Oftentimes, when a new video game is released, whatever state it’s in (whether it’s good or bad) is the state the game will be left in. Some glitches may be fixed, and although this doesn’t apply to online and live service games, there are exceptions where a game launches in a bad state but then the developer takes the time to fix the game and deliver on what was originally promised.
The game that is likely to come to mind as an example is “No Man’s Sky.” “No Man’s Sky” promised to allow players to explore an endless number of planets and solar systems. Yet when the game launched, it had a severe lack of content. It had an incredibly repetitive gameplay loop of going to a new planet, collecting new resources and scanning new life. Besides that, there just wasn’t anything to do but then move on to the next planet.
However the developers, Hello Games, didn’t just accept defeat and move on to the next game. They began adding more content to flesh out the empty world. Hello Games added base building, vehicles titled “Excocrafts,” online multiplayer and much more. The game as of September 2023 is still receiving updates and even won best ongoing game at the Game Awards in 2020.
Another game known for launching in a pretty abysmal state is “Cyberpunk 2077.” While it didn’t have a problem with lack of content, it had an extreme amount of bugs and glitches. Even on the most powerful of PC’s (Personal Computer), it had a tough time running while playing the game. The “Xbox One” and “PS4” (Playstation 4) versions were completely unplayable with constant stuttering and crashing. This game had years of hype around it and was being developed by one of the most trusted studios out there, CD Projekt Red, so for the game to be unplayable for a number of people at launch was disappointing.
CD Projekt Red later went back and began improving “Cyberpunk 2077’s” performance and patching out glitches. Although the game could not reach the popularity it would have if it hadn’t launched in such a poor state. “Cyberpunk 2077’s” true savior ended up being the anime “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.” This show told a gripping 10 episode story set in the Cyberpunk world. It was not only a critical success, but actually got people interested in “Cyberpunk 2077” again. And with a new huge expansion for the game title “Phantom Liberty” launching on Sept. 26, 2023, the “Cyberpunk” brand is in a much better place than it was in 2020.
That being said, there are still many games that have bad launches and aren’t able to rebound like “Battlefield: 2042.” Games shouldn’t strive to come out in bad states then fix themselves. Many newer “Mario” sports games release without a whole lot of content then add more over time which is not a good design philosophy to have. However if for whatever reason, a game launches in a less than desirable state, it can be improved upon.
