I've always liked the setting of Shadowrun - but every edition of the game seems to be somewhere between meh and bad.
There are other issues, but the two related core factors seem to be the overly complex sub-systems and how said sub-systems take so long at the table....
...
Overall though, the mechanics of Shadowrun never really live up to the setting IMO.
This is the main reason Shadowrun has faded.
People will come for the IP, but you can drive them away with the system!
IMHO there is nothing in the 3rd edition of SR that can't be fixed. And people seem to prefer the setting fluff from the 2nd edition.
So what do they do for SR4,5 & 6? Clean up and streamline the known system issues, drop the metaplot and develop the 2e world with updates for technology? Noooooooo...
Instead the IP holder changed how the diepool's worked, updates the lore because
#iwannabeawriter, and introduced all new systematic issues to be fixed with their "system update". Which they never fix in successive editions. All while still keeping all the old legacy complexity issues that SR had.
And people wonder why its player base has dwindled... But hey you can play a Pixie, so it must still be cool right?
Same with Vampire/WoD. So what do the IP holders do when the 20th anniversary release is relatively successful?
Heaven forbid they give the customer base what it wants with a updated and streamlined version of Vampire the Masquerade where the known system issues are actually addressed. Nooooo! What the fanbase really wants is our new expression of what it means to be a woe is me monster!
ROTFL! Bring back the World of Darkness in a way that the old fans can get behind? Such nonsense! Vampire is a
Storytelling Game for snowflake auteurs... Not for the unwashed masses who want to play katanas and trenchcoats!
Same with WHFRP 3rd edition. FFG tried to make a "look another special dice game!" edition. Which made the RPG hobby go: "WHFRP what?"
So what does C7 do when they get the license? Release a cleaned up version of WHFRP 2e with known issues addressed and some new features to enhance the WHFRP experience? Noooooooo... Such obvious ways to update the game to get back the old players and attract new ones are for Poofs!
Complexity must be added! Because as we all know complex d100 systems have legions of fans!
So we get WHFRP 4e, complete with all new system issues obvious upon release due to lack of playtesting! Yeah we have a few cool new options that would have been great on a 2e chassis. But you need to understand that this is WHFRP my good fellow! And as we all know you can't release an edition of WHFRP that actually does what it says on the tin, what?
In each case the IP were taken over by people who didn't really get why fixing known issues for the old fans, and attracting new fans by appealing to normie gamers might actually be a good idea...