10 "Next Big Thing" Video Games That Completely Flopped
5. For Honor
Like Evolve before it, For Honor was touted as being a revolutionary new idea that would shake up the very core of how players saw multiplayer games.
Not interested in aping any of the genres that are so popular with multiplayer crowds, the developers instead attempted to create a hybrid of one-on-one fighting games and team-based shooters. Letting players choose warriors from iconic historical periods, each character was given their own distinct playstyle that would need to be learned before they could be effective on the battlefield.
With a deep combat system that by far favoured experienced players rather than newcomers, For Honor's crippling problem wasn't that the game was challenging, but that it was difficult in a way that completely alienated anyone trying to jump into it after its release.
The limited single-player campaign meant there was very little training to be gained unless you braved the multiplayer, but of course then you were going toe to toe with veterans who had put their all into learning these characters.
It resulted in an experience that was inaccessible and frustrating to get a handle on, which, combined with the lack of content available at launch, meant that most players jumped ship after only a couple of days.