For aspiring developers, the thought of failing on your debut is obviously terrifying. But mistakes can also forge greatness, and some of the most well-known developers today started their journey with a flop. It’s inspiring to see them hit a home run after improving, adapting, and never giving up.
I am glad these developers didn’t stop when their first games were review-bombed and ridiculed, because if they had, we wouldn’t be able to play games likeHorizon Zero DawnorThe Last of Us, which have shaped the gaming industry with their unique ideas, cinematic storytelling, and creativity.
Ironically, these were the same elements missing from their debuts.These developers listened to the feedback, honed their skills, and went on to deliver us games that would redefine the medium for years to follow.
10Operation: Desert Storm
Bungie listsGnop!as its first game, but in reality, it was just a solo passion project from Alex Seropian when he was a student. At the time, Bungie was not a studio.
When the studio formed,their debut, Operation: Desert Storm, only sold 2500 copies, largely because of the game’s niche appeal and the not-so-bright idea of only releasing the game for Macintosh.But even if it were presented to a larger audience, the clunky controls, poor hitboxes, and difficulty spikes would’ve turned away what few top-down tank combat fans there were at the time.
This, of course, didn’t stopBungiefrom evolving and improving to the point that it gave us the Halo Franchise, which is one of the best games you could play today.
9Homefront: The Revolution
Dambuster Studios
Homefront: The Revolution
Released in 2016,Homefront: The Revolutioncould’ve been the perfect debut for Dambuster Studios if only it had been engaging.
It was a first-person shooter plagued with bugs, dumb AI that walked into walls, and the controls were awkward for some platforms.
Furthermore, the game had tons of audio and frame issues. Technical issues aside, the game’s story was predictable, and although it was executed perfectly, it just couldn’t get the player engaged due to repetitive missions and unpolished gameplay,which is why it received a disgusting critic score of only 4%.
The studio did not stop with this failure. Unlike most of the industry, they actually listened to feedback and went on to makeDead Island 2, which received the best action game award in 2023.
8Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3
Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3
Ion Storm’s 1998 debut of Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, a real-time strategy game, drew far more scorn than praise.
Presentation over gameplay, outdated graphics, and poor AI are just some of the reasons behind the game’s poor sales. In four months, the game had only sold 14,000 units, which obviously wasn’t enough to cover their $3 million development cost.
The situation with the game was so bad that, at E3 1996, the game was showcased by having staff pretend to play pre-rendered footage, because the game wasn’t even ready for promotional gameplay.This destroyed the reputation before the game could even reach the shelves.
The developers did later deliver Deus Ex, which is one of the best first-person shooters I’ve played.
7White Men Can’t Jump
High Voltage
White Men Can’t Jump
In 1993, NBA JAM proved there was an audience for fast-paced basketball games, which may be the reason behind High Voltage choosing to debut with White Men Can’t Jump, a game based on the famous comedy basketball movie of the same name.
Though the name is the only connection the game has with the movie, no characters from the movie appear in the game, but that’s not why it flopped. It’sbecause of its sluggish controls, stiff gameplay, no distinctiveness between characters, and choppy, low-res graphics that made fans choose NBA JAM over this, resulting in negative reception from most critics.
It’s insane to think the same studio went on to contribute to Fortnite Save The World, Mortal Kombat X, and even Saints Row.
6Brataccas
Psygnosis’s 1985 debut, Brataccas, was an ambitious sci-fi attempt that might’ve been a hit if not for its overly complex controls and clunky design.
It was widely criticized for its frustratingly unresponsive controls; even slight movement with the mouse could trigger movement, causing the character to constantly run into walls.
Another major issue with players was the sluggish gameplay, which would occur due to lag when multiple characters were present, andthis was not just a problem with a few players; almost everyone who played reported the same issues.
Although the game had great graphics and a story, they were overshadowed by the controls, which is why it received a mixed to negative reception. However, Psygnosis learned from its missteps and later went on to develop the fan-favourite series, Wipeout.
5Kung Fu Chaos
Ninja Theory
Kung Fu Chaos
The concept of a party brawler with whimsical levels was promising, and the 2003 Ninja Theory Debut, Kung Fu Chaos, captured that spirit, but failed in execution.
Players would just button mash due to the slow controls, simplistic combat, and poor collision detection. The comedy that could’ve been the saving grace was criticized for being cringeworthy rather than laughable, and thecultural stereotypes that the game portrayed were more controversial than comedic.
Coupled with almost no marketing from Microsoft, the game was destined to fail, hence its negative reception.
According to the developers, Microsoft sent the game out to die by sending unfinished game copies to reviewers, but I am glad this move didn’t shut down the studio,which later went on to make Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
4Miner Speed
Not all games need to be on a retro console to fail, even mobile games can flop big time, like King’s 2013 debut, Miner Speed.
It’s a simple case of being overshadowed by the better game, which in this case was Bejeweled Blitz. Miner Speed failed to present anything that would make it stand out, andthere was simply no reason to play this instead of Bejeweled Blitz. Furthermore, the game had some technical issues, like freezing and the inability to pause.
Although it functioned somewhat fine once you finally played it, it didn’t capture the attention of players like Candy Crush did, which was developed by the same studio and had an era of its own.The company was also acquired by Activision Blizzard.
3Tiny Toon Adventures: Dizzy’s Candy Quest
Lost Boys Games/Guerrilla Games
Tiny Toon Adventures: Dizzy’s Candy Quest was an overhead puzzle game and Lost Boys Games' debut from 2001, before they rebranded to Guerrilla Games.
The game was released on Game Boy Color, but the North American version of the game got cancelled, which is why it went under the radar for most gamers. The people who played it criticised it for its pacing, difficult bosses for a kids' game, and execution.
At the time, platformers and shooters overshadowed anything that didn’t fall into these categories, and that’s what happened to Tiny Toon Adventures: Dizzy’s Candy Quest,which sits at a 20% critic score at Mobygames.
The developers did bounce back with titles like Killzone andHorizon Zero Dawn, which are some of the most played AAA games today.
2RPM RACING
Blizzard Entertainment
The Origin of Blizzard Entertainment starts with their 1991 debut of RPM Racing, which was released for the SNES.
The game had bland and washed-out visuals, forced split-screen gameplay, and an economy system that critics hated, combined with poor controls and capped speeds, which failed to build any adrenaline or excitement.Most of the game’s reviews are negative, and the only positive ones are towards its graphics, which also end with calling the game unentertaining.
It’s obvious Blizzard Entertainment did not let this failure stop them as they went on to make the Diablo series andthe most-played hero shooter, Overwatch.
1Ski Crazed
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dogs debuted with Ski Crazed. Yes, I know Math Jam came earlier, but it was just a small educational project between two friends before Naughty Dog was founded. The company’s true debut was still Ski Crazed in 1987, which was a playful skiing game about skiing down a slope and jumping over obstacles on the way while performing trick shots.
What’s really cool is how they rebuilt the game in one weekend after accidentally wiping the original code, actually improving on the problems from the original code in the same weekend, like the slow pace and some technical issues.
The rights to the game were sold for just $250, and once released, it sold only 1500 copies, earning just $1500 in total for the company. It failed to put the company on the industry’s radar and went unnoticed by almost all players.
Now, was the debut good? No, it’s probably the last thing a company wants from their debut. But was it inspiring? Absolutely.It’s the story of how, from just a few bucks, a forgotten little skiing game, and the passion of a couple of 16-year-olds managed to form the company that went on to bless us with titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted.
