Talk:List of commercial failures in video games

Two new entries

Can't add at immediate time but the Embracer based reboots of Alone in the Dark and Outcast failed to meet expectations. per IGN — Masem (t) 17:01, 23 May 2024 (UTC)

Concord

Considering how the game is bombing spectacularly in its player count, I think it's safe to say it might have earned a spot on this list. Hawkatana (talk) 04:20, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

We have to wait for reliable sources to say that it failed. We can't just go off player counts. Masem (t) 04:27, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

Well, sources are now saying the game only sold 25K copies. Which for a competitive shooter is basically a death sentence. Especially as it would have only made about $1 Million, which is about 1% of the game's budget, never mind costs like distribution or advertising.

https://www.ign.com/articles/concord-is-estimated-to-have-sold-only-25000-units-heres-why-analysts-think-its-failing

https://gamerant.com/concord-sales-bad-copies-sold-report/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/30/concord-week-1-sub-200-steam-players-56th-in-playstation-sales/ Hawkatana (talk) 00:28, 1 September 2024 (UTC)

We should wait for the post mortems, there will be many I'm sure. Kraligor (talk) 14:19, 2 September 2024 (UTC)

Sony is delisting the game as of September 8th, 2024, which is unprecedented considering its short time on the market. I support its inclusion on this list for that reason, as well as the low player numbers and alleged low sales. Phin68 (talk) 16:37, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

[1] for reference, I will look to add with a few other sources later. — Masem (t) 17:20, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

We still do not know if this shut down is temporary or forever though. However, I still agree with its inclusion due to the low player counts and sales. Edelgardvonhresvelg (talk) 19:53, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

It might go free-to-play, but at the moment it is a commercial failure with maybe $1M in revenue that is being refunded against development costs of at least tens of millions. --Super Goku V (talk) 20:15, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Skylanders: Imaginators and Dustborn

Skylanders: Imaginators is the final game in the formerly annual release Skylanders series and only sold 66,000 copies in its first month along with the facts that later toy releases in 2017 only had one or two production runs with some that were never released such as Heartbreaker Buckshot, it is safe to put it on this list. As for Dustborn, is it safe to put it on this list due to the extremely low player counts of less than 100 players on Steam? Edelgardvonhresvelg (talk) 20:03, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

We cannot just by sale numbers or player counters. We need something more that asserts the game as a commercial failure. — Masem (t) 20:11, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

I found a source that states that Imaginators only sold 100,000 by February 2017. Skylanders franchise kept alive, but no new game this year • Eurogamer.net (archive.org)

However, this only accounts for the starterpacks and not any of the toys or expansions. In terms of asserting it as a failure, the Skylanders toys were later sold at extremely low prices at locations such as Toys r' us and GAME in hopes of getting rid of excess stock. Edelgardvonhresvelg (talk) 20:49, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

GAME.es - skylanders

$0.50 Skylander Figures at Toys R Us (reg. $15) - Couponing with Rachel Edelgardvonhresvelg (talk) 20:50, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Guitar Hero Live and various 2023 titles

Guitar Hero Live - The seventh and final mainline Guitar Hero game that released in 2015, later shutdown in 2018. Despite positive reviews, the game had underwhelming sales by Activision's standards. Many FreeStyleGames employees were laid off and the studio was later sold to Ubisoft in 2017.

Redfall - A first-person looter shooter with live service elements released in 2023. The game was universally panned due to game breaking bugs, live-service design, bad enemy AI, and various performance issues. Phil Spencer even apologised for how bad the game was at launch. All future free updates and the Hero DLC were canceled following the closure of Arkane Austin, the developers behind Redfall with refunds given to people who purchased the Hero DLC or Bite Back Edition. The game also has less than 100 players online in Steam.

Minecraft Legends - A real-time action-strategy game and spin-off of Minecraft released in 2023. Despite average reviews and having the Minecraft IP attached to it, the game sold poorly with many players refunding the game. The game also stopped receiving free updates and support in January 2024. Similar to Redfall, Legends has abysmal player counts.

The Day Before - An extraction shooter, formerly advertised as an MMO released in 2023 on Steam Early Access after years of anticipation and skepticism of its legitimacy. The game was universally panned, and the developers were accused of scamming due to trailers and promotional materiel differing greatly from the final product. According to Fntastic, the game failed financially, leading to their closure. All players were also refunded. Edelgardvonhresvelg (talk) 00:22, 7 September 2024 (UTC)

You need sources for all of these. The Day Before is already at the List of video games notable for negative reception. Redfall may likely go there too. GH Live likely wasn't a commercial failure, just didn't sell as well as they hoped. Similarly with Microsoft Legends. --Masem (t) 03:43, 7 September 2024 (UTC)