Though it might not be one of the worst games in the cyberpunk genre, Cyberpunk 2077 had arguably the worst video game launch in history, but it isn’t the only one that has faced scrutiny upon release. Games developers tend to have really tight deadlines and employees can work 80 hour weeks when it comes to crunch time, but that’s still not necessarily enough to treat all of the bugs.
Another problem comes down to hype, as the hype train for certain games builds and builds until it can't live up to players' expectations. However, one thing many of the games have in common is that though they all had poor releases, many of the problems have been ironed out by now, and they’re now decent games for the most part.
Anthem (2019)
As competitive as EA are, after the massive success of Destiny, the developers set out to develop their answer to the creative first-person shooter. Though Destiny has had some issues of its own, which have inspired some hilarious memes, it was nothing compared to the rollout of Anthem.
The game was a grind, which is somewhat typical for EA releases. On top of that, it was so buggy that it ironically worked out in the player’s favor, as it saw players be able to start out with the most powerful weapon, meaning gamers didn’t have to purchase EA’s treacherous loot boxes.
Sim City (2013)
The remake of the original Sim City was set to be one of the most revitalized versions of a series ever, and now, after so many updates, that is the case, but it wasn’t without one of the worst launches in history. Firstly, fans couldn’t play the game without having a network connection at all times, which led to many problems when there were network outages.
It also caused problems when players tried to save the game, as hours of gameplay kept getting lost. Because of this, some reviewers advised gamers against buying it and didn’t review the game until the problem was resolved, long after it was officially released.
Haze (2008)
As Haze was developed by Free Radical Design, who created the beloved Timesplitters series, there was so much hype surrounding their new IP. Unfortunately, the terrible quality of the game led to a poor sales performance, which subsequently led to the closure of Free Radical Design, which was a genuinely great company.
And at the time of release, the developer was actually working on Star Wars Battlefront III, but it was canceled by their publishing partner after Haze was poorly received.
Fallout 76 (2018)
There was so much excitement surrounding Fallout 76, as all of the marketing leading up to the game made it look like one of the most exciting open worlds ever found in an RPG where choices really mattered. But the end result fell short of expectations.
The game was a buggy mess, and in the first week of its release, FO76 had two updates larger than the game itself. And that wasn’t even the worst part. Fans spent top dollar on the Power Armor Editions, which were supposed to come with a burlap backpack, but what fans got instead was a flimsy bag made out of Teflon that barely held together.
Alien: Colonial Marines (2013)
Being a direct sequel to James Cameron’s Aliens and skilfully ignoring the terrible sequels that came after, Alien: Colonial Marines was shaping up to be one of the greatest horror shooters in the genre.
After being advertised as having state-of-the-art graphics and incredible gameplay, the final result underdelivered so much that it was critically scathed, and at one point, Sega was going to be sued for false advertising. The game was developed by Gearbox, who also developed Duke Nukem Forever, which also had a notoriously bad reception upon release due to claims of false advertising.
No Man’s Sky (2016)
No Man’s Sky was a victim of hype, as it was possibly the most talked-about indie title in gaming history. Being a case of not following through with their promises, which is a problem that happens way too often in the video game industry, Hello Games promised the world, or more specifically, the infinite universe.
To be fair, the open-world in the game is seemingly never-ending, but it is procedurally generated and boring compared to the promises that were made. Upon its release, critics were referring to the game as a “boredom simulator.”
WWE 2K20 (2019)
WWE 2K20 was so disastrous upon its release that Sony started offering refunds to those who bought it for the PlayStation 4, and a Reddit post complaining about the game quickly received 11,000 upvotes. There are so many hilarious examples of the bugs out mentioned online, from character models that look like they’d fit better in Silent Hill, to wrestlers inadvertently crawling around in the ring.
Though some of the game’s flaws have been ironed out since its release, it still remains buggy and glitchy, even despite developers being able to fix games with updates.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2017)
There was a lot to be upset about when it came to 2015’s Battlefront, EA’s remake of the beloved original game from 10 years beforehand, as many felt that it was essentially a $60 arcade shooter with little variety in gameplay.
However, many gamers felt that EA managed to make the series even worse with the sequel, and more of a grind to play through than anything. When the game was first released, it made fans so angry that it had a 0.4 user score on Metacritic, as everything was pay to win and all of fans’ favorite characters, such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, were locked behind paywalls.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014)
Though Halo: The Master Chief Collection is now considered one of the greatest game collections there is, that wasn’t always the case. Although the collection featured updated versions of the first four games in the beloved series, there were so many issues when it was first launched.
The multiplayer aspects of the game, which is one of the biggest reasons why the series was so popular, were glitchy, and it was almost impossible to play online, as the game’s servers couldn’t find matches. 343 Industries even had to issue an apology.
Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)
There is no denying it, Cyberpunk 2077 is possibly the most broken AAA game to ever hit shelves. Every copy was being recalled and stores even stopped selling the game, and it was removed from the PlayStation Store by Sony.
The developers knew how broken the game was, as they didn’t let YouTube reviewers show their own footage, but instead footage that was sent to them by the developer. It was way too ambitious for its own good, and with every delay, the hype just built and built. Though mods have made it better in the time since its release, CD Projekt became the subject of several class-action lawsuits and it massively damaged their reputation in the industry.