10 Recent Video Game Bombs NO ONE Saw Coming

There's nothing quite like gathering up a bunch of friends and robbing a bank - digitally, of course. That's why 2011's sequel to Payday: The Heist, Payday 2, became such a bombastic hit, selling in the tens of millions and attracting tonnes of players. With all that hype, you'd think the follow-up would similarly set the gaming world on fire. Sadly, the release of Payday 3 went down less like a blazing inferno and more like a lighter flame running low on fluid. 

It took over ten years for this sequel to arrive, yet it did so in an awful state. The game was barebones, with minimal content available at launch and little change to the established formula. On top of that, major server issues, paired with the game's always-online requirements, meant that many hopeful thieves weren't even able to play it.  

Tragically, the financial side didn't fare much better. Starbreeze, the devs, reported (as per Game Developer) that Payday 3 ended up costing the company $18.5 million, which is shocking given the previous game's success. Ultimately, most players abandoned the sinking ship and returned to playing Payday 2.