There are several reasons a video game can be considered a flop. Ranging from a great game that can’t turn a profit, to one that has potential and doesn’t use it. All flavours of disappointment are invited to this pool party! So, grab your floaties because here are 5 of the biggest flops in video games.
1. Saints Row (Reboot)
Beyond underselling and navigating through a sea of glitches, the true disappointment lay in the unfulfilled promise of the Saints Row legacy. A franchise known for its audacious and irreverent take on open-world gameplay, the remake struggled to capture the essence that made Saints Row iconic.
It always had a generic sort of feel to it, despite snappy shooting and a good soundtrack. I do not think Johnny Gat would approve, however.
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2. Avengers
We all have that one friend who is obsessed with Marvel. Maybe you’re that person and this is about to bring up a sore subject. “The Avengers” was released in 2012, and became a moment in time millions of us nerds will remember for the rest of our lives.
The MCU only grew larger and larger with every movie, which back then was every few months it seemed. “The Avengers” was released in 2020 and became a moment millions of us nerds will try to forget for the rest of our lives. Glitches, lag, games dropping, lost progress, corrupt data, knock-off-looking heroes, this game had it all! I’m sure Crystal Dynamics tried to keep it alive but on September 30, 2023, servers were shut down for good.
3. Anthem
Bad loot quality, not enough guns, and promises going undelivered. Anthem talked a big game and couldn’t even come close. It’s a shame that a game with such a fantastic concept, and method of transportation, turned out to be so painfully generic.
There are a few on Reddit that will argue you can squeeze upwards of 50 hours of fun out of this game, which is a big game. The term fun is subjective though as it seems almost none of the content is unique in any way and most of the time you’re repeating quests.
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4. Redfall
I didn’t understand the hype for this game, but I understand why people talk about it now. Redfall had the attention of any Xbox owner or game pass subscriber out there, and honestly, it looked good. Redfall was doomed from the start with the state it was released to the public. People lost patience with this game very quickly and moved on to different… more playable games.
The bugs, glitches, and enemy AI were in subpar conditions for a AAA game. Arkane Austin did continue to update this game and it is in a more playable state these days but they will always be considered a flop.
5. The Lord of The Rings: Gollum
This game flopped in just about every way a flop could flop. The graphics looked two generations old at times, the controls were not the best, and it’s a stealth and platforming game with glitches that will constantly knock you dead. A bad checkpoint system, and quest markers that would sometimes lead to nothing causing you to have to load an old save.
You never really feel relevant to the story either, in a game where you play exclusively as Gollum. It had the entire Tolken-verse to play with and used none of it. Do you think Gollum could be saved even if people wanted it? What games do you think deserve to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
