It's getting people to like that world is the hard part. Are people intimidated by a original world and story that's not exactly elves and dwarves styled?

It's not the creation of a world that is difficult... It's making it work right and fleshing it out that is difficult.

The more different it is from our current world, the greater the effort is needed to make it work properly.

Even just adding a small element will have widespread ramifications throughout the world's society.

As for your question... The classic high fantasy setting is not mandatory, but it is easy to work with, requiring less worldbuilding, as others have taken care of that already.

Same goes with fandom RPs, really. Less work worldbuilding.

The hard part about world building in my experience is adaptability. How easy is it for players to understand the mechanics of the world? What about new potential? Loopholes, inconsistencies, that sort of thing. When you do something like a high fantasy, everyone comes in with a basic understanding of how things work: Elves are ageless and generally more perspective than most other races, dwarves are short but hardy folk, humans are humans, goblins are small and mischievous, magic is why you can throw fire balls, etc.

Adding new, different things challenges previously established understandings. For example, what is a Half-Elf? What about a Half-Dwarf? Half-Human? How does magic respond to mechanical engineering? Are the two totally incompatible or can they work just fine? And that's just with regular fantasy stuff. It's a different can of worms if you're using different genres, like Modern or Futuristic. How do super powers work? What stops The Hulk from using an Iron Man suit? Where to super power come from anyways?

When things start breaking down into a science, that's what either makes or make a world. Because then if falls into who would actually be interested in trying to do something innovated, or who just wants to stick with what's already established and won't try to challenge the standards. Your mileage may vary of course.

I love world building.
Creating logic where there would be none
should be a national sport imho.
Maybe it already is.

However, the funniest (and perhaps most useful)
resource I've been directed after sharing my
love for the stuff has been an article on
creating sewage systems. Hydraulic goodiness!
But.. But.. I've never been writer-blocked
that way before? *dead*

I cannot be as detailed as some.
But screw expectations, worlds are
ever evolving in and outside of notice.
I'm detailed enough for fun
and that's all that's needed *o*

Uh, okay. On second thought,
maybe this is a thread for group players.
I would thus agree on being intimidated by
non-fantasy worlds. What are the offerings otherwise?
Unless you mean fantasy that's more focused.
Ie, creatures, weapons, monsters of the week, etc.

Aside from the easy adaptation thing, which @lucius outlined
rather brilliantly above- I'd say yes, it is indeed
about how easily the ideas are understood, what they can take,
breed, etc. Do you have a more concrete example
of what you perceive or have found to be a more difficult
integration into the wider audience?

In all's honesty, I don't think about liking a world
or not. It's more about how the characters interact and
or what happens within it. Not leaving out of course,
what I can do with it *_*