Gaming Companies That Fell From Grace
In the video game industry, we have seen many companies rise up to unprecedented hights and push the boundaries of what it means to create good video games. But as that old saying goes, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Here are a few of those gaming companies that have fallen.
1. Electronic Arts (EA):
You video game veterans out there might remember that EA (the two-time winner of The Consumerists "Worst Company in America" Award) once actually used to care about making quality and innovative games. Shocking, we know. Electronic Arts is now infamous for implementing egregious microtransactions into practically every triple-A title that they produce. Putting more effort into their in-game stores rather than into the games themselves. If we could sum up EA in one word, it would be "Greed".
2. Activision:
Do you remember those days of getting home after a long day of school, popping in the latest CoD game, and playing all night with your friends? Which was your favorite? Was it "World at War" or "Modern Warfare"? Maybe it was "Blackops". We here at RSL long for the days of good "Call of Duty" titles again. Before all the microtransactions, annual releases, and low-effort development, Activision was the king of FPS games. Constantly setting the bar of what a good military shooter actually was. Now, it's nothing but a shadow of it's former self. Hopefully, with its merge with Microsoft, we will finally see a return of those glory days.
3. Konami:
"Contra", "Silent Hill", "Metal Gear Solid". These are but a few of the many excellent games that Konami has provided us these past few decades. They made hit after hit, constantly producing high quality video games that redefined the genres that they belonged to. Unfortunately, Konami was so high up that it had its head in the clouds. Then in 2015, they made the grave mistake of canceling the much anticipated horror game "Silent Hills", fired Hideo Kojima (their golden goose), and removed Kojima's name from "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain". This outraged many of their fans. Then with the terrible reception of "Metal Gear: Survive" with its tedious gameplay and the fact that you you had to purchase additional save slots by spending real money for virtual currency, Konami lost all favor with its fanbase and came crashing down.
4. Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard was once an absolute titan of the gaming industry. To this day, it's flagship title "World of Warcraft" continues to be considered by many as the "best MMO". Unfortunately, even this beloved company was not safe from controversy. From the poorly-received announcement of "Diablo: Immortal", to sexual harassment allegations in the workplace, to its treatment of "Hearthstone" player Blitzchung, to the poor reception of "Warcraft 3: Reforged", the legacy of this once great company is now forever stained. Hopefully, just like Activision, Blizzard's merge with Microsoft will be a turning point for this once proud company.While these companies do continue to achieve monetary success, it is at the cost of our love and respect for them.
We can only hope that either they learn to respect their fans and put more effort into making good games again, or new, passionate studios will rise up and challenge them. We here at Ready Set Lag love and respect this industry and those individuals who are dedicated and passionate about working hard to create amazing video games for everyone to enjoy. We highly encourage those of you who love gaming to pursue your dream in creating them, because it's people like you who will end up saving this industry.
Written by: Nick
