5 Worst Video Game Decisions That Caused Huge Backlash

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Video game companies are run by people, and like any business, they sometimes make mistakes. It’s common for things to go wrong, especially when large sums of money – hundreds of millions of dollars – and many jobs are at stake. Throughout the years, some video game companies have made really poor choices, often by misjudging what players want or prioritizing making lots of games instead of good ones. Here are five of the most damaging decisions these companies have made over the past few decades, listed in the order they happened.

1) The Sega Saturn’s Price

As a long-time gamer, I remember when Sega really went all-in on their Saturn console. They poured tons of resources into it, which meant it was pretty expensive – $399.99 when it launched in 1994. That’s like $885 today! But then, Sony did something amazing. At E3 in 1995, the guy leading the PlayStation launch in the US, Steve Race, just walked on stage, said “$299,” and sat down. Seriously! It was a hundred bucks cheaper than the Saturn, and look who’s still making consoles today… Sony, of course. It was a total game changer.

2) Microsoft’s Forced Use of the Kinect

Nintendo’s Wii was a huge success, largely thanks to its innovative motion controls, and it pushed competitors like Microsoft to try and replicate that success. Microsoft’s response, the Kinect for Xbox 360, sold reasonably well and had some enjoyable games, but it didn’t revolutionize gaming like the Wii did. Despite this, Microsoft heavily invested in the Kinect and included it with every Xbox One console, even though many players didn’t want it. The Xbox One, which proved to be the weakest console in the Xbox series, launched at a high price of $499, largely due to the bundled $100 Kinect. Because players couldn’t buy the Xbox One without the Kinect, many opted for the PlayStation 4 instead, ultimately leading to lower sales for the Xbox One.

3) EA’s Pay-to-Win Microtransactions in Star Wars: Battlefront II

Gamers expect to pay a significant amount for major new games, so they don’t want to be constantly asked to spend more money within the game itself. However, Electronic Arts didn’t seem to understand this when they released Star Wars: Battlefront II in 2017. The game included “loot boxes” – random virtual packages – that players could purchase. These boxes offered a shortcut to acquiring powerful characters, saving players from potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay. This frustrated many gamers and led to accusations of gambling, landing EA in serious trouble. While the company quickly reversed course, the damage was done, and Battlefront II became a lasting mark against EA’s reputation.

4) The Diablo Immortal Announcement at BlizzCon

The Diablo series is famous for long gaps between games, so any announcement creates huge excitement – and sometimes disappointment. That’s what happened at BlizzCon 2018 when Blizzard revealed Diablo Immortal. Fans were expecting a new PC game, but instead got a mobile game that no one had asked for. The audience immediately booed, and Wyatt Cheng famously asked, “Do you guys not have phones?” Many thought it was a joke, and overall, the reaction was very negative. Blizzard faced a lot of criticism afterwards. While Diablo Immortal isn’t a bad game, it simply wasn’t what fans were hoping for – they wanted a full PC title.

5) Konami’s Development of Metal Gear Survive

Hideo Kojima is a hugely influential video game creator, best known for developing the popular Metal Gear series while at Konami. Though Metal Gear was very profitable for Konami, a falling out led to Kojima’s departure. Konami then tried to continue the series with Metal Gear Survive without his involvement, but it was a critical and commercial disaster. The game felt completely different from previous Metal Gear titles and demonstrated the importance of keeping talented developers happy. Now, Konami primarily focuses on re-releasing and updating older Metal Gear games, hoping to avoid another failure like Metal Gear Survive.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen a gaming company make? Share your thoughts in the comments and discuss it with other gamers in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-21 17:10