8 Video Games That Prove The Industry Has Learned Nothing

7. Command And Conquer Rivals

The Lesson: Core fans don't care about mobile.

What is it with publishers getting fans excited for a new entry in a beloved franchise, only to eventually end up revealing a mobile game? There's no denying that millions of people play these games, but the assumption on the part of publishers that the core fanbase will fawn over a mobile version of a series they adore constantly lands them in hot water.

The industry saw it happen when Dungeon Keeper was revitalised as a monetised mess of a mobile game, and when Command and Conquer was brought back on the platform with a massive blowout at E3, and when Blizzard caused a s**storm by announcing Diablo Immortal last year. Having these mobile games on the market is of course fine, but companies continue to market them in the worst way possible by assuming they're the version of these franchises that players actually want.

One of the few major success stories of a big franchises going mobile and being positively received was Fallout Shelter, and that's because Bethesda knew exactly how to market it. Not as a replacement for a main game, but as a supplementary experience that didn't have intrusive nickel-and-diming. The fact other publishers continue to ignore that strategy and continue pissing off fans is mindblowing.