10 Recent Video Games That Were Too Big To Fail (That Did Anyway)

Why It Was "Too Big"

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most lucrative entertainment franchises on the planet, and so the prospect of an Avengers-themed action RPG developed by Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider) and published by Square Enix seemed like an absolute slam dunk.

Why It Failed Anyway

There was admittedly a healthy amount of pre-release skepticism about the Avengers' underwhelming character designs and the possibility that it was ultimately going to be a low-effort "live service" game exploiting the Marvel brand for easy microtransaction-driven profits.

And ultimately those fears were largely realised, as Marvel's Avengers turned out to be a generic, grindy brawler filled with unimaginative action-adventure gameplay and tired progression systems.

More than anything, though, many complained about the lack of content, which for a live service title is basically the kiss of death.

The Damage

Within two months of Avengers' release, the player count on Steam had dropped by 96%, while sales also quickly fell off a cliff after a strong start, causing a stonking $63 million in losses for Square Enix.

Though the subsequent story expansions were broadly well-received, the publisher was raked over the coals late last year when they implemented pay-to-win mechanics and a progression-slowing patch, the former of which was removed following sustained player vitriol.

Though Square Enix insists they're continuing to support the game, it's really just a matter of time before they quietly put their failed cash cow out to pasture.