while not to feel like you don't wuite know what you're doing, and that's a turn off for some people I think. Similarly, it's also a genre where every move counts, and planning ahead is very important, so until you have a good handle on what to do, you can get stuck pretty badly. However, due to some popular hits, I don't think that the genre has the status of an unknown niche, but I do think it is an underplayed genre compared to many other types of rpg's.

It takes longer to learn than a platformer, so wouldn't appeal as much to the casual crowd. Some gamers want fast paced action instead of a thoughtful turn based game. I've always been a big fan of tactical RPGs, and I've started working on one of my own. When I mention it to friends, I always feel like I have to say it understanding that the genre is a niche they might not be into.

Action RPGs like Elder Scrolls I'm sure are more popular for their action, cutting out the slower thoughtful gameplay of a turn based games. But are traditional RPGs more mainstream than tactical RPGs? There seem to be a lot from japan, but I'm not aware of them being huge hits except maybe Final Fantasy.

I like how this thread immediately dives into semantics. I've worked with dozens (probably about 40-50) RPG/rpg hybrids over my career - so lets get this out of the way!

1) Tactical RPG is the normal term people use for this.

2) There have been several big hits in the tRPG world, but certainly none on the scale of a mega-hit like Mario, Halo, Diablo, etc.

3) The RPG genre its self is divided into several key groups

a) Action RPGs (Elder scrolls, Diablo - As you can see first and third person exists for this)
b) JRPGs or Eastern RPGs (Final Fantasy)

c) Western RPGs, often called cRPGs (Fallout 2, Neverwinter Nights)

d) Tactical RPGs (Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, Great Little Wargame)

And those are just the main genres, not including plenty of other subgenres and genrehybrids - as RPG elements are present in nearly every game release.

So of those primary genres tactical RPGs are the least popular because they are the least RPGlike. They're more strategy games than they are RPGs, which is ironic because... drumroll please- Tactical RPGs came first. All RPGs were originally tactical RPGs.

When Dungeons and Dragons was first being tested it was a modified turn based wargame. That turns into the first mainstream dice RPG, and if you break D&D down it's really a turn based tactical RPG.

Unfortunately the strength of a pen and paper RPG is a live person who can interpret actions and turn them into rules. When you take that away a turn based tactical RPG becomes nothing more than an old school wargame, which we all agree is not a huge genre these days.

So there you have it... make of that rambling what you will!

Oh, huh. I have never actually come across that acronym before.

actually, me neither. i always heard xcom etc referred to as "turn based tactical shooters".

When Dungeons and Dragons was first being tested it was a modified turn based wargame. That turns into the first mainstream dice RPG, and if you break D&D down it's really a turn based tactical RPG.

Unfortunately the strength of a pen and paper RPG is a live person who can interpret actions and turn them into rules. When you take that away a turn based tactical RPG becomes nothing more than an old school wargame, which we all agree is not a huge genre these days.

all quite true.

the original rule set for tabletop D&D was released in 1974. i started playing it in 1977. it was based on the chainmail miniatures combat rules. so it definitely has wargame roots in that respect.

and wargames (tabletop or computer/video) have always been niche. i know. i was president of the wargame club for two years in high school. wargamers make up a small percent (1% to 5% perhaps) of the general consumer base.