5 Extremely Hyped Games That Failed Right After Launch

We all know that many AAA games promise to bring massive innovations to the industry. While many have succeeded in earning their fortunes—in one way or another—some have achieved exactly the opposite. A plethora of anticipated games garnered insane recognition from gamers before their release because of marketing or inflated hype, only to flop right after launch. 

These disasters are often treated as skeletons buried in the closet because looking back at them gives feelings of melancholy. But, I think they are worth analyzing to understand how everything came crashing down for them after launch.

These Are The Bygone Games That Were Once The Talk Of The Town

From broken expectations to shattered promises, all of us were disappointed with them in one way or another.

1. Anthem

• Genre: Action RPG, and Online Multiplayer
• Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC
• Developer: BioWare

What’s a better entry to start with, except Anthem? The “Destiny Killer” by BioWare was said to be the devs’ “biggest project” even before its release was near. The marketing and trailers for the third-person sci-fi shooter looked stellar, but then what went wrong? Well, it’s fairer to claim that nothing went right with this one. Anthem quickly fell short of expectations due to a lack of engaging content, lackluster gameplay, and technical glitches.

I was highly excited about this game all those years ago, so it still stings. The core flight and traversal system were quite a treat, which excited many players. However, this pseudo-Iron Man simulator completely lacked direction by the devs, and attempts to reboot the title in subsequent updates were canceled because of intense backlash. It did not take long for it to fall flat after release.

2. Redfall 

• Genre: Open-world, Co-op, and FPS
• Platforms: PC, and Xbox Series X|S
• Developer: Arkane Austin

Xbox has had quite a rough time during the current generation. Redfall by Arkane Austin was touted as the key player in steering its first-party lineup in the correct direction. Of course, exactly the opposite outcome came true. The open-world co-op FPS went hard on marketing and generated a lot of hype among the Xbox community. However, its release is one of the most tragic tales ever recorded in the gaming industry.

Everything—from the story to its gameplay choices—players criticized. I’ve found it incredibly hard to praise anything about the RPG. The least I can argue in its favor is that the devs fixed the annoying glitches in the updates. However, the players have still not received the promised post-launch DLC heroes for the $100 Deluxe Edition after a year. But then again, barely anyone is playing this tragedy anymore.

3. Mass Effect: Andromeda

• Genre: RPG, and Sci-fi
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
• Developer: BioWare

Okay, it’s somewhat understandable when a new IP misses the mark and fails. But, it is even more distressing when an awaited title of a successful franchise ends up being a dumpster fire. Such is the tale of Mass Effect: Andromeda. After the series’ staggering success, EA caused all that player perception to come crashing down with this game. It decimated the reputation of the original trilogy and never took off at all.

The entry was marred with false promises during marketing: animations and visuals were improved, along with more customization options. Players were also led to believe they’d discover new alien worlds and experience an immersive campaign. On paper, it looked perfect. Regardless, the RPG failed to live up to any promises. If anyone remembers, the creepy thousand-yard stares of characters still come to mind when I think about this title. 

4. Battlefield 2042

• Genre: FPS, Multiplayer, and Shooter
• Platforms: PC, and current-gen and last-gen consoles.
• Developer: DICE

The Battlefield games had been in murky waters for a while. The release of Battlefield V was quite shaky at the beginning but eventually stabilized with a few updates. However, things only decayed for the IP with the arrival of Battlefield 2042. So much hype surrounded this FPS that even I was engulfed in it. Yet, the entry’s release was plagued with missing features, almost unplayable gameplay, and other disappointments too many to count.

The bugs prevented the players from enjoying the standard Battlefield 2042 experience. The state of the game was so poor that even the scoreboard was unavailable after launch. The player base quickly dipped, and many moved on to the series’ previous releases after much backlash. While devs have somewhat recovered from the mess, many users just gave up and forgot its existence.

5. Duke Nukem Forever

• Genre: FPS, Action, and Sci-fi
• Platforms: PC, macOS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360
• Developer: Gearbox Software

I think it would be a crime not to include this game. Duke Nukem Forever spent time in development for over 14 years. It suffered through so much instability, but that only riled up the franchise’s fans. I’ve found this FPS one of the most anticipated titles ever, as its popularity became highly exaggerated over time. But, the results we got? It turned out to be a highly underwhelming experience for us all.

Now, some players found the gameplay undeserving of all the hate it got. But from what I’ve seen, even the ones who spoke highly of this entry claimed that it wasn’t anything necessary or fun to experience. So, regardless of where you stand with this shooter, I think it could have been so much more for all the time it spent in the brewer.

All in all, we’ve all felt disappointment and agitation many times after seeing our excitement go down the drain. These games were destined for greatness and could have lived up to all the anticipation—if only bazillions of issues were not there.