10 Video Games That Were A Victim Of Their Own Success
9. The Sims 4
It would be an understatement to say that The Sims is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. The first game exploded onto the scene in 2000, and from there only grew in popularity, breaking records and earning admiration from both critics and gamers. Much of this success comes from the near-universal appeal of its sandbox style, quirky sense of humour and open-ended player driven storytelling. Numerous sequels and expansion packs have only strengthened the grip this series has on peoples hearts, and has thus earned it a devoted and rabid fanbase. So, it was inevitable that at some point The Sims would disappoint these loyal fans, which is exactly what happened when The Sims 4 was released in 2014. In an effort to focus on newer features, The Sims 4 forgot to include many others that fans consider to be essential. Controversy was stirred because of this, which led to a much more negative response towards The Sims 4 than any previous entry. Sales were rumoured to be well below past instalments, and a dark cloud hung over the game as a whole. Many fans believe this to be the consequence of corporate meddling on the part of EA, including accusations that funds meant for The Sims 4 were being use to support other major EA games like Titanfall. Ultimately, this is yet another case of a publisher assuming they can cut corners while still making a critical and commercial profit off name recognition alone, and that is a situation that more and more successful video game franchises continue to find themselves in.
