10 Expensive Games That Nobody Asked For

Fans have always been loud about what they want or expect from a studio, yet, from time to time, we get games that no one asked for. Studios will throw a huge budget on experimental games that ultimately fail instead of delivering what fans have been asking for.

It’s a good thing to experiment, it’s what keeps the industry growing, but releasing half-baked games and not listening to any criticism on trailers or gameplay from fans shows how entitled studios have become.

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Games like Mindseye are proof that just throwing money on a project doesn’t tempt players to want it. Even after flashy trailers and a massive budget, the only thing players remember it for is how poorly made the game was and how no one wanted it in the first place. I hope that the cycle of unwanted games being released and ultimately failing stops with this one, and studios finally listen to what fans want.

10 Forspoken

Missing In Silence

Forspoken was supposed to be the next big game, but when it was showcased, the very first thing people noticed was the cringeworthy dialogue and humor that just didn’t hit.

With a budget of $100 million, I thought the gameplay might be able to overshadow its initial flaws, but instead, all I got was a poorly optimized game with a bland open world, uninspired quests, and a cringeworthy protagonist that made the game unbearable thanks to her constant chatter.

It’s sad to see the beautiful visuals and graphics of Forspoken go to waste due to Square Enix’s dull writing, which also justifies its 30% critic score.

9 Exoprimal

Capcom’s Tutti-Frutti Failure

Exoprimal tried to be Overwatch meets Jurassic Park and failed, and the backlash from fans was justifiable. All we asked for was a revival of Dino Crisis, which is why the trailers and gameplay of Exoprimal were not received well by the audience.

If the game was fun, maybe no one would’ve questioned it, but what we got instead was a 60-million-dollar-budget game with surprisingly boring gameplay, considering the premise of the game was good.

Due to its forgettable narrative, online only experience, bland progression, and repetitive missions, the game received a Critic rating of 31%. It clearly had an identity crisis, I don’t think even Capcom knew what to make and just mashed a bunch of games together and added microtransactions despite its 60-dollar price tag, which screams cash grab.

8 Knockout City

From Free Hit to Paid Disaster

The beta for Knockout City was unique and loved, but greed can kill a loved game, and make players not want it.

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Once launched, the game shifted from free to 20 dollars, a move that killed off the entire fanbase, and even with a budget of $30 Million, the game had lag problems, repetitive gameplay, and lack of content, there was no reason to play this over Fortnite, or Apex legends, which were still free and were updated every week.

The player count got so low, I remember queuing for over 22 minutes without finding a match, and with declining players, the game closed its servers just 2 years after release, its dropoff was so steep even OpenCritic didn’t bother updating their initial review.

7 Gotham Knights

Why Make Batmanless Batman?

The Gotham Knights trailer was met with backlash for its outdated visuals, sluggish combat, and had no involvement of Batman, making it a disappointing follow-up to the legendary series no one wanted.

Nothing changed when it was officially released, it still had dull combat, a lifeless Gotham, and a bad progression system. Batman was the reason behind the love for the other games in the series, not the Bat-family, which, even with 4 different characters, felt the same.

Despite its $70 million budget, the game had technical issues and no emotional weight at all. The story tried to gain attention without Batman and failed with a Critic score of 42%.

6 XDefiant

From CoD Killer to Commercial Suicide

For someone who grew up on fast-paced shooters, I really wanted to love XDefiant, but from its trailer to launch, there was nothing that could hype me up.

The game was said to be a “CoD-Killer,” but fans criticized its trailer and promotional gameplay for lacking flavor. There was nothing that would even hint at something that could take down great games like Call of Duty or Battlefield, no one wanted another generic shooter.

Once launched, the unbalanced gunplay, clunky hit registration, and matchmaking problems made its situation worse, the game could barely function, let alone be better than COD. The game got a 51% Critic score and was a letdown from the start.

5 Redfall

A Great Idea With Lazy Execution

It was obvious to me from Redfall’s trailers and promotional gameplay that the developers were too lazy to finish the game. It was highly criticised for its last-gen visuals and looked like early access footage rather than a finished game.

The vampire shooter idea was good, but even with a budget of $50 million, it was poorly executed, and the hate only escalated when the game was released with a lifeless world, tons of bugs, and AI enemies that just stood still.

You had to pay $60 for this awful experience, and of course, fans rant about it, which is why Microsoft pulled its plug a year after the launch with a 13% Critic Score.

4 The Quiet Man

Much Ado About Nothing

The concept of FMV games is unique, and I really loved what Quantum Break did with the genre, but The Quiet Man was far from good. Even the trailers were mocked for their awkward tone and confusing structure, no one could figure out what the game was even about.

I wonder what happened to the $10 million budget because the game had nothing to show for it and was just 3 hours of repetitive button mashing, confusing cutscenes, and jarring FMV transitions that killed any immersion the game built.

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Critics were right to call it unfinished and confusing, which also justifies its 3% Critic score.

3 Babylon’s Fall

I understand development can be hard, but how can a legendary team of devs like PlatinumGames mess up this badly with Babylon’s Fall?

From the very first reveal, the game was criticized for its muddy visuals and wonky animations. It looked like a PS3 game in 2022, and despite its rumored budget of 50 to 100 million, the game felt rushed when it finally came out. Endless running through lifeless corridors, 3-button combat, and being full of microtransactions obviously did not help with retaining a good player count.

With a critic score of 3% and closing its servers within a year of its release, it’s clear no one wanted it in the first place.

2 Concord

Sony’s Stillborn Project

From the first trailer to the final product, the fans made it clear they didn’t want Concord, it looked like a Guardians of the Galaxy knockoff off and I just couldn’t find one good thing that made it stand out.

After 6 to 8 years of development and an over $90 million budget, the game had nothing to show for it, the character designs were horribly unattractive, the gunplay was dull, and worst of all, it was 40 dollars, whereas better games like Overwatch were free.

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It launched on August 23, 2024, peaked at 700 players, and vanished within weeks with a 23% critics’ score. Maybe listen to the initial criticism next time?

1 Mindseye

Ex-Rockstar Does Not Mean GTA Quality

You guys remember the GTA 6 early development leaks? Believe me, they looked better than Mindseye in every way, and gamers saw through its facade long before the game was released.

Promotional videos looked unappealing and buggy, no one wanted a generic Saints Row/GTA clone, and I don’t understand why he even released the game in this state.

It had nothing going in its favor. The gunplay was horribly unsatisfying, the NPCs felt more robot than human, and there was no attention to detail at all, but that’s not all. The story was inconsistent and generic, and each encounter with enemies was filled with bugs.

It was received with a 6% Critic score, with a budget of $40 million, the only thing it succeeded in was letting fans down.

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