What Developers Wish They Did Differently
Success in game development depends on more than ideas or innovation. Sometimes, it comes down to decisions. Also, failed moments can leave lasting effects on projects, reputations, and entire studios. Sure, some poor choices fade, but others remain painful reminders of what could have been. Here, we highlight 20 devastating mistakes that continue to haunt gamers and developers alike.
MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA – Official Launch Trailer by Mass Effect
1. Rushing A Game For Holiday Release
Cyberpunk 2077 launched in December 2020 to catch the holiday rush, but it barely held together. Players dealt with nonstop crashes and bizarre bugs, leading to Sony removing it and issuing refunds. The backlash also damaged consumer trust and delayed the next-gen patch by months.
Cyberpunk 2077 — Official Launch Trailer — V by Cyberpunk 2077
2. Alienating The Franchise’s Core Audience
Loyal players expect familiar foundations. In XCOM: Enforcer, the shift to a mindless action format abandoned the strategy game fans loved. The game barely resembled earlier entries, and its departure from what defined the series left its audience feeling completely disconnected.
X-COM: Enforcer (2001) - PC Gameplay / Win 10 by FirstPlays HD
3. Focusing On Graphics Over Gameplay
While The Order: 1886 impressed with its visuals, the gameplay felt unfinished and lacked originality. It lasted just about five hours and left players unsatisfied. Reviewers even called it an interactive movie, and poor sales ended any plans for a sequel.
The Order: 1886 (PS5) 4K HDR Gameplay - (Full Game) by FA GAMEZ
4. Abusing Early Access To Mask Incompletion
Some games linger in development too long. DayZ remained in Early Access for over five years while fans waited for features that never arrived. As development dragged on, players lost patience, and the community that once rallied around it faded.
DayZ - Official Cinematic Trailer by GameSpot Trailers
5. Ignoring Fan Feedback
When Blizzard revealed Diablo Immortal as mobile-only, fans were furious. A now-infamous “Don’t you guys have phones?” response made things worse. The studio completely misread its PC fanbase, and the backlash hammered Blizzard’s reputation as well as its stock.
The Immoral Design of Diablo Immortal by Josh Strife Hayes
6. Failing To Optimize For PC
Batman: Arkham Knight ran so poorly on PCs that it was pulled from Steam, while The Last of Us Part I struggled with crashes and memory leaks. These launches show how skipping proper PC testing and outsourcing PC versions can lead to lasting regret.
Batman Arkham Knight - RTX 3080 Ultra Graphics Gameplay [4K 60FPS] by The Gameverse
7. Overcommitting To Multi-Platform Releases
Making a game for too many platforms can backfire. With Mighty No. 9, developers promised support across more than ten systems. But then delays piled up, and some versions were even scrapped. Finally, the product failed to meet expectations, especially for its earliest backers.
8. Skipping Thorough Playtesting
An unnoticed typo and skipped playtesting in Aliens: Colonial Marines completely ruined the experience. Enemies acted unpredictably, and gameplay collapsed under the weight of technical flaws. It wasn’t the developers who fixed it either—it was a fan modder with a patch.
ALIENS COLONIAL MARINES Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME (4K 60FPS) No Commentary by Shirrako
9. Overloading Games With Microtransactions
In Star Wars Battlefront II, unlocking iconic characters meant grinding endlessly and paying on top of that. When EA defended this on Reddit, it became the most downvoted comment ever. The outrage spread fast and even led to government scrutiny over loot boxes.
Star Wars Battlefront II: Official Gameplay Trailer by EA Star Wars
10. Abandoning A Game Shortly After Release
Some games never recover from a rocky launch. After shipping with bugs and missing content, Anthem received minimal updates. Although BioWare promised a rework, it never came. Eventually, EA withdrew long-term support, and the game quietly vanished from conversations.
Anthem Launch Trailer by Anthem Game
11. Overscoping The Project Beyond Resources
With Too Human, the vision kept shifting—new engines, new platforms, endless changes. And over the years, lawsuits piled up and delays dragged the development. By the time it launched, it couldn’t meet expectations, and legal trouble eventually got it pulled from stores entirely.
Too Human Full Playthrough by Gamerworf
12. Releasing Without Accessibility Features
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl overlooked key accessibility options, leaving many players excluded. It upset a chunk of its community. In contrast, The Last of Us Part II set a new benchmark with over 60 highly customizable and disability-friendly features.
Everything Wrong with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl by MandJTV
13. Losing The Original Game Source Code
Without proper archival, even beloved titles become hard to preserve. Kingdom Hearts lost its original source code, which forced developers to rebuild it from physical copies. The delay became a cautionary tale for studios that neglect long-term data storage.
Kingdom Hearts 1 HD - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 - Prologue (PS4 PRO) KH 1.5 + 2.5 by Shirrako
14. Forcing Always-Online DRM At Launch
When SimCity (2013) launched, players couldn’t access the game due to overwhelmed servers. EA insisted it wasn’t DRM, but the denial only increased frustration. Although fixes eventually arrived, the damage was already done, and the game’s reputation never truly recovered.
I Played SimCity 2013 in 2023 by Crossing Minute
15. Cutting Corners On AI Programming
When players entered stealth in Thief (2014), they expected smart enemies. Instead, they got guards who stood idle and ignored player activity. It was a result of broken AI, and it removed all of the tense and strategic moments in the gameplay.
Thief - Gameplay Trailer by GameSpot
16. Failing To Evolve A Game Series
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 clung to a dated formula that no longer worked. Its clunky gameplay and rushed design felt out of place on modern consoles. Instead of reviving the series, it stalled momentum and left the franchise dormant for years.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 Review by IGN
17. Misleading Players With Trailers
Watch Dogs showcased stunning visuals in early trailers, but the final release looked noticeably downgraded. Hidden PC files later revealed that those effects were deliberately disabled. Ubisoft’s decision to prioritize visual parity across platforms backfired, and it damaged their credibility.
Watch Dogs: Launch Trailer by Ubisoft Canada
18. Designing Around Loot Instead Of Narrative
When gameplay revolves around grinding, the story often suffers. That was the case with Marvel’s Avengers, where repetitive missions and locked characters took the spotlight. Major heroes sat behind paywalls, and the lack of meaningful arcs left the experience feeling empty.
19. Launching With Poor User Interfaces
Mass Effect: Andromeda frustrated players before the action even started. Its menus were cluttered, its HUD clunky, and navigation unintuitive. Combined with awkward facial animations, the interface became a punchline—and a clear reminder of how rushed UI design can backfire.
MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA – Official Launch Trailer by Mass Effect
20. Releasing A Game Incomplete To Avoid Delay
No Man’s Sky hit shelves missing major features, which led to lawsuits and refund requests. Silence from the developers only deepened the fallout. Eventually, Hello Games responded with updates, slowly changing the game into something closer to what had been promised.
No Man's Sky in 2025 Is A COMPLETELY Different Game by gameranx
