10 Times Game Developers Told Players To QUIT

8 Times Game Developers Told Players to Quit

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 8 instances where game developers told players to quit playing their games. Or maybe just take a break? You know, the healthy option?

“Valorant” (2020)

Riot Games has long been infamous for having an incredibly toxic playerbase, specifically with their flagship MOBA, “League of Legends”. So, when their first new IP in ages, “Valorant”, debuted in 2020, perhaps there was some hope in wrangling in a more respectable community? Not when you mix in fans of hero shooters like “Overwatch”, tactical shooters like “Counter-Strike”, and those who will play anything Riot makes. Ever since launch, Riot has been trying to clean up their reputation by enforcing stricter rules in their community. One such move was made in May 2024 by studio head for “Valorant” Anna Donlan. In a video posted to YouTube, Donlan explained that the team would be enforcing stricter policies to promote better behavior within “Valorant”. When touching upon player safety and misconduct, Donlan said the following: “If you need to make truly evil statements under the guise of regular s**t talk to enjoy gaming, then please play something else. We won’t miss you.” Donlan would go on to elaborate on how Riot would move forward in cleaning up the community, but as anyone would have expected, some parties got upset by her denouncements and cried “I’m being censored!!”.

“XDefiant” (2024)

Despite much of the skepticism surrounding the game (especially for such a ridiculous title), “XDefiant” came and went, only having amassed a small following. While some did find enjoyment in the overall gameplay, others were bothered by the generic look and feel of everything as well as the questionable choices in level design. But one aspect many agreed upon was the technical instability. This led some folks to believe the game was rushed out the door. Executive producer Mark Rubin touched upon this on social media. Rubin not only denied the accusations of Ubisoft rushing the game out, he would also end his statement with, “If you like what we are trying to do, stick around and you'll see things improve and new features get added. But if the game isn't for you, that's ok - you can move on.” Of course, some players stayed on the “it was rushed” bandwagon while others suggested switching engines, which many don’t understand is a massive undertaking for any studio to do.

“Rust” (2013)

One issue in gaming we rarely ever talk about as a community is when playing a game too much can drastically affect how a player perceives various aspects of the game in question. It may result in critical bias, nitpicking, and a ton of other problems that can skew feedback negatively for both the developers and the players. “Rust” developer Facepunch Studios experienced that firsthand in 2016 after players began complaining about the game supposedly getting boring. Facepunch founder Garry Newman took to Reddit to address these complaints, and he came swinging. Newman called out how some players who have made these complaints are the same ones clocking in well over a thousand hours of playing “Rust”. In Newman’s words, “If you're bored of the game then just stop playing it. But before you get angry about it, consider whether we have given you enough entertainment over the last 3 years to justify pocketing your $20.” And yes, considering how long games like “Rust” have been updating with new features and expansions over the past decade, this should be a question to ask ourselves every so often.

“Dead By Daylight” (2016)

Another good way of maintaining your enjoyment of gaming is to simply take a break. It can be hard, yes, but doing other things or playing other games can help you appreciate the games you love even more. That’s sort of what “Dead By Daylight” director Matheiu Cote pointed out during an AMA live stream in December 2021. One user asked Cote if there were plans to improve the game for Killer players because “Killers aren’t feared anymore”, referencing the uptick in bully squads and meta builds used by Survivors. Cote not only suggested the user try out Survivor to change things up a bit, but also for the user to “take a break, go play a different game.” Unsurprisingly, some players took this as a flippant remark, an insult with an attitude of “go play something else, we don’t care what you think”. In reality, Cote was likely just trying to offer some general advice while touching upon how too much of one thing is never good for you.

“Diablo IV” (2023)

Whereas most games see people complain about balance and updates not changing things up, some games see complaints of not giving players enough to do. “Diablo IV”, a massive RPG loaded with roughly hundred plus hours of game to play through, saw a handful of players complaining about having nothing to do in the game and claiming content was being drip-fed. General manager of “Diablo” Rod Fergusson addressed these complaints during a livestream that showcased the Season Of The Malignant, the first season of the game. Fergusson remarked about how new seasons indicate new starting points for players and that it might be a good time to take a break if you’ve reached all of your goals and done everything you want to do. Unfortunately, this sound advice would fall on deaf ears in some corners of the community, and “Diablo IV” would not be the last time this sort of thing happened.

“Palworld” (2024)

Since it captured the hearts of many former “Pokemon” fans in early 2024, “Palworld” has also seen a bit of a decline in player count. Thing is that is to be expected after initial launch. People play until they’ve had their fill and move on with their lives. But a vocal minority has tried to paint the picture as if “Palworld” gets insanely boring after you’ve beaten everything and that the lack of meaningful updates is why “the game is dying!!” Well, one of the game’s developers, Bucky, posted on social media to address this discourse. Bucky dismissed the claims, labeling them “lazy” while stating that players are more than welcome to stop playing the game after they’ve done everything. In Bucky’s words, “...it is fine to take breaks from games… There are so many amazing games out there to play; you don’t need to feel guilty about hopping from game to game. …Play lots of games, try different genres, and frequently flick through indie libraries to find hidden gems.” What a novel idea!

“Helldivers 2” (2024)

Sometimes, it feels like the “Helldivers 2” community wants to be on fire as there seems to be a problem every single week. One update in April 2024 threw players into a frenzy as it caused “Helldivers 2” to crash much more frequently. To no one’s surprise, people took to social media to raise concern, question the game’s longevity, and how the game was “dying”. A developer from Arrowhead addressed the concerns on social media while offering some sage advice: “A hotfix for the crashes is coming, but not over the weekend. Hang in there or perhaps let the game rest for a while.” As we’ve learned from every other entry we’ve seen so far, some gamers don’t like being told to go do something else.

“Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn” (2013)

For a game that has been going as long as “Final Fantasy XIV” has, it’s almost impossible to think that someone out there could possibly have done everything there is to in the game. One would be very, very surprised. Following the upsetting news of the delay on the “Endwalker” expansion, director and producer Naoki Yoshida, aka “Yoshi-P”, did a Q&A livestream at Gamescom 2021. One player wrote in expressing troubles in staying motivated to keep playing FFXIV, to which Yoshi-P replied, “It’s alright not to play everyday. Since it’s just a game, you can stop forcing yourself if it’s hard on you to keep that up. …there are so many games out there. So, do come back to play to your heart’s content when the major patch kicks in, then stop it to play other games before you get burnt out.” While the player was thankful for the advice, others took to the internet to make this a “gotcha” moment as if Yoshida was actively harming Square Enix and the “Final Fantasy” brand for suggesting this. A similar kerfuffle occurred in 2023 when FFXIV saw some changes in how its raids worked. To clarify why the changes were made, Yoshida stated, “Since I want everyone to tackle a lot of content and play other games too I just didn’t want this to feel like it will take forever”

Were these developers really that crazy for suggesting we play other games or even take a small break? Or is it really not as bad of an idea as some made it out to be? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday.