10 Expensive Video Games Nobody Wanted
3. Marvel's Avengers
Whilst Square Enix and Crystal Dynamic's take on the Marvel's insanely high grossing movie franchise didn't almost kill the gaming industry, it did threaten to sink the former.
Anything Avengers-wise should have been a shoe-in, had both parties not failed spectacularly on launch. The end result was a middling assortment of gameplay types, broken up with a mess of a currency system and repetition throughout.
As such, critics and fans alike weren't rushing to buy it, with a player base dropping nearly 100% in the game's second month of release in 2020. Sales from the opening weeks were positive, yet Square Enix reported a $63 million loss that financial year.
Square were still confident that live service works as a model, adding a much-derided payment model a year later. Which was quickly removed.
Fortunately for the publisher, the Final Fantasy VII Remake sold well in 2020, which didn't entirely force them out of the market. Better still, the Guardians of the Galaxy game of 2021 was positively received, removing a lot of the negative aspects seen in Avengers.
Suffice to say, it was an expensive lesson for Square Enix.