Strategy Gone Wrong

When I began this blog a few months ago I had hoped to focus on successful games and failures. For better or worse, I have spent most of my time on the former, while instead looking at the more obscure instead of outright failures. As a result, I’ve been left to question why the games or genres did not live up to the potential. Well, for this post I decided to focus on a couple of case studies of definitive failure, utilizing some of my key takeaways from earlier posts. These three cases have very little to do with one another, but have done some irreparable damage for both themselves and at times, for gaming as a whole. They also show that no matter what decade, failure is always a possibility. While it is always fun to look at the successes as models for the future, we cannot forget the disasters and the pitfalls to avoid. With that in mind, enjoy the following case:

Part 1: E.T. begins the video game crash of 1983 and is literally buried in a desert.

Key Takeaway Forgotten: “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad”

                                     

(Well the title screen is legit. Credit: Youtube.com)

Back in the early 1980’s the video game industry was still in its inception. Arcade cabinets had recently become popular and consoles were just beginning to enter households. At the forefront was Atari whose Atari 2600 console was the most popular in the industry by far, with games ranging from adventure, to sports, to action and more. Atari had a dominant share of the market, and all developers wanted a piece of the pie. As a result, Atari allowed developers to make cartridges for its platform without a formal quality control procedure, leading to some poor and inappropriate titles. Furthermore, additional console companies (including the Intellivision, Colecovision, and even Apple) appeared to capture market share. Without the proper quality control in place though, Atari ended up dooming itself, and potentially destroying the entire industry, all of which was largely attributed to one game, E.T.

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial is one of Steven Spielberg’s greatest cinematic achievements. Its tie in game is the face of the video game crash of 1983. The film, released in June 1982, was a critical and commercial success, and an icon of the 1980’s. To profit off of the success of the film, Atari jumped at the opportunity to claim the licensing rights to the brand, and after acquiring the rights to the game in July 1982, immediately moved into development for Christmas that same year. Because of the manufacturing and marketing campaigns, the game’s development needed to be completed just under 6 weeks. Now while games may have had short development cycles in the 1980’s, a 6 week development cycle is simply too short to come up with an entertaining product. There needs to be additional quality assurance testing, focus groups etc. Atari however, determined to remain the market leader, did not believe the time frame was too short, and in turn released a game that holiday season that was buggy, uninspired and not fun. The game revolves around the titular alien, where the players searches to find three pieces of a cosmic telephone to phone home. During the game the player can randomly fall off screen and is constantly hunted by men in trench coats representing the government. After finding all pieces the cycle begins again. Needless to say, with a game very different and less entertaining than the movie it was panned by both critics and fans. However, because Atari thought the brand recognition alone would generate sales it overproduced the number of cartridges significantly. So many cartridges were made that Atari decided to bury them in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico, which were later excavated in 2014 (Google it to check it out, really interesting).

                               

             (Talk about buried treasure. Credit: Variety.com)

The legacy E.T. left on Atari and the gaming industry as a whole was extremely detrimental for the evolution of the business. Atari was forced to take huge losses, and though it remained in the console industry for a considerable period of time, was never able to fully recover to a market leader status again. Consumers shied away from home consoles and arcades for years until Nintendo came into the market with its Nintendo Entertainment System. Arguably most importantly though, E.T. left a horrendous black mark for any licensed games, one whose effect can still be felt today, as good licensed games tend to be the exception, not the norm. What’s most frustrating is that the potential for a great E.T. game was extremely high, it just needed additional time to come up with a feasible and respectable concept. Nevertheless, we are left with the E.T. game that was produced, one that will live in infamy forever.

Part 2: John Romero vexes consumers and then puts out a horrible product.

Key Takeaway Forgotten: “Unique marketing campaigns may be necessary for an inherently artistic game”

                                                     

  

                                              (I see no way this ad could go wrong. Credit: Kotaku.com)

Admittedly, Daikatana was not an inherently artistic game. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to understand its marketing campaign to realize what a failure it was, even before the game was released. For those who don’t know, Romero is best known for his work with John Carmack on Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, all first person shooters that help galvanize the genre. He and Carmack were thought to do no wrong. Romero was the more vocal of the duo, and after an extended period of time the two grew apart, specifically during the development of Quake where Carmack did not think Romero was doing enough work. Romero resigned and formed his own company, Ion Storm, where he went on to make Daikatana, a futuristic first person shooter about rival clans. At E3 1997, Romero announced the game for release in Christmas 1997; however, it did not see release until 2000. Although that was a significant problem, the real issue was in the advertising campaign. As early as 1997, a print ad appeared where a red poster backdrop stated in black lettering “John Romero’s About To Make You His Bitch”, with a small additional “Suck it Down” at the bottom of the ad. Naturally, this ad was not well received by just about everyone (even Romero was known to be hesitant before signing off). Personally, testing the boundaries of advertising seems like a solid way to garner attention; however, if you plan to antagonize potential consumers you better bring a product that’s going to blow them away, otherwise you’ll be setting your product up for failure.

                       (I know it’s 2000 but that looks awful. Credit: Superadventures in Gaming)

After countless delays where the product builds were scrapped and reborn, the game was finally released in 2000 with a resounding thud. Averaging mixed reviews for everything from content (including brain dead AI sidekicks) to graphics to technical prowess, the game did not live up to expectations. Romero would later apologize for the infamous ad, citing that he had previously had a great relationship with the gaming community (which is true) and that the ad ruined everything (which it did). Romero has gone on to make other good games, but Ion Storm closed within a year of release, and unfortunately the memory of Romero is left tarnished to some degree.

Part 3: Mighty No. 9 gathers a lot of money at the expense Mega Man fan emotions and then proceeds to do almost everything wrong.

Key Takeaway Forgotten: "Do not blame the fans for your mistakes”

              

          (Blue bomber or bust. Credit: Kotaku.com)

First of all, I believe in Kickstarter campaigns. Shovel Knight is a retro romp for the ages and was born through a Kickstarter campaign, so I know that in the right hands young developers can still create incredible games. So with that being said, imagine the joy that came to my face when I saw that Keiji Inafune, the “father” of Mega Man, was creating a new game, Mighty No. 9. The game was largely influenced by the Blue Bomber, and even more exciting to me was that I could help contribute to the game’s fruition via Kickstarter. The year was 2013 (the month was March if I recall correctly), and Mega Man had not seen a new entry since 2010 when Mega Man 10 was released. Since then, numerous games had been cancelled and Inafune had left Capcom. Things looked bleak for the future of the franchise, but here was a brand new IP, specifically for Mega Man fans.

Mighty No. 9 was a way to get excited again – the team was made up largely of individuals who had worked on previous Mega Man games, the music was being composed by Manami Matsumae, one of the original composers for the franchise, everything seemed perfect. I bought in hard, and ended up donating $251 to the cause. I wanted the rewards, the game, and really to show Capcom that I would go to these lengths to get my hands on a something similar to a formal Mega Man game. With a goal donation amount of $900,000, Mighty No. 9 grabbed over $3 million in donations in 48 hours, and raised a total over $4 million in its lifetime. Everyone was excited for the new beginning. After the Kickstarter ended anticipation began to swell, even though it would be years before the product was actually released. The forums were ablaze, and backers of the Kickstarter seemed to be in good spirits. Then things began to turn. Inafune asked for more money via Paypal (he actually managed to get around $150,000), which seemed odd and unnecessary. Next, controversy after controversy began to spring up. The first controversy I can recall was over the community manager, a young woman who had little experience with Mega Man games that managed to get a role at Inafune’s company, Comcept. She supposedly banned several members of the forums for questioning her expertise, and then was questioned on how she got the job. The whole controversy was extremely ugly, and while her qualifications were fine to question, the misogynistic and boorish nature of some of the backers was completely unwarranted. Soon after the fans began clamoring she lost her job. Now I recall reading that she may have had her own opinions on certain issues, but it is unfair to accuse her of using influence on the game. Furthermore, I think the cruel and unusual attacks on her person were unnecessary. Unfortunately, she did herself no favors by responding to the text assaults. Regardless of the final outcome, it was an ugly look for the game, which had backers wondering where their money was going.

                                               

(Wait how much money did they get to make this? Credit: Youtube.com)

The next controversy came approximately a year after the game was announced. Inafune went on to announce a cartoon featuring the characters of the game. Mind you, we are still another year from the supposed release of the game, and he begins trying to drive up interest in a cartoon for an unreleased game. This is a case where the exposure is a little too over the top. Considering the cartoon promotion seemed very childlike while the individuals who funded the game were probably not the core demographic, I had absolutely no idea why the team would consider this. A year later around the supposed release date there was little news, until Inafune unsurprisingly delayed the game to September 2015. While all of this was frustrating, gamers were still being patient, hopeful the game would still be fun upon release. While announcing the delay, Inafune made sure to note that live-action film would be adapted for the game. Now there would be a movie that no one wanted along with a cartoon no one wanted.

                                             

(Hey can you give us more money for another game before the original game you donated towards comes out? OK thanks! Credit: 1080plus.com)

Then, even with Mighty No. 9 in development hell, Inafune attempted a second Kickstarter, called Red Ash. The game was going to use the same characters from Mighty No. 9, just redesigned to look older. The concept of the game was similar to the Mega Man Legends’ series, where the player assume the role of Mega Man Volnutt, who goes on an adventure unlike the original series (more like a Legend of Zelda game, just with a mega buster instead of a sword). The game consists of travelling to ruins (dungeons), searching for treasure, and fighting huge bosses along the way. They are underrated games in the Mega Man lore. One of the biggest issues with Inafune’s departure from Capcom is that Mega Man Legends 3 was cancelled shortly after he left the organization, even though a prototype was promised to the community. Red Ash was simply meant to take advantage of the loss of Mega Man Legends 3, the only problem was that with over two years waiting for Mighty No. 9 and foolish side projects in the way, fans did not take the bait. With a goal of only $800,000, the funding was not met, although apparently the development for the game is still happening thanks to a timely rescue from a publisher. Overall, patience for Mighty No. 9 was now wearing thin. Before a fan would invest again it was necessary to play the game that was originally promised. Unfortunately, as September 2015 came about there was still no game, and a subsequent delay to February 2016 followed. Fans’ patience was all but gone. You can only imagine how in January 2016 when the game was delayed a third time (to a vague Spring 2016) what happened. Fans were irate and hope in the game was all but lost. Meanwhile, Capcom released Mega Man Legacy Collection, an extremely fun compilation of the original NES games with a ton of challenges for the longtime fans. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in the franchise at all. Being able to come out with a compilation title after announcing the game later than Mighty No. 9's original announcement while also releasing it to the public well before the Mighty No. 9 release was a suave way of still demonstrating the superior Mega Man brand.

Finally, in June 2016, Mighty No. 9 was released to the public. Since its release it has received extremely mediocre reviews, with most critics saying that the soul of Mega Man is nowhere to be found. Inafune shrewdly has taken responsibility of the issues, but still had the audacity to say that “it’s better than nothing” in an interview. While he’s not entirely wrong, I know that if I could have a do over, I would’ve paid $20, just so I could get the game. Although Inafune may want to create a franchise out of this character and game, I have to believe the future is strongly in doubt given the negative experience and reaction. If Inafune and his company had not spent so much time poorly communicating (and occasionally alienating) with the fans, perhaps there would be a better outcome. The entire campaign did not seem to be remotely professional, and that lack of experience showed over the time it took to develop the game. I do believe that limiting the amount of communication and tempering expectations with the fans would’ve lead to a more successful project. Instead, Inafune presented the fans a concept that was simply too difficult for him and his team to live up to, resulting in an unmitigated disaster on multiple levels. The worst part is that this experience has changed my views on Kickstarter campaigns. I absolutely love independent games. Indie games are one of the few areas where I can get that old school challenge I love (ex. Elliot Quest, Limbo, Shovel Knight, etc.) and occasionally artistic qualities you won’t find in big budget releases. However, because of Mighty No. 9, I do not see myself overpaying for a game anytime soon. If I see a game I’m interested in I’ll pledge enough to just get the game, but I believed in Mighty No. 9, and it took my faith (and money), thought about other ways to make more money, and put out a mediocre product. I know for a fact I’m not the only fan left scorned after this game. At this point, I have play time with the game and can safely say it has not hooked me like the blue bomber’s outings. It’s not bad by any means, but it did not live up to the hype that I previously thought it could. Now, I can only hope Capcom brings back Mega Man soon.

Speaking of alienating the fans, check out the trailer below, officially released by the publisher, followed by a parody of said trailer…