10 Video Games That Survived Embarrassing Launches
8. SimCity (2013)
If EA were to look back on crowning moments of 2013, this would not be one of them. The SimCity debacle went down as the one of the biggest examples of how the "always online" service model isn't always a viable option.
Considering that for many, the city-building simulator has always been about single player gaming. So EA/Maxis' rather bizarre change to always on, open multiplayer was seen as a disastrous move. Which ultimately proved true when it tanked on launch, meaning no one could play.
Back to the present though, and time has been kind to SimCity. After the much-maligned "always on" fiasco, offline modes of play were introduced. Quite why they weren't initially is anyone's guess, but it seems like EA have done enough to bounce back from it.
Whether this will lead to a new one in the series is yet to be seen, but hopefully publishers will learn from this kind of shenanigans.