10 Times Video Game Developers Lied Straight To Your Face

"Arkham Knight is DEFINITELY not the Red Hood... promise!"

Batman Arkham Knighgt Jason
Rocksteady

Unlike other mediums, be it television or movies, developers and publishers using little white lies to sell products has become the norm in video games. In their defence, saying one thing and doing another isn't always their fault, and the constantly shifting nature of game development means ideas change, targets can't be hit and features are cut entirely and saved for the sequel.

Likewise, fans by now should know to take everything they see at press events like E3 with a pinch of salt, as the demos shown off are often a reflection of what the studios hope their games will end up looking like, rather than what they currently are.

Still, while a lot of that is excusable, it's a different beast entirely when developers straight up lie to your face, promising you one thing and delivering something entirely different. The bait-and-switch tactic can be used to good effect - see Metal Gear Solid 2 or Avengers: Infinity War for an example from another medium - but more often than not it's used to fool you into buying a game that sounds far better than it actually is.

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Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.