Games That Tanked After Devs Publicly Trashed Their Own Players

Video game developers sometimes forget that players are their most important stakeholders. PR disasters happen when studios insult their fanbases or dismiss valid criticism with arrogance. These moments often lead to plummeting sales and tarnished reputations that take years to rebuild. The following games serve as cautionary tales about attacking the people who buy your products.

‘Concord’ (2024)

This hero shooter arguably suffered the most catastrophic launch in PlayStation history. One of the developers called critics “talentless freaks” on social media shortly before release. The game failed to attract players and sold fewer than 25,000 copies globally. Sony shut down the servers just two weeks after launch and offered full refunds. The studio was closed shortly after the game was pulled from shelves.

‘Battlefield V’ (2018)

EA executive Patrick Söderlund famously told fans not to buy the game if they disliked the creative direction. He dismissed valid historical accuracy complaints as uneducated and labeled the fanbase as sexist. Millions of players took his advice and skipped the title entirely. The game sold millions fewer copies than expected and failed to meet revenue targets. Support for the game was cut short to focus on the next entry in the series.

‘LawBreakers’ (2017)

Director Cliff Bleszinski frequently argued with potential players on Twitter and mocked other hero shooters. He claimed his game was the “Dark Souls” of the genre and dismissed criticism as hate. The game launched to an abysmal player count that struggled to fill matches. Servers were shut down just a year later as the studio could not sustain operations. The failure of this title effectively ended the studio Boss Key Productions.

‘The Day Before’ (2023)

The developers of this zombie survival MMO repeatedly called skeptics “haters” and blamed them for misinformation. They released a broken game that lacked almost all promised features. Players realized the trailers were fake and demanded refunds en masse. The studio Fntastic announced its closure just four days after the game launched. Servers were permanently shut down a few weeks later.

‘Saints Row’ (2022)

The developers rebooted the franchise with a tone that alienated long-time fans. The official Twitter account posted a gif saying “haters gonna hate” in response to valid criticism about the new direction. This dismissive attitude enraged the community and fueled a massive backlash. The game became a commercial failure that led to the closure of Volition Games.

‘Artifact’ (2018)

Valve designer Richard Garfield defended the aggressive monetization model by claiming other models manipulated players. Fans felt the game required them to pay for every single action and card. The player base plummeted from 60,000 to under a few hundred within months. Valve ceased development on the reboot attempt and abandoned the project. The game is now considered one of the biggest flops in Valve history.

‘Mighty No. 9’ (2016)

The community manager famously mocked fans by saying an anime fan on prom night had a better time than the delays suggested. This insult antagonized backers who had already waited years for the Kickstarter project. The game launched with terrible graphics and gameplay that did not match promises. It is widely cited as one of the biggest disappointments in crowdfunding history.

‘DmC: Devil May Cry’ (2013)

Ninja Theory developers openly mocked the design of the original Dante and the fans who loved him. They insinuated that the old character design was uncool and dated compared to their new vision. Fans boycotted the title and sales fell well below Capcom’s expectations. The publisher eventually abandoned this reboot timeline and returned to the original series.

‘SimCity’ (2013)

Maxis and EA insisted that the game required an always-online connection for cloud computing. Players discovered this was a lie when modders enabled offline play shortly after launch. The developers dismissed initial complaints until server crashes made the game unplayable for weeks. The disastrous launch tarnished the brand forever and led to the closure of the main Maxis studio.

‘Total War: Rome II’ (2013)

A community manager told players not to play the game if they did not like the inclusion of female generals. This statement caused a massive review bombing campaign on Steam. The game launched in a broken state with terrible AI and technical issues. It took Creative Assembly years of patching to repair the damage to their reputation.

‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ (2017)

The EA Community Team posted a comment defending the loot box system that became the most downvoted comment in Reddit history. They claimed the grind provided players with a sense of pride and accomplishment. The backlash was so severe that Disney reportedly intervened to force changes. The game missed its sales targets and damaged the Star Wars gaming brand significantly.

‘Mass Effect 3’ (2012)

Project leads Casey Hudson and Mac Walters dismissed fan disappointment over the ending as entitlement. They claimed the artistic integrity of their vision mattered more than player satisfaction. The outcry forced BioWare to release an Extended Cut DLC to fix the plot holes. The controversy left a permanent stain on the legacy of the franchise.

‘Diablo Immortal’ (2022)

Lead designer Wyatt Cheng famously asked a booing audience if they did not have phones. This tone-deaf response to PC gamers expecting a mainline sequel became an instant meme. The game launched with predatory microtransactions that alienated core fans. It holds one of the lowest user scores in Metacritic history.

‘Evolve’ (2015)

The developers aggressively defended their confusing DLC strategy before the game even launched. They claimed the game was built from the ground up to support DLC modules. Gamers felt the game was sliced up to sell extra content and refused to buy it. The player base evaporated quickly and the game went free-to-play before shutting down.

‘Battleborn’ (2016)

Randy Pitchford engaged in Twitter fights with people who compared his game to competitors. He blocked critics and promoted a rivalry the game could not win. The game failed to gain traction and was completely overshadowed by other hero shooters. servers were eventually taken offline and the game is now unplayable.

‘The Culling 2’ (2018)

The developers ignored their community and released a sequel that nobody wanted. They completely changed the combat mechanics that made the first game popular. The game peaked at fewer than ten players on steam within hours of release. The studio pulled the game from sale one week later and apologized.

‘Towns’ (2012)

The developer abandoned the game in an unfinished state and blamed players for not buying enough copies. He claimed the sales did not justify further development despite promises made during the Greenlight campaign. The community felt scammed and the game remains broken to this day. This incident serves as an early warning about Early Access risks.

‘War Z: Infestation Survivor Stories’ (2012)

Producer Sergey Titov called players “campers” and insulted them on forums when they complained. He falsely advertised features on the Steam store page that did not exist. The game was removed from Steam temporarily due to misleading marketing. It eventually rebranded multiple times but never recovered its reputation.

‘Fez’ (2012)

Creator Phil Fish insulted the entire gaming community multiple times online. He famously told a gamer to kill himself and stated that modern gamers are the worst. He cancelled the sequel in a fit of rage after an argument on Twitter. He then left the industry entirely and the IP has remained dormant.

‘Apex Legends’ (2019)

Respawn developers called players “freeloaders” and “ass-hats” during a Reddit AMA. They were defending an event with expensive cosmetic items that upset the community. The insults caused a massive PR firestorm that overshadowed the event. The relationship between the devs and the subreddit remained toxic for years.

‘Fallout 76’ (2018)

Bethesda support told customers they were not planning to do anything about the canvas bag controversy. The marketing materials promised a high-quality bag that turned out to be cheap nylon. This dismissive attitude fueled the fire of an already disastrous technical launch. It took years of updates to regain any level of player trust.

‘Anthem’ (2019)

BioWare leadership ignored feedback during development and relied on “BioWare Magic” to fix things. They dismissed comparisons to other looter shooters and refused to learn from competitor mistakes. The game launched with little content and broken systems. Development was ceased entirely after a failed attempt to reboot the game.

‘Babylon’s Fall’ (2022)

PlatinumGames insisted they had no plans to reduce the scale of development despite zero player interest. They kept releasing updates for a game that had fewer than ten concurrent players. The game looked dated and played poorly compared to their other titles. Square Enix shut down the servers less than a year after launch.

‘Gollum’ (2023)

The publisher released an apology letter that was reportedly written by AI. Fans noticed the letter misspelled the name of the game itself. The game was a technical and design disaster that received universally poor reviews. The studio Daedalic Entertainment shut down its internal development division shortly after.

‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ (2024)

Developers doubled down on the live service elements despite fans wanting a single-player experience. They showed a lack of respect for the Arkham Batman character that enraged lore enthusiasts. The game fell short of sales expectations and resulted in a huge loss for Warner Bros. The player count dropped below older Batman games within weeks.

‘Skull and Bones’ (2024)

The CEO of Ubisoft called this pirate adventure a “AAAA” game to justify its seventy-dollar price tag. Players found the gameplay shallow and the endgame content lacking. The arrogant classification became a joke among reviewers and gamers. The game saw deep price cuts within weeks of release to try and retain players.

‘Redfall’ (2023)

Arkane Austin leadership ignored internal concerns about the shift to multiplayer. They released a game that lacked the immersive sim elements fans loved. Xbox executives admitted they were hands-off and let the team fail. The studio was closed by Microsoft a year later.

‘Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight’ (2010)

The developers removed base building and resource harvesting to chase trends. They ignored beta feedback from fans who hated the new mobile-style mechanics. The game was critically panned and sold poorly. This failure effectively killed the franchise for over a decade.

‘Dungeon Keeper Mobile’ (2014)

EA Mythic released a mobile version that was unplayable without spending money. They rigged the rating system to prevent players from giving it less than five stars. The senior producer dismissed the criticism as valid free-to-play mechanics. The game was widely mocked and is considered a mobile gaming low point.

‘Umbrella Corps’ (2016)

Capcom producers claimed this shooter was designed for competitive e-sports play. They ignored the fact that the Resident Evil fanbase wanted horror and not a generic shooter. The game launched with broken controls and terrible maps. It was dead on arrival and is often forgotten in the series history.

‘CrossfireX’ (2022)

The executive producer admitted they betrayed the trust of players after a disastrous launch. The game released with broken aim controls and missing content. Single-player campaigns developed by Remedy were also buggy and unfinished. The servers were shut down just over a year later.

‘Spacebase DF-9’ (2014)

Double Fine stopped funding development and released the unfinished code to the community. Tim Schafer defended the decision by saying they ran out of money. Fans felt cheated because the game was still in early alpha. The negative reception hurt the trust in their future crowdfunding campaigns.

‘Godus’ (2013)

Peter Molyneux overpromised features and then moved on to other projects. He blamed the players and the media for his reputation as a liar. The winner of the “God of Gods” contest never received his promised prize. The game remains in perpetual early access limbo on Steam.

‘Forspoken’ (2023)

The writing team and directors defended the dialogue that many players found cringe-worthy. They claimed the protagonist was realistic and complex despite the backlash. The game failed to sell enough to recoup its massive budget. The developer Luminous Productions was merged back into Square Enix and effectively dissolved.

‘Helldivers 2’ (2024)

Community managers and moderators on the official Discord antagonized players during the PSN account linking controversy. They told players to leave negative reviews if they were unhappy. The players followed these instructions and tanked the Steam rating to “Overwhelmingly Negative”. Sony eventually reversed the decision but the PR damage was significant.

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