The perceived quality of video games can vary greatly from one player to another. While some titles might not receive critical acclaim, they often cultivate strong and enthusiastic fanbases who appreciate them for their unique attributes.
Nevertheless, there are games released in such an abysmal state that they genuinely shock the community due to glaring design flaws, severe technical issues, or hasty development timelines. Ideally, these games would be kept out of circulation, but the marketplace often tells a different story.
Many innovative and expertly crafted games fail to find their audience, while others, despite their shortcomings, gain commercial popularity due to brand familiarity, strategic release timing, or aggressive marketing. Below, we explore ten notable examples that exemplify this phenomenon.
10 Aliens: Colonial Marines
Terrible AI, Terrific Sales
Upon its launch, Aliens: Colonial Marines became infamous for its subpar artificial intelligence, which resulted in Xenomorphs performing inexpicably silly behaviors, like running aimlessly in circles or becoming stuck in walls.
The human characters faced similar issues—often more of a hindrance than a help, they occasionally acted in ways that seemed self-destructive. Despite being labeled as one of the worst AAA releases in history, the game enjoyed phenomenal sales, exceeding one million copies within its first year.
This is primarily credited to the power of the Aliens franchise and an extensive marketing campaign, which encouraged countless fans to pre-order before the game’s true quality was revealed.
9 SimCity (2013)
How to Destroy Your Credibility and Still Make a Profit
Historically, SimCity has been the cornerstone of city management simulations, renowned for its creativity and depth. As a result, anticipation soared upon the announcement of its reboot, leading many fans to eagerly pre-order based solely on brand loyalty—an ill-fated choice.
In 2013, the requirement for constant online connectivity was unusual, and players were frustrated when server issues effectively locked them out of their own single-player experiences. Moreover, the game itself fell short of expectations, ultimately paving the way for the success of Cities: Skylines. Ultimately, the reboot, despite being a complete fiasco, sold over 1.1 million copies in its first two weeks.
8 No Man’s Sky
Never Forget What It Was
The saga of No Man’s Sky is well-known: following vigorous marketing by Sony, its launch disappointed many, as it was riddled with bugs and under-delivered on promises.
However, Hello Games committed to improving the experience and, over the years, transformed it into a much more complete and engaging title. This turnaround serves as a cautionary tale concerning the risks of pre-ordering based on marketing hype alone. While it eventually became a solid game, the initial launch was infamous for its shortcomings yet still managed to dominate sales across all platforms.
7 Cyberpunk 2077
Lessons Were Not Learned
Cyberpunk 2077 shares similarities with the No Man’s Sky experience: immense expectations due to a stellar marketing strategy were followed by a catastrophic launch. With time and numerous updates, the game has evolved into a significant success, gaining acclaim.
The distinction between these two cases is notable; while No Man’s Sky was developed by a small team, Cyberpunk 2077 came from the renowned studio responsible for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which amplified the fallout from its initial reception. Nonetheless, it recorded sales of 13 million copies within ten days, becoming one of the fastest-selling games across platforms.
6 Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet
Gotta Catch ‘Em All (The Preorders, That Is)
The announcement of Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet elicited immense excitement for a fully open-world title, yet players were met with a myriad of technical glitches upon release.
From constant frame rate drops to texture pop-ins, the games were fraught with issues that led to widespread criticism, including from loyal fans. Despite this, the games shattered sales records, achieving >strong>10 million copies in just three days and becoming top-sellers on the Nintendo Switch, propelled by brand loyalty and the franchise’s irresistible allure.
5 Enter the Matrix
This Is Not The One
During the early 2000s, The Matrix left a significant cultural mark, and the franchise attempted to branch out into multiple forms of media, including video games. The release of Enter the Matrix was seen as a golden opportunity to immerse players in the thrilling universe of the film.
However, the end product was marred by a slew of bugs and questionable design decisions, which left players and critics frustrated. Despite this, the game capitalized on the film’s hype, leading to impressive sales figures of 1 million copies within its first week.
4 Shadow the Hedgehog
Ultimate Life Form? Not Quite
The Sonic franchise has built a reputation for its experimental nature, with titles spanning genres such as racing and rhythm. Among its characters, Shadow stands out, yet his eponymous game misses the mark.
The game is notorious for its forced edginess and jarring contrasts, presenting a deeply serious narrative alongside whimsical characters, marred by underwhelming gameplay mechanics. Despite the criticisms, the franchise’s pull led to over 2 million copies sold in a two-year span.
3 Resident Evil 6
When A Franchise Loses Its Identity
After the success of Resident Evil 4, which effectively balanced action and survival horror, Capcom misinterpreted the market’s response. The development of Resident Evil 6 indulged in even more action and lost sight of its survival horror roots, which disappointed many fans.
While heavily marketed, the game received harsh critiques for its convoluted campaign and an overemphasis on action, proving that financial success does not equate to quality. Nonetheless, it sold five million copies shortly after release, prompting Capcom to rethink its approach in future installments.
2 Duke Nukem Forever
The Biggest Surprise
Duke Nukem Forever entered the gaming lexicon as a hallmark of poor AAA game execution. After enduring a staggering 14 years of developmental struggles, it inevitably underperformed against modern standards yet still managed to be profitable.
Even with outdated mechanics and subpar visuals, the nostalgic draw of Duke returned enough interest to sell around 2 million copies, surprising many in the industry.
1 Pac-Man (Atari 2600)
This One Left a Mark
Concluding this exploration is Pac-Man, a title synonymous with a pivotal moment in gaming history, one that almost led to an industry-wide crisis.
Upon its release in the early ’80s, Pac-Man dominated arcade culture, leading Atari to license its home console version amidst soaring expectations. Although it achieved impressive sales figures, moving over 7 million copies in its debut year, the game was plagued with technical issues that rendered it a shadow of its arcade counterpart.
The resulting lack of confidence in such a beloved title triggered a significant downturn for Atari, highlighting the profound impacts that product quality—or the lack thereof—can have on consumer trust and industry health.
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