Summary
- Game developers must apologize for bad launches to retain player trust amidst increasing complexity.
- Apologies can transform poorly received games, but many titles struggle to recover.
- Unacceptable game issues can lead to the failure of developers, publishers, or gaming IPs.
Video game development has become more complicated than ever. It's hard to justify the actions of certain publishers when they release games in broken or unacceptable states, something that has become more common with the dawn of faster internet and the ability to release patches at any given moment.
At times, a game's launch is so horrid that developers are left with no other option other than to apologize for their brazenness. While some of these games may get better over time, the many of these titles have shown little to no improvement, which has has even led to the failure of publishers, IPs, or both.
CD Projekt Red Apologized For Cyberpunk 2077
The Game's Disastrous Launch Required An Apology
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Words aren't enough to describe how horrid Cyberpunk 2077's launch was. After years of hype and two delays, fans were treated to a broken mess that didn't even work on previous generation consoles.
This prompted an apology from CD Projekt Red, who, to their credit, did everything in their power to fix the game and address fan complaints. It turned out to be a successful endeavor, and the developer's efforts to right their mistakes turned Cyberpunk 2077 from gaming's number one enemy into one of the most beloved open-world RPGs of all time.
Daedalic Entertainment Apologized For The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
An AI-Generated Apology Did Nothing To Save This Title
The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
- Released
- May 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (or, as per the apology note, The Lord of Ring: Gollum) is easily one of the worst video games ever made. The gameplay is as janky as they come, and the title looked abysmally ugly when it launched. It became a huge punching bag in the industry, with accusations of an AI-generated apology doing little to quell fan outcry. The development division of Daedalic Entertainment was shut down not long after as the company switched to a publishing-only model.
Rockstar Games Apologized For GTA: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition
The Least They Could Do For A Horrid Launch
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition
- Released
- November 11, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Shooter
While Rockstar has accrued a bit of a negative reputation thanks to their persistent focus on GTA Online, fans still didn't expect the so-called Definitive Edition of their lauded 3D trilogy to be such a mess. The development of this project was handed over to Grove Street Games, which did an awful job with this title.
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Textures looked ugly, the games were riddled with new bugs, the atmosphere from previous titles was completely missing, and the lack of attention to detail was apparent. This turned this remaster into one of the worst Rockstar releases of all time, so much so that the developer had to apologize for the game's poor quality.
Arkane Austin Apologized For Redfall
But It Didn't Save The Studio From Being Shut Down
Redfall
- Released
- May 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Arkane Austin's work on Prey was off the charts, and turned it into one of the best (yet most criminally underrated) modern immersive sims. They should have been allowed to work on more immersive sims that were marketed better, but fell prey to the multiplayer shooter craze.
Focusing on co-op and an open world robbed Arkane Austin of its strengths and led to Redfall being a middling, forgettable experience. Not only did the developers release an apology, but Arkane Austin was also forced to close its doors in one of the most infuriating moves in the gaming industry.
Respawn Entertainment Apologized For Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Its Poor Performance On PC Was Unacceptable
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Released
- April 28, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was considered by many to be a worthy successor to its lauded predecessor, what with its broader scope and a continuation of Fallen Order's story. However, one area where this game faltered was its performance on PC, which was horrible.
Fans couldn't fathom why the PC release wasn't delayed, especially since the bulk of these issues have yet to be addressed. Instead, all players got was an apology with no action to back it up. Most players accept that this game is best played on consoles.
Creative Assembly Apologized For Total War: Pharaoh
Acknowledged Their Mistreatment Of The Franchise
Total War: Pharaoh
- Released
- October 11, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy, Tactical, Grand Strategy
Creative Assembly has generally had a great track record with the Total War series, barring a few missteps. However, fans justifiably turned on this developer after the overpriced release of Total War: Pharaoh and the abysmal work on Warhammer 3's DLC.
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Thankfully, this story has a happy ending, with Creative Assembly listening to fans and addressing their complaints. More content would be given to Warhammer 3 players who purchased the Shadows of Change DLC while reducing the price of Total War: Pharaoh.
Sony Apologized For The 2011 PSN Hack
Compromised Player Data And Sullied The Company's Reputation
In the 2011 PSN Hack, millions of users' data were compromised, and it showed the lack of security protocols for one of the most popular online gaming services around. When it happened, the higher-ups at Sony wasted no time in staging a press conference where they bowed their heads in apology for this lapse.
There's something to be said for the sincerity that the company showed here. It's one of the most impactful apologies made by a video game company and shows how seriously Sony took this issue.
Electronic Arts Apologized For SimCity
An Infamously Horrible Launch
SimCity
- Released
- March 6, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E
- Genre(s)
- City Builder, Simulation
It takes something dreadful for a single game to kill off one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time. During their villain era, EA imposed an always-online rule on 2013's SimCity, which resulted in flooded servers that kept players from enjoying what should have been a single-player game.
Saves could be lost at a moment's notice... That is, if players could even log in to play the game in the first place. It was one of the most disastrous launches in gaming history and killed the SimCity franchise, which is a shame since there's definitely a market for a big-budget city builder that gets things right.
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