9 Promising Video Games That Were Totally Ruined By Publisher Meddling
6. Fuse
Their first multi-platform game and the first property that they would actually own themselves, Insomniac Games had high hopes when it partnered with EA to create a new third-person shooter, Fuse.
Attempting to bring their distinct brand of irreverent comedy and kinetic combat to a wider and more popular market, the shooter was a charming and colourful team-based shooter that had all the signs of being the developer's break into the big leagues.
Unfortunately, because EA is EA, the company was only interested in beating the competition at their own game. Not wanting to create a vibrant, light-hearted action experience at a time where other releases were taking a grittier, grim-dark approach to their third-person shooters, Insomniac were told to completely change the tone of the game to make it more 'adult' and 'serious'.
This new grounded philosophy translated over to the gameplay as well, with the title utilising the same basic set of features and mechanics that every game had used since the release of the original Gears of War.
Consequently Insomniac's big break bombed both critically and commercially at the time of release, with the biggest criticism being the title's lack of imagination and, ultimately, lack of reason to exist.