Video game developmentis a long and arduous process that requires a lot of funds and investment, especially forbig-budget AAA titlesthat can be absolutely nightmarish to develop at times. For the most part, these games get allocated the budget they need to realize their vision, although there have been several notable instances of games not getting the time or money they need to be truly great.
Related:Games Rumored To Be In Development Hell
Of course, the opposite is also true for games that have taken way too much to develop, more so than the initial projected costs. The following games are great examples of this, and the worst part is thatmost of these games didn’t meet expectations even after these substantial investments.
7Mighty No. 9
Kickstarter has been a great place for developers to crowd-fund amazing titles with gamers playing a more active role in ensuring that these passion projects see the light of day. However, there are times when these Kickstarter projects fail miserably despite having considerable backing, with no other example being more fitting than the tale ofMighty No. 9.
There was a time when gamers were ardently awaiting the release of a game that would technically bea spiritual successor to theMega Manseries. All these hopes were slowly chipped away over time with the game asking for more money while also getting delayed quite a bit. The final product was absolutely shambolic and showed just how much money the team wasted, with the gameplay being one of the worst ever seen in a 2D platformer.
6Duke Nukem Forever
It’s a shame that theDuke Nukemseries isn’t all that active anymore, and a big part of the blame goes toDuke Nukem Forever. Sure, most people would argue that the Duke’s persona might not be perceived well with a modern lens, butDuke Nukem Foreverkilled any chance this character had of changing his image.
The game was in development hell for years, with the money in this project pouring in and disappearing time and time again. Eventually,Duke Nukem Foreverwas finally released… only for it to look like a game that was made in the 2000s with humor from the early 90s. It was a colossal disappointment that has becomethe poster child for development hell in the industry… along with the next title on this list.
5Final Fantasy 15
TheFinal Fantasyseries has been through a rather rocky journey ever since the Square Enix merger. This was especially apparent during the development ofFinal Fantasy 15, whichtook almost a decade to developafter being rebranded and remade over and over again.
Related:The Best PlayStation Games That Barely Made Any Money
Hajima Tabata should definitely be given credit for salvaging the mess that Nomura left behind, scrapping together a decent if rather barebones JRPG where a lot of content just feels half-baked even after all the updates and expansions that have come out. For the amount of money and time that was put into the game, it obviously didn’t meet the hype… but players who manage to get themselves invested in this meticulously crafted universe can definitely find something to enjoy here.
4Killzone 2
There was a time when theKillzoneseries was beloved by many asone of the better FPS titles on the PlayStation consoles. It wasn’t the most groundbreaking title around, but the over-the-top gunfights and tense sequences made for a great time regardless.
Killzone 2was a game notorious for going over its budget during development. However, this additional investment was worth it, withKillzone 2being a massive improvement over its predecessor in every way.
3Too Human
Too Humanis one of the biggest failures in the gaming industry, which is a shame given how much time and effort was put into this ambitious title. The setting of this title was definitely quite interesting, combining facets of Norse mythology and sci-fi concepts to make for a truly unique and engaging world.
Related:Low-Budget Games That Made A Ton Of Money
It’s just a shame that everyone around it felt so barred and half-baked.Too Humanwasan expensive game that changed hands a lot, with the budget shooting up wildly as a result. Ultimately, all these funds led to a fundamentally broken game that has become nothing more than a relic of the past.
2Max Payne 3
After the first twoMax Paynegames were solid hits, Remedy Entertainment sold the rights of the franchise to Rockstar Games and let them add their own spin to the game. The end result was a game with a different soul of its own that wowed new fans and divided the opinions of older ones down the line.
The game suffered from numerous delays, withRockstar willing to splurge more cashto make the experience as refined as possible. While the gunplay of this title is definitely incredible, the changes to Max’s personality and the tone of the story were pretty divisive. Regardless,Max Payne 3is a fun entry in the series that fans would definitely like to play.
Dead Space 2is one of the best horror games of all time, even though it might prioritize action way more than its predecessor. However, the game’s development was anything but stable, with both developers and executives speaking out against the mismanagement of the game’s funds.
Developers felt that the budget allocated to them was too less, while executives stated later that the money for this game was handled pretty poorly. For what it’s worth,Dead Space 2’s quality didn’t suffer all that much… although it set the stage for the disaster that would await the third game.
More:Canceled Or Discontinued MMORPGs That Tried To Change The Genre (& Others That Are In Development)
