6 Times Games Caved to Fan Demands | MojoPlays
Costume DLC
“Dead Or Alive 6” (2019)
As our writer Ty noted in his review, “Dead Or Alive 6’s” lack of an extensive wardrobe gave a huge hint that the game was going to be ripe with costume DLC. Sure enough, it happened. Koei Tecmo released overpriced costume DLC, and if there was a costume you wanted, your only option was to drop a handful of money and buy the bundle. For six months, fans cried out for an option to buy individual outfits for their favorite fighters, and so, Koei Tecmo implemented tickets. Players can now buy bundles of two, ten, twenty, and fifty tickets to nab costumes. Unfortunately, this does not apply to every costume. So, make sure it has a ticket price before you go dumping money.
A Change in Art
“Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night” (2019)
At first, it seemed as if “Bloodstained” was going down a similar path as “Mighty No. 9” albeit a little less worse. The demo showed promise in gameplay, but the art style of early builds left much to be desired. Luckily, fans were vocal enough to show Koji Igarashi their concerns over the game’s artstyle. While we’d wait a long time before seeing the game again, imagine our surprise when a trailer dropped in May 2019. Not only did the game look gorgeous, but it was going to be out a month later?! Needless to say, it came out pretty damn good!
Adding NPCs
“Fallout 76” (2018)
This was one of the more glaring concerns up until release. One of the biggest flaws of “Fallout 76” (aside from the monumental technical issues) was the lack of human NPCs which ended up detracting much of the game’s narrative...or, at least, what little of it we had. While Bethesda originally wanted players to be each other’s NPCs, they changed their tune after the tremendous backlash and announced at E3 2019 that the Wastelanders expansion would reintroduce NPCs and add more story to the game. Many Bethesda fans attending conference applauded, but let’s be honest - this should have been implemented from the very beginning.
Everything
“Fortnite” (2017)
It feels like every update or patch for “Fortnite” we go through the same process. Part of it stems from the fact that “Fortnite” updates almost every single day, if not, every other day, and the cycle ends up repeating itself. Epic puts out a patch that nerfs or buffs certain weapons, people complain that the weapon or tool is broken or too weak, and then, one of two things happen: the weapon or tool gets constantly tweaked over the next couple days or its removed from the game until Epic comes up with a legitimate fix. While its nice that the studio stays on top of keeping customers happy, it can feel like the vocal minority is controlling the game’s balance a little too much.
Loot Boxes & Pay-to-Win Mechanics
“Star Wars Battlefront II” (2017)
Ah, the incident that got politicians involved in video games again… After the beta for “Star Wars Battlefront II” released in October 2017, the public went nuts. Media outlets and influencers showed their followers that EA was implementing a pay-to-win mechanic where players could buy loot boxes containing stat cards that could buff abilities. For the next month and a half, EA and DICE received scathing comments across social media and even a phone call from Disney. Hours before “Battlefront II” launched, the loot boxes were pulled from digital storefronts, and the entire progression system and economy got revamped months after launch.
The Ending
“Mass Effect 3” (2012)
Of course, we can’t end a video on fan backlash without talking about the most infamous case of all - The case that arguably set the precedent for every other entry on this list. “Mass Effect 3”. While the game received massive praise from reviewers, fans were far from happy with the ending, and that’s putting it gently. Players took issue with plot holes and characters making irrational decisions they wouldn’t normally make. To make amends with fans, BioWare spent a month reworking the ending before putting it out as the “Extended Cut” DLC, and they put it out for FREE. Now, that another game in the series has since came out to even worse reception, was all that rage really worth it?
