Top 10 Disastrous Video Game Announcements

Top 10 Disastrous Video Game Announcements

They say that disappointment is worse than anger – but sometimes you’re faced with both. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 disastrous video game announcements.

For this list, we’re looking at the reaction to the announcements themselves rather than the actual games – some of which defied initial expectations and were met with acclaim.

#10: “Deus Ex: The Fall” (2013)

Mobile games do have a lot of benefits over traditional console and PC experiences, mainly how they can reach a much wider demographic since there’s practically nobody who doesn’t own a cell phone. But mobile games are only just now catching up to other devices in terms of performance, and in 2013 when “Deus Ex: The Fall” was announced, there was no way it was going to be as successful or good as its predecessor, “Human Revolution.” Gamers just didn’t want “Deus Ex” on mobile; nobody asked for it, and nobody cared, and it took another three years for “Mankind Divided” to finally come out.

#9: “Final Fantasy VII” PC Port to PS4

Nobody’s denying that “Final Fantasy VII” isn’t just one of the best “Final Fantasy” games, but one of the best games of all time period – but sometimes a bad port can ruin a masterpiece. When Square Enix announced they were bringing the PC remaster of “FF7” to PS4 in 2014, many fans weren’t too pleased. Not that the opportunity to replay a classic, or even play it for the first time if you weren’t able to in 1997, is completely wasted – it’s just not what many fans wanted. Luckily, a fully-fledged remake is due to hit consoles in the next few years.

#8: “Battlefield V” (2018)

After the phenomenal “Battlefield 1”, fan expectations grew so high it would be almost impossible to live up to them. That’s exactly what happened when the first trailers dropped for “Battlefield V”, which quickly became marred with disappointment and complaints. For a start, the initial reveal was part of a long and arguably pointless live event, and then many ‘fans’ of the series denounced it for featuring women on the frontlines. However, many have pointed out that a quick Google search will show you there were plenty of female soldiers in World War Two, and added diversity isn’t going to impact the actual gameplay whatsoever.

#7: “Artifact”(2018)

Valve almost never make games anymore. While they were once regularly churning out classics like “Portal”, “Half-Life” and “Team Fortress 2”, after the hit MOBA “Dota 2” released in 2013 the company went dead in terms of new games – choosing instead to focus on Steam. So there were lofty expectations for Valve’s first game in five years, until it was revealed to be “Artifact”, a digital collectible card game based on the pre-established world of “Dota 2.” It’s lacking originality to the extreme and, despite having the creator of popular card game “Magic: The Gathering” on its side, received only mixed reviews.

#6: “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003)

At Nintendo Space World 2000, Nintendo screened a realistic gameplay mock-up of what many suspected was a brand new “Legend of Zelda” game, showcasing the graphical capabilities of the Game Cube. However, instead of following this path, the next “Zelda” title was 2003’s “The Wind Waker”, featuring highly stylized, cel-shaded graphics many fans initially disliked. Thankfully, when the game came out it was just as good as the others, and its unique art style is now legendary. Similar PR disasters plagued “Skyward Sword,” however, through an awkward gameplay demo which made it look utterly unplayable.

#5: “Command & Conquer: Rivals” (2018)

This once-popular franchise got swept under the rug a long time ago, but sought a revival when a new instalment was announced at E3 2018. However, many fans of the original real-time-strategy classic feel short-changed by the fact “Rivals” is a mobile game. Subsequently, it’s been dumbed down from the complex originals in order to find a new audience. Despite its lukewarm reception, however, it’s pre-alpha is not all bad, and “Rivals” can hold its own against other popular strategy games, like “Clash Royale.” But EA’s ideas to have it be their newest eSport don’t seem to have much basis in fact.

#4: “Metroid Prime: Federation Force” (2016)

Like “Zelda”, “Metroid” is another big Nintendo franchise which fans often have high hopes for – though 2010’s “Other M” also left much to be desired with certain fans. After a six-year break for the series, “Federation Force” was announced as a spin-off multiplayer title only featuring staple protagonist Samus in a cameo role. Released on 3DS, it unfortunately did not defy expectations and became widely disliked, mainly because of its stark differences compared to the rest of the franchise. It was hardly “Metroid” at all, even including a soccer minigame. What were they thinking?

#3: “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” (2016)

You need look no further than the initial trailer for this title to see how wildly unpopular it was from its announcement. Breaking records as the most disliked video game trailer on YouTube, “Infinite Warfare” was doomed to fail – and fail it did. The immediate poor reception was only exacerbated when the game came out, universally panned by critics and long-time fans for its unpolished graphics and “Halo”-like setting. The best thing about “Infinite Warfare” was the fact the special editions came with the remaster of 2007’s highly successful “Modern Warfare”, and even then people still said it wasn’t worth buying.

#2: “Metal Gear Survive” (2018)

From the beginning, the “Metal Gear” series evolved under the creative leadership of Hideo Kojima – but after he left Konami once development of “Metal Gear Solid V” was completed, the franchise seemed dead in the water. In an attempt to keep the name going, the next game was revealed in 2016 to be a co-op zombie horror akin to “Dead Island”, a huge departure from the dozen-or-so previous titles. Fans were understandably not happy, and it’s clear that Kojima’s departure really does mean the end of this piece of gaming royalty.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:

“XCOM”

“Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival” (2015)

#1: “Diablo Immortal” (TBA)

Blizzard have always been pretty solid at releasing popular, polished games but the announcement of “Diablo Immortal” at 2018’s BlizzCon almost seems set to end that tradition. A mobile game developed in tandem with Blizzard and NetEase, for some reason this was the convention’s major announcement – much to the ire of fans who play primarily on consoles and PC. As the first whisper of a “Diablo” sequel since “Diablo III” in 2012, it’s immensely disappointing, and was followed by a vicious Q&A session in which one fan even asked if it was an April Fool’s joke – which it unfortunately is not.