9 Prolific Video Game Developers That Released Absolute Trash
5. Square Enix
Square Enix's gamble paid off in 2002. Final Fantasy XI, a mainline entry in the storied RPG series, cast off the shackles of single-player and went full MMO at the turn of the millennium, eventually progressing to become one of the company's biggest successes.
Today, the world of Vana'diel is still open for business (no mean feat for a non-Blizzard MMO) so it stands to reason that the team responsible for its success would be best suited to craft a potential successor, right? Wrong.
Final Fantasy XIV finally made it to market in 2010, though it wasn't the replacement for Square's flagship MMO that everyone had hoped. Visually stunning and equally expansive, XIV's aesthetic appeal hid an ugly mechanical mess of obtuse systems that borderline amounted to self-harm for anyone willing to give it a chance.
So loud was the vocal dissent from fans, that Square was forced to suspend subscriptions and bring in a new director - Naoki Yoshida - as a means of salvaging an utter failure. Yoshida embraced the challenge head-on and, three years later, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launched to critical and commercial success.
For once, a happy ending.