Games that managed to restore their reputation after a failed release

Discussions around games sometimes boil down to aggression and negativity towards certain projects and even individual developers. In such an "ecosystem", it is difficult to maintain a good reputation, and business decisions and development nuances often go against the worldview of ordinary players. Because of this, many games receive a wave of negativity upon release, from which they are no longer able to recover.

But there are cases when, after a failed release and negative attitude from players, developers do not give up, but take up the game with new strength. And as a result, they get a project whose quality is surprising, and players change their anger to mercy. Something like this happens extremely rarely, but each such story is all the more noticeable.

In this article, we have collected examples of games that initially received lukewarm reviews from players and critics, but their developers did everything to restore their reputation. This, by the way, is one of the unexpected arguments in favor of the service model of video game development. After all, thanks to regular updates and communication with players after the release, you can really work wonders.

Assassin's Creed Unity

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Stadia

Genre: action/adventure

Year 2014

Assassin's Creed Unity was the first part of the series about the eternal struggle between the Assassins and the Templars for the then-new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. More powerful hardware freed Ubisoft's hands, so players had high hopes for Unity. However, upon release, everything turned out to be far from rosy.

The gaming community was faced with a large number of bugs and technical problems, which resulted in a huge scandal for Ubisoft. The company even had to give away the Dead Kings story expansion for free to all owners of the game, and people who had already bought the season pass were also given an additional game from the Ubisoft catalog. However, this did not stop players from actively making memes with the game's characters, who for some reason only had eyes, hair and a mouth instead of a head.

But once the developers fixed all the critical bugs, it turned out that Assassin's Creed Unity is a very good game with a world full of activities, interesting cooperative elements and a magical atmosphere of revolutionary Paris. Over the years, players who fell in love with Unity began to say that it is in this part that you can find the best parkour system in the entire Assassin's Creed series.

Cyberpunk 2077

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/ 5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Stadia, macOS, Nintendo Switch 2

Genre: action/RPG

Year 2020

CD Projekt RED has long been considered a company with an almost perfect reputation. All thanks to the success of The Witcher trilogy, which developed significantly from part to part, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became a cult classic and set many trends for years to come. The authors from CD Projekt RED loyally communicated with players and appeased them with all kinds of activities, which successfully maintained their own reputation. Therefore, Cyberpunk 2077 was expected to be almost a revolution.

However, problematic development and overly high expectations led to the fact that the release of Cyberpunk 2077 turned out to be the most problematic. On the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, the game was almost impossible to play properly due to constant bugs, technical problems and terrible optimization. Sony even removed it from the PS Store and offered refunds to everyone who wanted it, which is quite an unusual case. The game did not have many of the features that players expected, and even the genre seemed to shift from a full-fledged RPG towards action/adventure, which also disappointed players.

CD Projekt RED had to deal with lawsuits from investors, a large-scale reorganization of work processes and a long process of "repair" Cyberpunk 2077. However, the developers still managed to bring the game to a good state, and the Phantom Liberty add-on is now considered one of the best story DLCs in history. The game was added more space for customization and self-expression, the artificial intelligence of enemies and the physics of driving vehicles were improved, and the graphics, which were already quite amazing, turned into a de facto top benchmark for the most powerful video cards.

The game has had an interesting plot, setting, and characters from the very beginning, but now there's nothing stopping you from enjoying it to the fullest. It should be noted that while the developers have been actively working on improving the game since its release, its reputation has been greatly helped by the successful premiere of the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Final Fantasy XIV

Platforms Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3/4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Genre MMORPG

Year 2013

Final Fantasy XIV is not the first attempt by Square Enix to transfer the Final Fantasy series into an MMORPG format. There is also the strange and archaic Final Fantasy XI, which is still not without its own charm. However, the story of the fourteenth part turned out to be much more interesting, because it began with a resounding failure, which turned into one of the main triumphs of Square Enix.

The original Final Fantasy XIV was a rather boring and inconvenient game. The interface turned out to be one of the main problems: overloaded menus did not allow you to fully experience all the features of the game. Almost all of its elements were problematic, and the good graphics and music did not save the situation. Then Square Enix took a decisive step: the developers apologized to the players and staged a real end of the world in Final Fantasy XIV, which led to the servers being disconnected. In parallel, the studio worked on a new version of the game called Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in which they promised to improve almost every aspect of the game.

The promises turned out to be true. A Realm Reborn is much more convenient, enjoyable and interesting. And subsequent updates like Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers have completely brought the game to the forefront among MMORPGs. Today you will find in it an intriguing plot that is in no way inferior to other parts of Final Fantasy, and even surpasses them in some elements, and a lot of activities for every taste. Square Enix did not even have to switch to the free-to-play format. Modern Final Fantasy XIV is so interesting that players are willing to pay for it once a month.

Fallout: New Vegas

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Genre RPG

Year 2010

When the Fallout series was taken over by Bethesda, not everyone took it as a good sign. Fallout 3 is still fondly referred to today as "Oblivion with guns," Fallout 4 took a more "action" approach, and the development of Fallout 76 deserves a separate section of this text. However, instead, we will mention the more "popular" part of Fallout - Fallout: New Vegas.

It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment on behalf of Bethesda Softworks. Some of Obsidian’s specialists had previously worked on Fallout 2 and the canceled sequel called Van Buren, so returning to the Fallout series was something of a dream come true for them. However, the developers were given only 18 months to create a full-fledged game. This is a very short period for AAA development, so Fallout: New Vegas suffered from many critical bugs at release. Because of them, some players could not even complete the game, because quests simply broke. And in terms of gameplay, Fallout: New Vegas is not very different from Fallout 3. Change the yellow visual filter to green - and it will become almost impossible for an outsider to distinguish the games.

However, Fallout: New Vegas is a game primarily about the story, characters, and exploring the world, which literally has something interesting to offer in every corner. Over the years, more and more players and critics have started to return to the game. Today, it is considered one of the best modern RPGs that truly respects the choices and creativity of the player. And almost all bugs and technical problems have long been fixed by the modding community. Therefore, the situation when Bethesda left Obsidian without monetary bonuses because Fallout: New Vegas did not receive a Metacritic score of 85 or higher, has become strange over the years.

Fortnite

Platforms macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, Android, iOS

Genre battle royale

Year 2017

Perhaps in 2025, it will be strange for someone to see Fortnite on the list of games that initially failed. After all, today Fortnite is a successful service that constantly surprises with collaborations with famous stars and other franchises. This season, for example, Mortal Kombat fans received themed skins and equipment. However, when Fortnite was released, it was not even a "battle royale", and it could not boast such crazy popularity.

The Fortnite story began in 2017 with Fortnite: Save the World, which Epic Games described as a hybrid of Minecraft and Left 4 Dead. Battle Royale was later released as a separate mode, which quickly became popular due to its accessibility, the ability to build and destroy the environment. Over time, Save the World was made a paid mode, while Battle Royale was available for free. In fact, this decided the fate of the game.

Fortnite: Save the World didn’t have even a percentage of the popularity that Battle Royale had. Epic Games quickly changed its priorities, and it didn’t go astray. However, some players were upset that the developers forgot about the PvE mode, and even launched a campaign with the hashtag #SaveSaveTheWorld. However, Battle Royale has also had separate missions with an emphasis on PvE for a long time, so the developers are really trying to please everyone.

No Man's Sky

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iPadOS

Genre action/adventure, survival

Year 2016

No Man's Sky from Hello Games was one of the most anticipated games when it was released in August 2016. The developers promised a revolutionary experience with a procedurally generated universe containing quintillions of unique planets, seamless transitions from space to the surface, a developed trading system, research, and even a multiplayer mode. However, at launch, players were faced with a reality that was very different from the promises. Many of the declared features, including full multiplayer, were missing, the gameplay turned out to be monotonous and quickly bored, and the game itself suffered from numerous technical problems and bugs. This caused a huge wave of criticism, accusations of false advertising, and mass requests for refunds, turning the expected triumph into one of the most high-profile failures in the history of the industry.

Despite the devastating criticism and reputational damage, the Hello Games team, led by Sean Murray, did not abandon the project. After a period of silence, the developers set out to rectify the situation and gradually add the promised content. They abandoned paid add-ons and focused on releasing large free updates that were intended not only to fix bugs, but also to significantly expand the game's capabilities. It was a bold move, as the studio could have simply moved on to a new project, but it decided to prove that its ideal vision of No Man's Sky could get into the hands of players.

Over the next few years, Hello Games released a series of major updates—all free. Each one added new elements to the game: base building, ground transport, full-fledged cooperative multiplayer, improved graphics, VR support, new quests, a wider variety of planets and biomes, space frigates, and more. Thanks to this hard work, No Man's Sky has changed dramatically. The game has not only fulfilled most of its initial promises, but also significantly exceeded them, winning recognition from players and critics and becoming an example of how developers can fix mistakes and save their project. Now, players themselves want to give Hello Games money for add-ons, and the developers continue to release them for free.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Google Stadia

Genre: online shooter

Year 2015

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, released by Ubisoft Montreal in December 2015, didn't get off to a smooth start. The studio initially intended to release a shooter with a focus on the narrative of Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots, but technical difficulties led to the project being canceled, and the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series was relaunched as a tactical competitive shooter.

While the core concept of destruction and the confrontation of attack and defense teams was moderately innovative and well-received, the game suffered from a number of problems. At the time of release, the content was frankly lacking: the small number of operatives, maps and game modes did not exactly contribute to the enjoyment. In addition, players encountered serious technical shortcomings, including unstable servers, matchmaking problems, inaccurate hit registration and numerous bugs. The microtransaction system also attracted criticism - however, with Ubisoft this will become a permanent story. All this led to mixed reviews and a relatively small player base at the start, which cast doubt on the long-term prospects of the project.

Despite all the difficulties, Ubisoft saw the potential of the Siege formula and decided not to abandon the game, but to turn it into a long-term service. The developers focused on gradually fixing key issues and regularly adding new content through seasonal updates. An important step was Operation Health in 2017 - an entire season dedicated solely to fixing technical errors and improving the "health" of the game, even at the cost of delaying the release of new content. The team actively interacted with the community, listened to feedback, constantly worked on the balance of operators and maps, implemented anti-cheat measures, and improved the overall quality of the gameplay.

Thanks to this consistent support and many years of work by the authors, Rainbow Six Siege has changed dramatically and achieved huge success. Today it is one of the key games of Ubisoft, which consistently brings the company tangible money. The game has received dozens of new operators, new maps, gadgets, modes and cosmetic items. It has become one of the leading disciplines in the world of eSports with a multi-million audience and a dedicated community of players.

You could even say that Rainbow Six Siege was too successful, because after it Ubisoft began to actively experiment with service models in literally all genres - and not always successfully. And Rainbow Six Siege itself recently received a free-to-play version, so now is the perfect time to try playing it. But keep in mind that the free version lacks a competitive mode.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch

Genre shooter

Year 2007

The development of STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl by the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World was long and complex. Announced back in the early 2000s, the game went through numerous release date postponements and concept changes. Expectations were extremely high, as the developers promised a revolutionary project: a huge open world of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a unique A-Life life simulation system, a non-linear plot, and a combination of FPS, RPG, and survival horror genres.

When the game finally came out in March 2007, it wowed players with its incredible atmosphere, oppressive world, and innovative ideas. However, the release version was far from perfect: it suffered from a huge number of bugs, stability, and performance issues, and many of the promised elements, including the full A-Life system and cars, were significantly simplified or cut compared to early demos. And yes, some bugs could literally ruin the entire playthrough.

After the release, GSC Game World released several patches that fixed the most critical bugs and improved the game's stability, but it was never possible to achieve an ideal technical state by official means. A real lifeline for Shadow of Chernobyl was its incredibly active modding community. It was enthusiasts who took on the task of refining the game: they fixed bugs left after official patches, restored cut content, improved graphics, balance, gameplay mechanics, and even significantly expanded the capabilities of the A-Life system. Modifications, from simple fixes to global rework, played a key role in fixing shortcomings and the further life of the game.

Despite its technical issues at launch, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl has become a cult classic. It is appreciated for its unparalleled atmosphere, immersive world, and hardcore gameplay. As a result, its influence on post-apocalyptic video games has been extremely significant.

Street Fighter V

Platforms PlayStation 4/5, Windows

Genre fighting

Year 2016

Capcom's Street Fighter V launch in February 2016 was a huge disappointment for many fans of the legendary fighting game series. This is despite the fact that Street Fighter IV brought the series back into the mainstream and began to set the trend for online battles, which today definitively dominate live battles on a single console or arcade machine.

While Street Fighter V's core combat mechanics and V-System combat moves were well-received by professional players, the game was released in a frankly raw state. The most common criticism was the catastrophic lack of content, especially for the single-player game: there was no classic arcade mode, and the story mode was short-lived. The online functionality suffered from serious problems, including unstable servers, poor network code, and problems with selecting opponents. The starting roster of characters was also small compared to previous installments, because 16 fighters is not serious at all. The game was rightly criticized for feeling unfinished and selling at full price a product similar to the product in Early Access.

Capcom acknowledged the shortcomings of the launch version, including a lack of content and technical issues, and set out to provide long-term support and development of the game as a service. As it turned out, fighting games are best served as services. The developers gradually added missing elements through free updates and paid content. Over time, the game added a full-fledged cinematic story mode, and later the long-awaited arcade mode. The team constantly worked to improve the network code and server stability, although the quality of the online connection remained a subject of debate for many years. Over the course of several seasons, new fighters, arenas, costumes, and regular balance updates were released.

Over the years of support, Street Fighter V has expanded and transformed significantly. The final Champion Edition offered significantly more content: the roster of fighters grew to 40 characters, a variety of game modes appeared, and the online component became more stable. Although the road to recovery was long and not always smooth, the game was able to rehabilitate itself, gain its place in the esports arena and become an important title for the fighting game community. The game was even forgiven for advertising on loading screens, which already says a lot about its reputation.

Warframe

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, iOS

Genre MMO, shooter

Year 2013

Warframe, developed and published by Digital Extremes, entered open beta in March 2013. Unlike the other games in this article, its launch wasn't a resounding flop. Rather, it just quietly launched, without much attention. Today, we'd say "it'll be shut down in a few months."

The game offered cooperative missions in the style of "ninjas in space" with an emphasis on fast movement and close combat. At the start, there was not much content: a limited set of warframes and weapons, almost all levels were corridors of the same type. Although the main gameplay cycle of completing missions, gathering resources and creating equipment already existed and even worked well, it lacked depth and variety. The game had good graphics, but its scale was small, and the initial reaction of players and critics was restrained - the project looked interesting, but raw and without a clear vision of the future. Add to this a high dependence on grinding: once I got the same blueprint that I already had five times in a row, instead of the one I needed.

A key factor in Warframe’s success was the incredible dedication of the developers at Digital Extremes to their game and community. They fully embraced the service model and built a strong connection with players from the start through regular developer streams, forums, and social media. Digital Extremes didn’t just release updates, they actively listened to feedback, ideas, and criticism from the community, often making changes and adding content based on that feedback. The strategy was to develop continuously, iteratively: adding new Warframes, weapons, locations, enemy factions, and mission types, as well as implementing major system changes to keep the gameplay fresh. Of particular importance was the addition of large-scale cinematic quests that revealed deep lore and greatly increased player engagement, as well as large areas that resembled open-world games.

Over the past decade, Warframe has grown from a small corridor shooter into a gigantic project with an exceptional amount of content. The game has received huge open locations, space battles on its own ships, the cultivation of combat companions, the control of powerful mechs and many other interconnected systems. The game has become one of the most successful and longest-running games in history, gaining a huge loyal audience on all major platforms. Warframe is still actively developing. And this despite the fact that the developers are working on a more fantasy Soulframe in parallel.

Of course, these are far from all the examples of games coming back from the dead. What cases of "reputation repair" among video game developers and specific games can you remember? Share your good stories and thoughts in the comments!