10 Video Games That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Failed)

Developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by EA, Dungeon Keeper proved to be an instant hit back in 1997, widely noted for it’s dark humour.

Playing as a Keeper, you worked to protect your treasure, employing a squad of minions to maintain operations whilst fending off invasions from “heroes” set on stealing your wares and attacking rival dungeon keepers.

It saw a sequel in 1999 but efforts to make a third game floundered and Bullfrog eventually closed down in 2001. Despite the closure of Bullfrog Productions, EA wanted to retain the gameplay approach within a new title and launched a reboot in 2014.

Changing it to a tower defense game, it came under heavy criticism for its monetization practises, failing to capture the spirit of the previous titles.

It’s adverts were also judged as misleading and this led to the British Advertising Standards Authority ruling that EA must add further information within game about its in-app purchases. It’s an irredeemable mess and one that only served to line up EA’s pockets.