We’re sure that our readers have had the pleasure of playing outstandingly awesome games, whether they have an Xbox, a PlayStation, or a PC. Even mobile ones can be exceptionally good and fun nowadays. However, sometimes games can be very poorly made.
We’ve compiled a list of the biggest game flops in history so you can avoid ever having to play some of these. Some have been released again with improved versions, but let’s take a look at why they flopped in the first place.
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Now - back to our topic.
1. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky was a failure due to the overwhelmingly ambitious promises that the developers and the studio had made before its release, which of course, were not met. Because of the grandiose promises of its supposed high-caliber gameplay, the game flopped.
It’s a decent one and can still be quite fun to play, but it failed to deliver on the features it was supposed to have in the first place. The studio that created the game had a small team of developers to start with. Hello Games promised a colorful and infinite universe but couldn’t make it happen.
Many players were disappointed at how similar the planets actually were, with the shallow difference of colors and names changing. This was because the developers used procedural generation, which is a tool for game development that has a very high potential for the future but is still at a very primitive stage.
Procedural generation can generate random models in gaming, like rocks and everything. We’re sure no one would appreciate it if a studio is going for an infinite universe of planets - but at one point, those models start looking the same because of limited technology.
2. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Many players were very disappointed in the Mass Effect saga. Before Andromeda, there was Mass Effect 3, which was already a flop in itself. In turn, the fans hoped that the next one would be better, but alas, it failed. Critics have stated that Andromeda has lazy writing, repetitive missions, technical issues, and apparently very hilariously bad facial animations. None of which made it fun, exciting, or even interesting to play.
One of the contributors to its failure might’ve been the rushed release. It was reportedly so poorly received that they put the series on hold.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/8Gdayy2Lhi0
3. Final Fantasy 14 (First Release)
Things were pretty hectic before Final Fantasy 14 got fixed and became Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn. It was utterly chaotic, actually. The game was so bad that the studio, Square Enix, actually had to make a public apology to its fans. The product subsequently got pulled out of the shelves and was corrected. Excuse us; they rebuilt the whole thing.
It was filled with bugs, the graphics were reportedly horrid, the UI was overwhelmingly confusing, the quests were boring, and the servers were crashing like waves. Of course, the rebuilt version fixed the whole issue, but it still made its way into game flop history.
4. The Matrix Online
The plot of the game itself made it possible fans would get to play as awakened ‘red-pilled’ soldiers, who’d fight against the machines.
It turned out to be quite a mediocre game, according to critics. And, of course, it didn’t hold fans enough to continue playing it for too long. The plug got pulled when creators saw that it just wasn’t that successful. The promised climactic end didn’t deliver since it was too laggy. And it was quickly forgotten by most.
5. Battlecruiser 3000AD
This game is one of the older ones and was released in 1996. Battlecruiser 3000AD nicknamed ‘BC3K’, is listed as one of the most notorious flops in the history of game development. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, as they say. It didn’t help that it was hyped for almost ten years before it was released to the masses.
The game was conceptualized by the developer Derek Smart, who had quite an online reputation. This reputation stemmed from his anger and long comebacks to any criticism he’d receive. So, with a stubborn creator and a very overhyped release, the flop was a huge one.
At its release, it was buggy, and it wasn’t even finished. It had very outdated graphics and a confusing interface. Fortunately, a better version was released; it was basically version 2.0 of the game. However, the initial version was a huge mess.
6. Tomb Raider: Angel Of Darkness
We’ve all probably heard of Tomb Raider, even our Gen Z readers. The saga was a hit, but one of the Tomb Raider games almost ended the whole Tomb Raider saga. The initial release of the game made its fans mostly cringe. It was unfinished, full of glitches, and full of bugs. It was a flop. To not add fuel to the fire, they rebooted the game years later and hired a new group of developers to fix it.
Final Thoughts
What we’ve learned so far is that:
- Overhyped releases and tall promises do not help out a game at all. Instead, overdelivering big promises might just lead to catastrophe.
- Games that are rushed for release end up being incomplete.
- Developers are humans, too.
We hope our readers, especially our gaming readers, enjoyed reminiscing with the help of our article. We’re all lucky that most games nowadays are on another level since game developing technology has improved. But it’s important to keep in mind that, sometimes, things just don’t work out - and it’s never a bad idea to start again.
