Abandoned Hope
What’s the worst thing a developer can do about their upcoming game? Provide vague promises and hints that allude to something spectacular – then fail to deliver, and in some ways, outright lie. That’s essentially what indie dev Blue Box Studios’ has done with their upcoming who-knows-what-the-heck-it-is game Abandoned. Unfortunately for them, most gamers have abandoned any desire for Abandoned and who knows if it’ll even launch now.
Send-Nudes
In a sad and desperate attempt at humor, publisher Flynn’s Arcade thought it would be hilarious to request press “send-nudes” in exchange for a demo of the upcoming game Lone McLonegan. Shortly after this ordeal started to trend, an apology was posted on Flynn’s Arcade Twitter account but has since been deleted. A tone-deaf joke followed by a retracted apology, that’s absolutely a turkey.
More Crap From Kotaku
Kotaku is essentially the grocery store tabloids of game journalism. They often spin the news in absurd, clickbait ways. This year has been no different, and fortunately, more and more gamers are realizing just how awful they really are. In July, Kotaku called out a new XCOM game, and in a Tweet, said it looked like “shit”. It was insulting to everyone involved in developing the new XCOM game, not to mention the fans of the franchise. Sure, bad games will receive poor reviews – but it’s important for journalists to stay professional and provide feedback that is insightful, not outright crass.
And that concludes our look at the top 5 Turkey’s of 2021. What did we learn? 1) Don’t release a game until it’s actually ready to be released. 2) Harassing staff is never okay and those in charge need to be accountable. 3) Make sure the value of the product matches the price. 4) Try to be honest about the development of your upcoming games and avoid vague promises. 5) If you’re going to ask someone to send nudes – make sure it’s something that would be acceptable in the context of your relationship, ie: not random game journalists who have to sift through dozens of emails each day. 6) Don’t visit Kotaku.
Did we miss any 2021 turkeys? I’m sure we did. Let us know in the comments below. Have a happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble.