Whether these games were good or bad, they destroyed the companies that worked on them. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for video games that led to the downfall of their companies.
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00:00I served my country during the Great Dissolve, and this is what I have to show for it?
00:06I'm ready to be more than this.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for video games that led to the downfall of their companies.
00:13I can't remember.
00:17It's a serious offense to withhold information from the police during a criminal investigation, madam.
00:23Number 20. APB, All Points Boaten. Real Time Worlds.
00:30Originally released in 2010, APB was an overly ambitious multiplayer game that became a financial disaster for its developer, Real Time Worlds.
00:46It was marketed as a cops versus robbers MMO, taking place in an open world city where players had complete customization over their characters and vehicles.
00:54The game had plenty of potential, but was plagued with issues such as poor performance, clunky controls, and unbalanced mechanics.
01:01Rumors claim it cost $100 million to make, which far outweighs the revenue it brought in.
01:06Shortly after its release, Real Time Worlds declared bankruptcy, with APB going down as one of the biggest failures in gaming history.
01:18Number 19. 007 Legends, Eurocom.
01:24James Bond is one of the most iconic spy franchises in history, and used to be a big deal in the gaming world as well.
01:36007 Legends was released in 2012 by Eurocom, seriously tarnishing the Bond legacy.
01:41Eurocom previously had a solid track record, but 007 Legends majorly stained their reputation.
01:46The game was inspired by six different Bond films, but unfortunately fell completely flat.
01:51The development was seriously rushed, causing it to be released with lackluster visuals, boring level design, and a combat system that left a lot to be desired.
01:59Additionally, the story and voice acting were weak, making it a commercial flop.
02:04Eurocom subsequently shut down, with 007 Legends dooming the studio.
02:08Number 18. Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare Montreal.
02:12Mass Effect Andromeda massively disappointed fans, causing the downfall of its developer, BioWare Montreal.
02:17Originally released in 2017 as a successor to BioWare Montreal, Mass Effect Andromeda was a huge success.
02:24The game was a huge success, and it was one of the most successful games of all time.
02:29The game was a huge success, and it was one of the most successful games of all time.
02:34Massively disappointed fans, causing the downfall of its developer, BioWare Montreal.
02:38Originally released in 2017 as a successor to the beloved Mass Effect trilogy, the expectations were high.
02:44Instead of giving the franchise a fresh start, it was unfortunately a disaster.
02:48The game was teeming with technical issues, which quickly became meme fodder online.
02:52Alongside this, the characters and story fell short of the original trilogy, failing to capture their charm.
02:58Months after release, BioWare Montreal was merged into another EA studio.
03:02Plans for future Mass Effect games have since been put on hold.
03:25Okami was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2.
03:28The game was critically acclaimed for its stunning visuals.
03:30It told the story of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who took the form of a wolf and sought to restore life to a world consumed by darkness.
03:37Its art style and innovative gameplay mechanics were considered groundbreaking for the time, causing the game to receive numerous Game of the Year awards.
03:44Unfortunately, it struggled to sell, with minimal marketing and a release late in the PS2's lifecycle.
03:50As a result, Capcom shut down Clover Studio not long after its release, ending one of the most creative game studios ever.
04:0016. Epic Mickey 2 – The Power of Two, Junction Point Studios
04:21In 2012, Epic Mickey 2 was released by Junction Point Studios.
04:25It aimed to build on the original's creativity and charm by expanding on its mechanics with the addition of co-op play and voice acting for the characters.
04:32Unfortunately, despite these high expectations, the game flopped.
04:36The game was repetitive, camera controls were clunky, and the story captured few players.
04:40Additionally, the co-op feature, one of its major selling points, was full of issues, such as poor AI making single-player a nightmare.
04:48Reviews were mostly negative, and in 2013, Disney shut down Junction Point Studios entirely.
04:5615. Radical Heights – Boss Key Productions
05:14Radical Heights was a desperate attempt in 2018 to save Boss Key Productions, which, unfortunately, had the opposite result.
05:20It was a free-to-play battle royale game with a brightly colored 80s game show aesthetic.
05:24Boss Key was already struggling after their previous game, Lawbreakers, completely failed.
05:29In their haste to capitalize on the popular battle royale craze, they released Radical Heights in an extremely unfinished state.
05:35It was released with missing textures, bugs, and unfinished mechanics, lacking any polish and depth.
05:40This prevented the game from gaining any sort of traction and wasn't anywhere near enough to keep the developers afloat.
05:46One month after release, the studio shut down, marking the end of Boss Key Productions.
05:5714. Two Human – Silicon Knights
06:09Two Human was in development for nearly a decade, finally released in 2008 by Silicon Knights.
06:14It was an incredibly ambitious sci-fi game combining Norse mythology with futuristic cybernetically enhanced humans.
06:20It was expected to be the first in a trilogy and an enormous hit for the Xbox 360.
06:24Instead, it was one of the most infamous flops in gaming, massively contributing to Silicon Knights' closure in 2014.
06:30There were many troubles with development.
06:32The most major was legal battles with Epic Games regarding their use of Unreal Engine 3, causing them to develop their own engine.
06:39They lost this battle and the court ordered them to destroy all copies of Two Human and other games developed with their engine.
06:5213. Redfall – Arkane Studios
07:02Arkane Studios was once widely revered, developing the popular Dishonored series.
07:06In May 2023, they released Redfall, which delivered a devastating blow to the studio.
07:10It was a co-op open-world FPS set in Massachusetts where players would fight vampires.
07:15On release, the game was filled to the brim with technical issues.
07:18The world Arkane had crafted felt empty and lifeless.
07:21Additionally, the missions were repetitive and the co-op mechanics were poorly implemented.
07:26While they haven't been shut down, this negative reception and its lack of sales have left a massive stain on Arkane Studios' record.
07:3712. Dead Space 3 – Visceral Games
07:51Dead Space 3 was released in 2013 by Visceral Games and hoped to massively expand the critically acclaimed series' scope.
07:57Instead of taking a survival approach, it was more action-focused, introducing co-op gameplay.
08:02Unlike the first two games, this entry faced serious criticism, with many fans missing the horror elements.
08:07Not only this, but it also introduced microtransactions, which players found exploitative.
08:12The negative reception and lack of play interest meant the game had a poor long-term performance.
08:16In 2017, Visceral Games was closed by EA, ending the Dead Space franchise entirely.
08:2211. Blur – Bizarre Creations
08:41Bizarre Creations was famous for their Project Gotham racing series and in 2010 released Blur,
08:46a new style of game that combined arcade-style racing with intense combat.
08:50Unfortunately, they failed to make an impact on the gaming scene and it struggled to find an audience.
08:55Blur featured exciting gameplay and innovative mechanics, but was killed by its more successful competition such as Mario Kart and Gran Turismo.
09:02The reviews were mixed and its marketing campaign was not very effective, leading it to fail at achieving the expected success.
09:09One year after release, Activision shut down Bizarre Creations, claiming their lackluster sales to be the cause.
09:1510. Kingdoms of Amalur – Reckoning
09:2638 Studios
09:37Kingdoms of Amalur – Reckoning was a highly praised game, noteworthy for its fascinating lore and engaging gameplay,
09:43but was a major factor in killing co-publisher 38 Studios.
09:46Despite its passionate fanbase and positive reviews, it failed to achieve the success developers hoped.
09:52It cost over $60 million, but made nowhere near this much money back.
09:55This caused 38 Studios to suffer immense financial strain, which also impacted their MMORPG, Project Copernicus, which never saw the light of day.
10:03Only a handful of months after Reckoning's launch, 38 Studios had to abruptly shut down.
10:09We knew that it was only a matter of time. Our fate had been written. At least, that is what we believed. Until you died.
10:189. L.A. Noire – Team Bondi
10:21Your first reporting then. We'll get a perimeter going and move the crowd on.
10:25You better see what you can find out before the homicide dicks show up.
10:28This is not a bad game. It presents a stylish, in-depth story with cutting-edge graphics and animation.
10:34But the toll it took on Australian developer Team Bondi cannot be overstated.
10:38Beginning development in 2004, the Neo Noire had its overall style changed several times,
10:43along with switching from a PS3 exclusive to multi-platform release.
10:47The advanced engine that Team Bondi was responsible for stunted development time,
10:51so publisher Rockstar eventually had to come in to make sure the game would see the light of day.
10:55When it did, it was met with strong reviews, but sales weren't strong enough to recoup the massive debt Team Bondi racked up during development,
11:02and ended up being closed shortly after Noire's release.
11:05I won't bore you with the chemistry, but it doesn't work that way.
11:098. Daikatana – Ion Storm
11:19Whoever said there's no such thing as bad publicity obviously never met John Romero.
11:24After residing at id Software during the development of influential shooters like Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake,
11:29Romero left to start his own company, Ion Storm.
11:32The developer's first project, an FPS called Daikatana, was nothing short of overambitious,
11:37and had a release date set for Christmas 1997.
11:40It didn't make it to shelves until the summer of 2000,
11:43but not after an infamous print ad for the game that proclaimed that John Romero was about to make you his bitch.
11:49The delays, the ad and the fact that Daikatana was total crap led to Romero's downfall and Ion Storm's closing in 2001.
11:597. Lair – Factor 5
12:08Dragons are awesome.
12:10This much is clear.
12:11German developer Factor 5 perfected the dogfighting genre with the Star Wars Rogue Squadron games.
12:16This much is also clear.
12:18And the PlayStation 3 had motion sensing technology in its controller that would fit perfectly with this type of game.
12:23But while the combination of these three sounds like a great gaming experience,
12:26Factor 5's implementation of the six-axis motion controls left a lot to be desired.
12:31As in, you weren't able to control your dragon properly.
12:34While they eventually released a patch that gave analog control,
12:37Lair turned out to be the last game Factor 5 would release, shutting down in 2009.
12:43Easy, girl.
12:476. Haze – Free Radical Design
12:56Free Radical Design was a developer made up of staff that split from Rare in 1999.
13:00Taking an impressive legacy with them, they went on to develop the TimeSplitter series.
13:04Then, in 2008, when the PlayStation 3 was facing a lack of quality original content,
13:09Free Radical released Haze for the system.
13:11But instead of being the Halo killer that gamers were hoping it would be,
13:14Haze turned out to be mediocre at best, only fun when you are able to use the drug Nectar,
13:19which is taken away halfway through the game.
13:22When Haze crashed hard, Free Radical was absorbed by Crytek and eventually closed in 2014.
13:335. Shenmue – Sega
13:47In 1999, Shenmue was released for the Sega Dreamcast.
13:50Expectations were high, and it was marketed as an open-world action-adventure RPG.
13:54The narrative focused on a quest for vengeance and featured groundbreaking mechanics for the time,
13:58such as day-night cycles and dynamic weather.
14:01It was critically acclaimed at release, but the production costs were enormous, estimated at around $70 million.
14:06Many players were put off by its slow pacing and peculiar gameplay mechanics,
14:10and it was unable to produce anything close to a profit.
14:13Sega was already struggling and was facing massive competition in the console market.
14:17This caused Sega to shift from hardware production, ensuring the Dreamcast would be their last console.
14:274. SimCity – Maxis Emeryville
14:39Who thought that a city-building simulation just had to be connected to the internet at all times?
14:44Well, apparently EA and Maxis did when they were developing this new generation of the beloved city-builder.
14:49Maxis claimed that the online components were essential to the proper function of the game,
14:53while in reality, it did little more than act as a form of DRM.
14:57Because of this, the servers utterly fell apart when the game launched,
15:00leading to a fiasco that Maxis would never recover from.
15:03They eventually made the game playable without an internet connection in 2014,
15:07but it couldn't reverse the damage that the game had caused,
15:09resulting in EA closing down their Maxis Emeryville studio in 2015.
15:153. Tomb Raider – The Angel of Darkness
15:33The British developer behind one of gaming's most popular characters
15:36sought to bring her into the PS2 era with a complete overhaul.
15:39Unfortunately, the choices Core Design made on trying to update Lara Croft
15:43ended up leaving her in worse shape than ever,
15:45which included unpopular stealth and strength-building mechanics.
15:49It didn't help that publisher Eidos was rushing them to release the game essentially unfinished.
15:53When The Angel of Darkness bombed, Core Design was closed and its assets given to other studios.
15:58While Lara may live on with Crystal Dynamics,
16:00Core Design was sent to the tombs as a relic of a time gone by.
16:042. Duke Nukem Forever – 3D Realms
16:23When a game takes 14 years to be released, it's basically guaranteed a spot on a list like this.
16:28Despite development being started mere months after its predecessor came out,
16:32Duke Nukem Forever was scheduled for a 1998 release before making the first of several engine changes.
16:37Three console generations passed, 3D Realms published some other games
16:41and yet Forever remained in development as long as its title suggested.
16:45Eventually, the developer let the project go, leading it to finally be finished by Gearbox in 2011.
16:51While 3D Realms still technically exists,
16:53the time and financial toll the development of Duke Nukem took on them
16:56ensured they'd never release another game again.
16:593. E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial – Atari
17:30For a generation of game enthusiasts, this symbolizes all that was wrong with Atari at the time.
17:36E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial was meant to serve as a months later tie-in
17:40to the Steven Spielberg movie of the same name, with Atari in charge of the adaptation.
17:44In order to make it to shelves in time for Christmas,
17:46Atari instructed lead designer Howard Scott Warshaw to make the game in five and a half weeks.
17:51The result? A shallow, practically unplayable mess of a game.
17:55Its legacy is tied to the industry crash of 1983,
17:58as well as the urban legend that turned out to be true,
18:01that unsold games were buried in a landfill in New Mexico.
18:10Which game do you think had the biggest impact on its studio, for better or worse?
18:14Let us know down in the comments.
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