10 Video Games That REFUSED TO DIE
3. Star Wars Battlefront II
It's no secret that Star Wars Battlefront II had one of the most infamously reviled launches for any AAA game in recent memory.
Even before it was available to players, critics tore the shooter sequel asunder for its stilted, microtransaction-encouraging progression system, causing EA to respond by pulling microtransactions out of the game for a limited period upon launch.
Given that the controversy led to an EA rep posting the most downvoted comment in the history of Reddit and the game's loot boxes being investigated by several worldwide gambling regulators, the shambles of a launch could've easily spelled a swift end for the multiplayer shooter.
Despite softer sales than EA were expecting, Battlefront II still shifted 9 million copies within a month of its release, yet there were understandable concerns that a mass exodus of frustrated players would soon occur.
In the end, EA managed to rescue the game from the embers of annihilation by largely reversing course, releasing more than two-dozen free updates by 2020, while walking-back the busy-work required to play as your favourite Star Wars heroes.
By the end of 2019, Battlefront II was hitting player numbers close to the launch period, and with its final content update releasing earlier this year, it confirmed an impressive turnaround for one of the most vitriolic video game launches in history.