Home Gaming Why are games broken at launch?

Why are games broken at launch?

3 min read
107

Fail to launch

We all like to moan and cry and get nostalgic about games. Why can’t they be like the old days, when they just worked and we didn’t have day one patches and life was so much better? Well, life wasn’t so much better, and games will probably be broken at launch for a long longer.

In the before times, games either worked or they didn’t. Many games ended up as absolute flops because of game breaking bugs that developers simply couldn’t fix after a game had launched. Of course, this put added pressure on game developers to get it right out of the box, and there were tons of games that were simply a joy to play. No need to patch, no need to add content, they were complete experiences and made us very happy.

Games now, however, are much more ambitious. The graphics are out of this world compared to what we used to play, with photo-realistic textures and facial expressions, as well as glorious voice acting and deep choices and mechanics. These make use of the improved processing power of the newer consoles and PCs, leading to games that are built to be the best we’ve ever played.

Sometimes, these games get it right. Although it feels a bit short, and let’s not even talk about the ending, you can get games like Shadow of Mordor. It had a minuscule day one patch, and then proceeded to blow us away with the Nemesis System. Unfortunately, it’s far easier to think of broken games – Assassin’s Creed Unity being the most glaring example recently. So how does this happen?

Going beyond release schedules and publishers pushing studios to get games out too soon, there is also a deeper problem. Development on these games started before the new consoles were even released. This means that much of the learning was taking place in a vacuum, where developers weren’t really sure what could or couldn’t be done, and it seems that they still aren’t quite sure of the hardwares’ limitations. But there’s also more.

Developers now know that they can fix problems after launch. No, they don’t want to ship a game with bugs, but the date a game goes gold is no longer the deadline to stop working on it. Developers can continue tinkering, fixing and working on the game, even after it is installed on players’ consoles. This has changed the fundamental relationship between developers and gamers. A game is no longer a flop if it doesn’t work perfectly at launch. Sure, it will take a serious knock, but gamers also have come to expect these problems, making pre-orders almost a thing of the past as they wait until the fixed version becomes available. Once it is fixed, gamers will admit that even previously broken games can still be fantastic – a fate that I hope Assassin’s Creed Unity will enjoy.

With so much more going into a game, studios simply don’t have the time, resources or maybe the inclination, to throughly stress test their games like they did in the past. Sure, it might mean that they ship a game with bugs, but those can all be fixed, right? Patches are just an accepted thing, like DLC or microtransactions. We might moan and complain, but eventually we still buy games that look good, even if doing so means that we’re supporting a game that required multiple fixes to get it right.

Perhaps as the console generation goes on, we will find that games release in better shape. However, we can’t expect that developers simply stop working on their products after they ship, and Day One patches are here to stay. Do you think your favorite upcoming game will be bug-free at launch, or can you accept that every piece of code will have issues and developers will be perpetually striving to make it right?

Last Updated: November 20, 2014

107 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief Wang

    November 20, 2014 at 14:35

    LOL that header

    Reply

    • Corrie

      November 20, 2014 at 14:49

      Took me a few seconds to realize what it was

      Reply

      • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

        November 20, 2014 at 15:21

        Sorry Captain, our rouge missile just hit a Bosnian school.
        We will patch it up later, just tell the press it housed weapons of mass destruction.

        Reply

        • Corrie

          November 20, 2014 at 15:29

          Don’t go GOAT MMO SIMULATOR on me,lol rouge, I will smite thee with my Microwave goat or at least I think it goes baaah?

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          November 20, 2014 at 15:47

          It did, kids ;P

          Reply

  2. ToshZA

    November 20, 2014 at 14:37

    My real question is – does this relationship make releasing a broken game right? Just because they CAN fix it, does that mean that they SHOULD wait until AFTER release to fix it?

    Things like releasing a multiplayer game with huge issues in lag and code – rendering the game unplayable – not ok. Releasing a game that was supposed to be the “next gen” in graphics where half the assets don’t load, and the game bugs out – ruins the experience.

    If this is the way companies want to treat us – they need to stop emphasising day 1 sales – and rather year 1. And attach a new label – first release – before – playable release. Otherwise they’re creating the expectation that on day 1 their game is going to blow your mind, and disappointing every time.

    Reply

    • HairyEwok

      November 20, 2014 at 15:03

      I wish we could let this guy smash his hammer on the games that’s being released now.

      Reply

    • Guild

      November 20, 2014 at 15:44

      I agree, they need new release labels on what level of completion the game is.

      Just saw on Twitter that Advanced Warfare is the biggest entertainment launch of 2014 reaching $10 Billion in sales so they successfully sold a multiplayer game with huge lag issues on the Xbox one and PC. Wonder how quick they would react if people started demanding a refund as Gavin said in yesterdays article.

      Reply

    • Ultima-X

      November 26, 2014 at 09:42

      Exactly. Never at one time has it benefited their companies reputation. Hell, it makes them look lazy too.

      Reply

  3. CrasH

    November 20, 2014 at 14:40

    It’s DRM, to me it seems that some bugs might exists, but if you take the size of “DAY ONE” patches… its no longer small fixes… So either the game is broken or unfinished, or is deliberate.

    I call BS, they pay people to test and most of the major bugs are found with very little effort.

    Reply

  4. Matewis Jubilai

    November 20, 2014 at 14:41

    The header reminds me of when I forgot to add structural supports in KSP:

    Reply

    • Ragnar The Vengeful

      November 20, 2014 at 15:26

      Nice one! Where is Jeb though? He’s the only Kerbal who’ll be able to “safely” land that beast.

      Reply

      • Matewis Jubilai

        November 20, 2014 at 15:35

        Can’t remember exactly, this was a while ago. I did have one kerbal stuck with no fuel in an orbit around the sun, and that might’ve been the audacious Jeb. In fact, it is possible that this rocket was the one meant to rescue the poor guy 😛

        Reply

        • Ragnar The Vengeful

          November 20, 2014 at 15:41

          Tell Jeb to get out and push!

          Pefect pic for a “broken at launch” article. This game was my first experience with an early access title and I really enjoy the frequent updates and tweaks.

          On a rocket design note, looks like you need MOOOAAAAR engines pointing down 😛

          Reply

          • Matewis Jubilai

            November 20, 2014 at 15:47

            It was my first early access game as well, and if it hadn’t been gifted to me then I probably would not have bought it, on account of it being early access. What a mistake that would’ve been!

            I’ve temporarily retired from the game, until I can get a pc powerful enough to build the really cool stuff. My laptop just couldn’t take the strain anymore and turned the game into a very beautiful powerpoint representation 😛

          • Ragnar The Vengeful

            November 21, 2014 at 12:00

            That’s my problem as well. I used kerbal alarm clock and had around seven missions going at the same time but each time I try to load on of those that I’m returning from Duna or sending to Eve the game crashed and when I try to load the spacecraft again it disappeared. Now I’m taking a break till I can afford a proper PC but with my new PS4 and a baby on the way it is nowhere near the top of my to-do list.

          • Skoobaz

            December 5, 2014 at 08:38

            …and MOAR BOOSTERS!

    • Skoobaz

      December 5, 2014 at 08:37

      Oh no, where’s Jeb??

      Reply

      • Matewis Jubilai

        December 5, 2014 at 08:46

        Back then? Stuck in an orbit around the sun I believe 😛

        Reply

        • Skoobaz

          December 5, 2014 at 08:48

          To the VAB, must plan a rescue mission!

          Reply

  5. Hammersteyn

    November 20, 2014 at 14:41

    No, they don’t want to ship a game with bugs, but they don’t care if it does because they can fix it later and there is nothing we can do about it.
    I’m just wondering how long it will take for publishers to want to be able to charge us to fix broken games they released. Yes it sounds audacious but I wouldn’t put it above them.

    Reply

  6. Rags

    November 20, 2014 at 14:42

    That’s fine. I don’t have a problem with fixing the game. What I do have a problem is, is day one patches, combined with pre order incentives and exclusives. Gamers should not be punished for not pre ordering a game that will probably be bug ridden with no guarantee that it will be fixed.

    I also get the sense that reviewers are starting to assume the game will be fixed and thus do not score them lower. In other words not acting as the protectors of consumers as they should be.

    Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 20, 2014 at 14:43

      I like this.

      Reply

    • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

      November 20, 2014 at 14:57

      This.

      Reply

      • Ragnar The Vengeful

        November 21, 2014 at 12:05

        THAT?

        Reply

    • CAE9872

      November 20, 2014 at 15:27

      Yip my issue exactly! I have heard and read more than enough to see that ALL the games media has started this trend of “we found x to be an issue but the developer said y patch is coming which sorts that issue out.”

      I am sorry but that isn’t good enough. Games media should be calling those things out AND marking the game down heavily. Your game DOES NOT work.

      Don’t tell me what I can have; tell me what I do have.

      And online-centric games should not be reviewed in this “perfect” scenario with LANs, etc. They should be reviewed just like their audience, us gamers, will be playing it.

      Reply

    • Cadis Etrama Di Umar

      November 21, 2014 at 07:13

      This is true, one reviewer I read for Dragon Age withheld its PS4 score until its fixed….sad state. Well said

      Reply

    • RinceThis

      November 21, 2014 at 08:27

      THIS

      Reply

  7. OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

    November 20, 2014 at 14:43

    Sure, Ill agree with you ZOE if these games were blowing my MIND with the crazy NEXT GEN production. Like the 7th gen did in its first year. PRE INTERNET.

    But they are not. They are just a little better than last gen and nowhere near The Last of Us Remastered quality.

    Its LAZY, time constraints. That is all. This trend of patches being over 1gig let alone 15gigs only started 2 months ago.

    I am surprised that Microsoft and SONY are allowing this on their machines because the poor level of standard from these 3rd party games are tarnishing the consoles image. ALSO, those massive patches are taking up HD space when that space could be used for purchases from their stores. When are they going to crack the whip?

    They cant even get 60fps/1080p right.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 20, 2014 at 14:46

      They will allow this on their machines because 1st party titles sells consoles. Look at the uproar with the next Tomb Raider sequel going to XBOX One.

      Reply

      • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

        November 20, 2014 at 14:51

        I think 1st party is going to be more important now than ever thanks to their huge budgets.

        If Uncharted 4 gets released with a 15gig day 1 patch I imagine a huge shit storm.

        Reply

    • Mongoose

      November 20, 2014 at 14:46

      Exactly. It started in the previous generation but it wasn’t this bad. It’s no problem having a patched released if the game was working at 98% but the games are broken at launch. Half the features are working. No this generation sucks big time!

      Reply

  8. OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

    November 20, 2014 at 14:45

    Never had a broken game before the Internet. The consumer watchdogs would not allow retail to sell defective products under the consumer rights protection act.

    A went GOLD because it was playable.

    Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 20, 2014 at 14:47

      I was about to say something along the same lines. I don’t remember ever purchasing a game for my NES, Sega Megadrive or PC (pre Half Life 2 – FUCK YOU VALVE!) that required a day one patch. Quake used patches to enhance the game after taking community feedback rather than “fix” what wasn’t broken.

      Reply

      • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

        November 20, 2014 at 14:54

        I spent 7 years on the XBOX 360 off-line. No problems at all and those games required massive technical expertise. DLC started rearing its ugly head and that was when the patch started becoming accepted by the gamers.

        Reply

        • Norman Pleasant

          November 20, 2014 at 14:56

          Now you mention it, that’s absolutely spot-on.

          Reply

        • Guild

          November 20, 2014 at 15:02

          Since when did patches become accepted by gamers? I don’t remember signing anything or saying I accept it. And at the rate games are going, they are really trying to force you to get internet or otherwise suffer a broken game.

          Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 20, 2014 at 15:02

          Same here, except with the superior console 😛

          Reply

          • Skyblue

            November 20, 2014 at 15:09

            This one?

            2 controllers in the box, instant start-up, no installing of games, multiplayer straight out the box, no day one patches, no patches ever in fact.

            :-p

          • Hammersteyn

            November 20, 2014 at 15:17

            hahaha yes!

          • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

            November 20, 2014 at 15:18

            less profits 😉

        • Rock789

          November 20, 2014 at 15:26

          Words of wisdom, my friend. Spot on!

          Reply

      • Ragnar The Vengeful

        November 21, 2014 at 12:11

        Half Life 2 you say? I say half truths!!!

        I kid, I kid! I did see patches though. The demo cd’s and dvd’s of gaming magazinescontained loads of patches and bug fixes.

        Reply

  9. Mongoose

    November 20, 2014 at 14:49

    The whole reason for consoles was plug in and play. Not updates, patches, broken games, more patches, less broken, need patches, just patches and little less broken games.

    Reply

    • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

      November 20, 2014 at 15:09

      The kids today all have internet. They are not bothered and they are the main target market. Our cries are a drop in the Ocean.

      Give it 30 years when the kids of today are pissed off about future gaming. In my day the patch was only 20gigs now you have to look at a Holographic Coca Cola projection while your 3tb 20 minute patch is downloaded to your stupid Oculas Facebook.

      Reply

      • Rock789

        November 20, 2014 at 15:27

        Hahahaha! 🙂 And, sadly, I can SO see this happening in the future!!

        Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 20, 2014 at 15:30

        What’s a book? :/

        Reply

      • bob

        December 13, 2014 at 18:26

        Oh, it’ll happen. Not until the customers bent over and took the gaming industries fist up their asses with a polite, “thank you, another please” did this trend of piss-poor releases start getting ridiculous. If anyone thinks it’ll get better without the customers doing something (read: not being stupid with your money) then you’re a fool. The gaming industry found a nice little niche where they could screw the customers and still having them coming back.

        Reply

  10. Norman Pleasant

    November 20, 2014 at 14:51

    A lot of these just sound like excuses to me. Just because devs can release an unfinished, untested and unpolished product (can you tell I’m an original purchaser of Rome II?) that doesn’t mean they should.

    No amount of rationalisation can change the fact that gamers are consumers too, and they have certain rights. One of those rights is to pay full price for a game without having to quality test it too.

    Unless devs want to start paying us or lowering their prices to do the job for them?

    Reply

  11. Admiral Chief Wang

    November 20, 2014 at 14:52

    I’d lose my shit if I pre-ordered a new car and on day one the car did NOT work.

    OR pre-order a pizza and then the damn thing is still not ready.

    OR pre order some clothing and the sleeves fell off.

    OR OR OR (the list goes on)

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      November 20, 2014 at 14:53

      agree! not saying it’s right, just saying this is what has happened/changed in the industry. makes me sad 🙁

      Reply

    • Viking Of Divinity

      November 20, 2014 at 14:53

      Or Going to the movies, and some of the Visual Effects are missing for the first week of the box-office run.

      Reply

      • OV..v00.2 20gig patch required

        November 20, 2014 at 14:59

        need 3d glasses

        Reply

        • Skyblue

          November 20, 2014 at 15:02

          Don’t go to Ster Kinekor, this actually happened to us (refresh)

          So they ruin your afternoon, have no 2D option and apologise for any “inconvenience” – never been back.

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 20, 2014 at 15:13

            No 2D No Watchee. 3D movies give me a head ache.

          • HairyEwok

            November 20, 2014 at 15:14

            Reading Adult 3D glasses out of stock makes it look like it’s you were going to watch a porno.

          • Sir Rants A Lot is a DADDY

            November 20, 2014 at 15:36

            #BOWCHIKIWOWOW

      • Corrie

        November 20, 2014 at 15:01

        Have you seen what system those projectors are running? windows XP , was surprised to see that last year when the XP logo was jumping around the screen

        Reply

    • Norman Pleasant

      November 20, 2014 at 14:54

      Or if my new crotchless undies come with gusset still present.

      Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 20, 2014 at 14:55

      Or have a movie company knock on your door and remove half the soundtrack to a movie in your blu-ray collection because they never licensed the music properly, cheers Rockstar.

      Reply

      • Guild

        November 20, 2014 at 14:58

        Reminds me of the other night. Recorded Red 2 on the PVR to watch later. Started it up and all voice had been removed with only background noises, music and sound effects. Obviously it was a mistake from DSTV and re-recorded it fine but great example.

        Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 20, 2014 at 14:56

      Maybe stop using the Oculus Rift if it gives you so many problems? 😉

      Reply

    • Corrie

      November 20, 2014 at 14:57

      Oh the Pizza issue happens most of the time with restaurant starting with a D (they shall not be named)

      Reply

  12. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 20, 2014 at 14:53

    I don’t expect games to be perfect or not have strange quirks that only get spotted later. I’m quite well aware they’re just getting more & more complicated, which leads to more funky stuff. I’ve encountered my fair share of bugs & had tons of clipping & falling through maps over the years – as long as it’s not a regular thing I carry on my merry way. What I do expect is for a game to be completely playable to completion once it’s released. Without any patches, and without crashing every 5 minutes. I also expect that issues shouldn’t be wide-spread and affect a large number of players, and that when issues are identified they’re fixed within a reasonable time. That’s not unreasonable.

    Reply

    • CAE9872

      November 20, 2014 at 15:32

      Agreed

      Reply

  13. Uberutang

    November 20, 2014 at 14:54

    I can maybe understand some games having some issues on PC. Wide array of hardware and all that.
    But consoles are a very known system. There are no surprises or weird combos of components.

    Reply

  14. Sir Rants A Lot is a DADDY

    November 20, 2014 at 14:54

    I’m sorry Zoe, but I simply cannot agree. Yes, devs shouldn’t just stop working once Gold Date has been reached. But the fact is Gold Date should only be a thing once the game is in an acceptable state.

    Bugs happen. We accept this. But when a game launches completely broken (Such as AC:unity) then it leaves a very sour taste in everyone’s mouth and that game was never, ever ready to go gold. It means they made the game gold while they KNEW there were game breaking bugs.

    Odd bugs here and there are ok. We accept that. But bugs that prevent you from playing completely? I’m sorry. One cannot defend that and say they can simply fix it after launch.

    When you have paid R600+ for a game you expect it to work. You don’t pay for a movie only to be told halfway through to come back in a month to watch the other half as the other half wasn’t quite finished once it was released to the public. So why should it be ok for gaming?

    I don’t think anyone is asking for a game to come out 100% perfect. In my mind as a gamer I can’t remember a single game I’ve ever played that has been without bugs. But back in the day there WAS pressure for devs to get it right as patches after launch was difficult to distribute. It WAS a motivation for them to release the game as polished and smooth as possible. It WAS a motivation for proper QA and stress testing.

    There is no excuse in todays day and age not to test properly. None at all. Are games more complex? Sure. Are they more detailed? Absolutely. Are games so advanced that people can’t QA? Absolutely no. Most bugs are so glaring it would take a QA tester 5 minutes to see.

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      November 20, 2014 at 14:56

      i absolutely agree. I’m not saying it’s right, i’m just saying that this is the new status quo. Day One patches aren’t going anywhere because they know that they can fix their mistakes. it changes their approach, even if we rant and rave against it. must like DLC – they know that they can give us more content later on down the line, and even make us pay for it.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants A Lot is a DADDY

        November 20, 2014 at 14:58

        Ah ok I see what you mean. Reading your article with that thought in mind changes the way I read it.

        I see exactly what you are saying. I still don’t think we should take it lightly though. Somewhere, something’s has to give and I think complacency from the gamer’s side will just make the situation worse. We must fight this! RAWWWR.

        But yeah, what you say is true. It’s here to stay for the foreseeable future and there’s not much anyone can do about it right now 🙁

        Reply

        • CAE9872

          November 20, 2014 at 15:37

          THIS!!! If WE gamers keep turning a blind eye, nothing changes. The ONLY way is for everyone to hold off on that publishers next game, cancel their pre-orders, and play the wait and see game. I am not saying don’t buy the game. But just wait a week or two (even longer), let the lay of the land settle and then take the plunge. If Mr/Ms Publisher releases a mostly workable game with few major issues, cool. If not, I am not being your test chamber!

          And this works especially now when all major players want to meet deadlines. You show me you can release a game I can play DAY ONE without major hiccups and I will maybe buy your game. If not – f**k off.

          Reply

      • Spathi

        November 20, 2014 at 14:58

        Typical Apple Hipster. Refuses to write “i” in caps 😉

        Reply

        • Mongoose

          November 20, 2014 at 15:04

          Lol

          Reply

        • MakeItLegal

          November 20, 2014 at 15:47

          Ha ha you got me

          Reply

    • Ragnar The Vengeful

      November 21, 2014 at 12:23

      I agree that we should bite the pillow and take it like a man. I have payed for less than half a movie several times before though. When paying for the hobbit you get 33% of the movie! The hunger games Mocking Jay PART 1, I mean seriously? Why not make a full movie for a change? Milking the consumers, your fans, should be a crime punishable by public executions.

      Congrats with the little one. 😛

      Reply

  15. Corrie

    November 20, 2014 at 14:55

    I could be wrong but I see it as during design, programming,modeling,texturing etc they don’t have time to fix any bugs or thoroughly test it and the only way they can fix it is once the game has gone gold so it leaves a half finished game being burned or shipped and only with a patch does it make it whole, but sadly thats the problem the oh we’ll get to it at the end instead of 100% satisfaction , I blame more on the publisher than the developer

    Reply

    • Guild

      November 20, 2014 at 15:06

      I agree. Publisher is the one pushing and counting their pre-order money and potential profits before allowing developers to finish games. I prefer when a developer takes a step back and delays the release of their game to fix it properly and screws the publisher.

      Reply

      • Corrie

        November 20, 2014 at 15:25

        I also still feel that some of those more famous developers gain a ego during the years and yeah they do what they want to

        Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 20, 2014 at 15:33

      Yes, I have sympathy for the devs – none for the publishers.

      Reply

      • Corrie

        November 20, 2014 at 15:44

        That is why I love indie games, you get to see more dev, less Publisher PR

        Reply

  16. Guild

    November 20, 2014 at 14:55

    Tired of patches. My PS4 spends more time updating than being played at the moment. I think it’s a lazy excuse from developers not finishing the game and the production companies pushing it out the door for profits with the mindset of we’ll fix it later. They should postpone launch like some of the other titles have done and fix their fcuk ups properly before releasing.

    Reply

  17. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 20, 2014 at 14:59

    Of course we’re all forgetting we’re not buying our games anymore, we’re licensing/renting them. It’s a service now. That’s why they can get away with selling defective products, because they’re not selling them. Gotta love changing definitions.

    Reply

  18. zombifiedking

    November 20, 2014 at 15:12

    A day will come when the developers will start to charge us lovely gamers, who have graciously put up with their shite, for day one patches and such… And when that sad sad day comes I will be joining the hermit lifestyle because faith in humanity will be lost.

    Reply

  19. Rock789

    November 20, 2014 at 15:23

    I think gamers vote with their wallets – if a game franchise is being bought, day 1, bugs-and-all, on a consistent basis (like, for example, Assassin’s Creed: Unity and TESO), then the developers know that, regardless of the state of the game and as long as it’s not 100% broken, fans are still gonna support them and buy the merchandise initially… So, maybe, they ‘relax’ a little about it – “Well, if there’s an issue, we’ll fix it down the line.” Keeping those same fans is another story entirely.

    New games struggle in this regard sometimes (again, depending on the developer and the fan base they have) – the fan base for the franchise doesn’t exist yet, so if the game has issues at launch, a lot of potential customers are turned-off of it and walk away (eg. DriveClub).

    I definitely don’t agree with the whole “Day 1” and “update-it-till-it’s-blue-in-the-face” policy… I understand that issues happen. But some of these ‘issues’ REALLY shoulda been picked up if any form of beta testing was done at all. There’s a difference between “Here, have a Day 1 patch for all the stuff we couldn’t complete in time for shipping – enjoy the extra fun” and “Here, have a Day 1 this-will-fix-all-the-broken-messes-within-the-game-so-you-can-have-fun”.

    Reply

    • CAE9872

      November 20, 2014 at 15:39

      100%

      Reply

  20. MakeItLegal

    November 20, 2014 at 15:26

    @zoe

    Where is the unity review

    Ok , my personal experience with unity has been fantastic besides a glitch with uplay and my cloud saves I ve had the same “experience ” as the first AC , that feeling like u on then leading edge of technology

    I don’t care for story , I care for when I can create my own story , witch the co op does and so doesn he open ended mission structure

    Reply

  21. CAE9872

    November 20, 2014 at 15:38

    Because the major publishers have (a) gotten greedy and (b) forgot who their customers are and who put them there in the 1st place.

    Reply

  22. Frost

    November 20, 2014 at 15:39

    That’s fine – but then don’t be angry at me if I then wait for a Steam sale before getting a working game.

    Reply

    • ToshZA

      November 20, 2014 at 15:39

      This.

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 20, 2014 at 15:43

      Yeah, I’d much rather download year two than day one.

      Reply

  23. Ross Woofels Mason

    November 20, 2014 at 15:50

    The patching afterwards is something that lead to the PC gaming community taking a major knock against consoles because they could be patched. The fact is now no-one has an alternative to turn towards because consoles are more ridden with it these days than pc exclusive games.

    Personally I have nothing against them fixing the game after launch, but in all honesty the level of how buggy the releases are getting is ridiculous. If you cannot handle what you are doing because you are being to ambitious than learn your fecking lesson and the next game do what you know you can handle.

    Developers these days make promises to high heavens they struggle to live up too, personally I would rather they made things they knew they were capable of and polished the ever loving hell out of it, instead of going for broke all the time.

    Reply

  24. Wyzak

    November 20, 2014 at 15:51

    Games are also multi-million dollar projects these days, with thousands of people working on them at once. Even with the best quality control there will be bugs in them.

    Reply

  25. Mark Vincer

    November 20, 2014 at 16:02

    First day patch: Take cartridge out, blow in it, reinsert.

    Reply

    • Aries

      November 20, 2014 at 16:27

      Or on the PS1 and PS2, polish that scratch out

      Reply

  26. You are to blame.

    November 20, 2014 at 17:04

    Game development is no longer about studios making games that they love. The gaming industry is only about money.

    You ask why games are broken at launch. The simple answer is, development costs. The gaming industry is trying to turn game development into a 2 or 3 year cycle. Studios over hiring to try and pump out a game in 2 – 3 years. Thousands of people working on a title and once game goes gold, people are fired to save costs.

    The way the gaming industry is setup now is marketing. So much money gets put into marketing. The gaming industry is run by people in sales and marketing, not people who cares about the games. At times the marketing budget is more than development costs. The gaming industry is setup to get people to buy games on launch day. And if good games don’t sell well during launch week, it’s deemed a failure.

    DRM is then used to only have certain types of people (internet people) buying games. That means that it would be easier for them to update the game day 1. If a game is released broken they can get sued if people can’t update the game, hence DRM.

    If you don’t want broken games at launch, stop buying EA, Ubisoft, Activision, Blizzard, games. Only support the smaller studios and the DRM-free publishers. Do you think The Witcher 3 is going to be released broken at launch. No it won’t because they care and there is no DRM. The game has to be near prefect when it goes gold.

    If you are buying EA games, Ubisoft games, Activision games, Blizzard games, then you are to be blamed for the state the gaming industry is in. YOU are to blame.

    Reply

  27. Galbedir

    November 20, 2014 at 17:06

    This is the reason why I don’t preorder games anymore. Why would I preorder when I know the games going to be buggy as hell, and also they have already advertised 4 DLC packs im going to have to pay for. Makes sense to just wait for the GOTY edition with DLC included?…The gaming industry is messed up maaaaan.

    Reply

  28. Mark Treloar

    November 20, 2014 at 17:43

    “Development on these games started before the new consoles were even released. This means that much of the learning was taking place in a vacuum” I read this then thought, so whats the excuse for the PC version being porked?

    Reply

  29. Gerard Matthews

    November 20, 2014 at 19:55

    Patches to fix the game are fine in my book. Because the entire point I bought the game was so that I could enjoy my purchase.

    However if I am going to be asked to lay out approximately R500 of my hard earned money I expect the game to be playable and mostly bug free. I would not go out and buy a pair of earphones that occasionally only put out sound in one earpiece.

    That would be unacceptable and we should be applying that same logic to our game purchases. We are purchasing a product here and so there is a certain amount of responsibility game developers must accept.

    I have huge respect for companies that stand up and say, “Wait a minute, we are delaying this game. We don’t believe it is of the quality our fans deserve so we are taking some more time”. Much rather that than just release it anyway and then manipulate review embargos and marketing to sell more.

    Sure if the gameplay turns out not to suite our gameplay style I can accept that. However if the game actually fails to operate in the manner it was intended to or I literally cannot play it due to some huge game breaking bug it’s simply not good enough.

    There are companies that have done the right thing and stepped up to rectify the need for more time and they have my loyalty. CD Prokect Red and Rockstar are two companies that I know do this.

    We need to start showing publishers that broken games are no longer something we are willing to put up with and it starts by not pre-ordering until the reviews have come out. Although now you cannot really trust reviews because somehow a bad review nowadays is just below 8/10 (wish I had gone my whole school career getting those kind of results).

    Sure games are more ambitious than ever before but game developers are more talented than ever before. In software there are three things you need to balance, resources, expense and features. I believe that publishers and developers have all the tools they need, they just need to realise that balancing those three things is still important.

    We are not mindless animals just lapping up every drop of your bug ridden slop that you dain to drop into our troughs; we have a voice and one day the gamers will be heard!

    Right so where is my credit card I need to go pre-order GTA V for PC 😉

    Reply

  30. RK

    November 20, 2014 at 22:02

    They want it to be broken because they want to statistically, calculate and monitor who is pirating their software.

    Reply

  31. JKay6969

    November 20, 2014 at 22:45

    and games will probably be broken at launch for a long longer.

    Ok Grammar Nazi, Slap yourself across the face with a black leather glove, fix the typo and move on 🙂

    Reply

  32. Divine Retribution

    November 21, 2014 at 06:14

    This type of mentality is what has made console gaming a joke over the past few years. Not only did they release consoles that are extremely outdated and already having to have corners cut in every game but games are being released half-assed, broken, lazy &missing tons of content. Fatures are being held out as pre order bonuses or as DLC and to top it off they expect you to pay numerous subscription fees and pay walls because they know that you will support it.

    iif you support any of this stuff now you have no right to complain because you had an entire generation last gen to decide whether or not you were going to keep supporting these lazy half ass greedy companies or if you were going to force them to stop taking advantage of you.

    Reply

  33. Charl van der Merwe

    November 21, 2014 at 08:30

    Its Publishers, they have become too powerful and force the release of unfinished games.The likes of EA and Ubisoft are in it for the money, quarterly profit margins, bla bla.

    Developers or being held hostage by powerful publishers and it needs to stop.

    Reply

  34. Ray Watson

    November 21, 2014 at 11:02

    The problem is not the devs. The problem is the publishers. They limit devs to certain cut off dates whether or not bugs are still in the game. They also decide if money should be spent on developing patches. See it like this – Company 1 contracts Company 2 to develop a car by a certain cut off date. Close to that cut off date 1 asks 2 how far is development and 2 responds 89%. 1 decides that they are happy with 89% and asks 2 to finish up the last few things and start duplicating the car. 1 then spends billions of dollars marketing the car. Us the consumer, are so eager to get the car that company 1 feels like a boss. So eventually the car is out and we all buy it , soon after we realize damn this car is only 89% finished and we are not happy – so who go online and complain about the laziness of company 2. 1 smiles all the way to the bank and hardly takes any criticism. Other times the car is around 50% finished and we as consumers make such a fuss that 1 contracts 2 to create a patch to fix the car. 2 still gets criticism because the consumer feel they were lazy in creating the car even tho company 1 forced company 2 contractually to stop development at a certain date. The worst kind is when company 1 and 2 are actually the same company and that creates a “Unity” situation.

    Reply

  35. Stopbitchingandjustplay

    June 24, 2015 at 22:38

    For those who bitch about first day patches, why not wait a few weeks to purchase the game? Then you don’t have to deal with the glitches that -inevitably- happen with most new releases.

    Reply

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