10 Video Games That Survived Embarrassing Launches
When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up.
Hype can be a double-edged sword at times. On one hand, it generates interest for a game and makes players keen to put down their cash - but on the other, it makes deadlines loom and reports of studio crunch rear their ugly heads in the aftermath. Oftentimes, we're left with unfinished, broken messes rather than that exquisite passion project first laid out.
"Live service" games, usually requiring a constant or active internet connection, can also tank a game on release, too. Servers unable to handle the mass of players at launch, or titles being released unfinished, only to rely on massive day one (or later) patches that never truly fix the experience.
Nobody wants a bare bones game with the rest of the content coming "down the line", or being able to see through character models. Worse still, some are so broken that endless bugs and crashes kill the game regardless.
Thankfully, not all is lost, as these examples will tell you. The following have taken a rightly deserved kicking, only to go back to the drawing board and emerge stronger than ever.
10. DriveClub
This is a bit of a bittersweet inclusion, as after riding high after an initial stumble, Driveclub has had its ticket punched. Sony have stated that online support for this realistic racing sim will be turned off on March 2020, but thankfully, offline play will remain available.
Driveclub has actually been going strong for six years, but it wasn't always the case when it launched. Terrible connection issues, choppy framerates and a schizophrenic AI that would offer either no challenge or run you off the road, it just wasn't fun.
But, Sony persevered, and relaunched Driveclub with a free, base version to PS Plus subscribers, helping ease its way back into the mainstream. Several updates later, and Driveclub offered a visual treat to rival Gran Turismo, as well as online services like managing and racing with your own club of friends.
Still, there's most of a year left if you want to give it a go before the online plug gets pulled.