OXCGN discusses if studios fail more often than not if they deviate from their usual game style:
"A change is as good as a holiday, they say. People get tired of doing the same thing over and over so it shouldn't be a surprise that game studios may feel the same way too. In an industry plagued with safe sequels and cliche copycats it should be a good thing when a game studio decides to try something moderately or even completely new. Unfortunately, this isn't always so and what results can be average, or worse, a complete disaster."
For a list of games that have failed and poll to voice your opinion, hit the link: