8 Game Designers Who Hated Their Own Creations
2. George Fan (Plants Vs. Zombies)
When George Fan first dreamed up the idea of mobile tower defence hit Plants vs. Zombies in 2009, he envisaged a "gritty" but "sickeningly cute" strategic test of wits. He did not imagine it being tweaked to maximise addiction - and with it, ad revenue.
The game was a breakout hit, selling over 300,000 copies in its first nine days on sale, and further enriching the bursting coffers of PopCap Games. Soon, EA began sniffing around, and the publisher added the studio to their colossal portfolio in 2011.
This is where Fan stopped being one. In order to remain profitable two years on from launch, Plants vs. Zombies transformed into a free-to-play model, with microtransactions ramped up in accordance.
It absolutely wasn't why the designer entered the business. In an embittered interview, he told Venture Beat:
"There are some aspects of this business model that make it so you’re not making games to be fun anymore. You’re implementing these strategies to hook people, but they’re not necessarily having fun with your game anymore. They’re compelled to play because they need to increase their level or feel like they’re making some other kind of progression. But if you asked them, 'Hey, take a step back. Strip away all of this. Is the moment to moment gameplay fun for you?' In a lot of cases I bet the answer would be no."
Such objections - according to Super Meat Boy designer Edmund McMillen - ultimately earned Fan his dismissal from EA. After seeing his game bastardised beyond belief, it was a sword worth falling on.