Remember the days when video games weren’t prematurely announced, and then had innumerable delays, and then get a beyond shoddy launch? We don’t either, because it almost seems like that’s the industry norm of late. And as terrible as that is for players, it means fat cash for the corporate suits overseeing highly anticipated games. The result of this is numerous games that had a terrible launch, but gradually (over the years) worked up into building a strong player base and fixed major issues.
We’re not sticking to a genre here (unless you consider bombed-but-now-good a genre), but rather looking at games that had massive hype and years of build-up to them.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Oh, boy, wasn’t this one the Mac Daddy of bombed launches! Who can forget the freaky Arno face glitch, or an entire sequence that lagged and froze despite “next-generation” claims of being able to render insane population? This game was meant to mark a new era for the AC games, with Unity being made available only for the next generation consoles and incorporating new mechanics into the game. The setting of ‘French Revolution’ got players hopes up through the roof and were keen on seeing a protagonist with the charisma of the beloved Ezio Auditore.
When the game launched, it wasn’t necessarily the story or the characters most people had a problem with. Rather, everything else about the game. Ubisoft set a dangerous precedent for the gaming industry by launching an unfinished title. They have since patched major bugs and improved performance. Looking back, players can acknowledge that the parkour mechanics of Unity are probably the best amongst several entries of the franchise. For a game that showed off Notre-Dame in all its glory, and architects using the game’s likeness to re-build it owing to the tragic fire, AC Unity found itself in the books of redemption.
Cyberpunk 2077
A colossal failure at launch, Cyberpunk has now worked its way into the “Nice” list of players. In the gloomy year of 2020, players were desperate for Cyberpunk to be everything it promised to be. The marketing for the game was insane, featuring breathtaking Keanu Reeves himself! Initially announced way back in 2012, CD Projekt had created a massive hype train for this open world experience. Initially aiming to work around a third-person perspective, the decision to switch to first-person raised some eyebrows. Further digging their grave, CD Projekt released a quite-clearly unfinished game with performance issues, bugs, glitches. The poor reception was also visible in CD Projekt’s public apology to the players and the PlayStation store offering refunds for the game.
Over the course of 3 years and a DLC, Cyberpunk has managed to pick itself up and dust off its shattered past. While some players may never return to try the game again, Cyberpunk does have a steady player base now, thanks to performance patches, an anime series piquing interests again and a star-studded voice and motion capture cast.
Fallout 76
Bethesda became ground zero for terrible launch day with this doozy. It didn’t matter how much your high-end graphics card ripped through your pockets, Fallout 76, at times, looked worse than its predecessor. Infamously known for terrible console ports, the stuttering, lag and massive frame drops on then next-gen PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, players quips with Bethesda didn’t end here, as the game was made online only, and that also means dreaded microtransactions. And what’s Fallout without its memorable NPCs? A barren wasteland, which is exactly what Fallout 76 was in its initial days.
With Bethesda realizing that they should probably listen to fans of the series and its players who wanted it to be good, the patches and fixes over time won a significant player base back. Oh, and they added NPCs, too. Yes, it’s still got its glitches and quirks but Bethesda has found itself with a bit of forgiveness.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Tom Clancy games are a cult of their own. So, why didn’t Siege see the same success as so many other titles before it? Like every other entry on this list, Siege also succumbed to the same issues. Although it had a significant player base in its first year, the game received justified criticism for its lack of content, co-op playability and super-depressing single-player mode. But what does an online game need the most? Steady servers.
Without a solid server up and running, players just lost interest on this one. Rubbing salt in their wounds, console players faced cheaters using MNK adapters. But with Ubisoft determined to patch things up, Siege saw players returning to the game.
@UbisoftSupport can you ban people with more than 2.5 kd in more than 50 games its not difficult omg free bans you ll clear 95% of cheater on the game if you do that #SaveSiege
— '' The Nightmare '' Fushaa 🇵🇱🇫🇷 (@Fushirazilla) March 28, 2023
#PS5Share, #TomClancysRainbowSixSiege Matchmaking? @ubisoftsupport #savesiege pic.twitter.com/t0DfdSTSU9
— Il Panettiere Bischerato (@Lucamont77) November 7, 2023
Although Ubisoft has had its share of “bombed launches”, you gotta hand it to them for rescuing Siege and putting in the work to make this game a top E-Sport of the world. And that’s despite the continued issues of cheating and matchmaking. While these issues do persist, Ubisoft has shown to care amongst growing outrage in the past.
