Summary
The failure of a video game—and the loss of millions of dollars—is rarely due to a single mistake. It usually stems from a combination of development issues, marketing missteps, and shifting market dynamics. Modern AAA games often cost between $50 million and $300 million to develop, not including additional marketing and distribution expenses.
To recoup these massive investments, games must achievehigh sales numbers. However, rushed releases or insufficient testing can result in bugs, performance issues, and poor optimization, damaging player trust. Some titles also suffer from design confusion or attempt to introduce models the market isn’t ready for. This list highlights some of the biggest video game flops in history.
The losses listed here are approximate and may not reflect the exact amounts. In the future, there may be games that incur greater losses, or some games on this list might recover and offset their losses with profits.
Marvel’s Avengers launched with high expectations but ultimately failed to deliver, resulting in a reported loss of over $60 million for Square Enix. While the game featured a solid single-player story, its focus on a live-service model felt forced and poorly suited to the franchise. Players criticized the repetitive missions, shallow loot system, and numerous bugs at launch, including crashes and broken quests.
After the campaign, the endgame lacked variety, causing many to lose interest. Delayed content updates and unpopular character designs—differentfrom the Marvel Cinematic Universe—further alienated fans. These issues combined to turn a promising title into a commercial disappointment.
Defiance, released in 2013 by Trion Worlds, was an ambitious MMO shooter tied to a Syfy TV series of the same name. The concept promised a dynamic narrative link between the game and show, but this cross-media synergy never fully materialized.
The TV series received lukewarm reviews and lasted only three seasons, while the game suffered from repetitive missions and a lack of compelling post-launch content. The cost of developing and marketing such an ambitious project was high, and the game failed to attract a large enough player base to justify the investment. Technical issues and competition from more polished MMO shooters like Destiny contributed to its commercial failure.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, released in 2012, received strong reviews and sold over 1.2 million copies in its first 90 days—an impressive feat for a new IP. However, it wasn’t enough to save its developer, 38 Studios, from bankruptcy. Founded by former baseball star Curt Schilling, the studio had borrowed $75 million from the state of Rhode Island to fund a future MMO, Project Copernicus.
Reckoning was meant to introduce that universe, but 38 Studios needed to sell over 3 million copies just to break even. Lavish spending, unrealistic projections, and a stalled MMO led to financial collapse, leaving Rhode Island with tens of millions in unpaid debt.
Tabula Rasa, a sci-fi MMORPG developed by Richard Garriott and released by NCsoft in 2007, was a commercial failure that caused significant losses. Although exact development costs were undisclosed, estimates and legal documents suggest the investment neared $100 million. NCsoft expected $50 million revenue in 2008 but earned only $5.4 million, highlighting the financial loss.
The game’s mix of traditional MMORPG elements with shooter mechanics failed to satisfy fans of either genre. Creative differences between Garriott and NCsoft led to a disjointed final product with inconsistent aesthetics. Entering a competitive market dominated byWorld of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa struggled to retain players and ultimately shut down its servers in 2009.
6APB: All Points Bulletin
Estimated Loss: $100,000,000
APB: All Points Bulletin, developed by Realtime Worlds and released in 2010, was an ambitious open-world MMO shooter with development costs exceeding $100 million. Despite high expectations, the game was a commercial disaster, leading to the studio’s closure just six weeks after launch. Its unclear identity—neither fully a GTA-style MMO, shooter, nor social platform—confused potential players.
The original pay-to-play model failed to attract a sustainable player base, especially as the market shifted toward free-to-play games. A lengthy development time over five years caused the game to feel outdated at release. Later, APB was revived as APB: Reloaded under a free-to-play model but the initial failure remains one of the costliest flops in gaming history.
Redfall, developed by Arkane Studios Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2023, launched with high expectations but became a major disappointment. Known for immersive single-player games, Arkane shifted to a co-op looter shooter model that didn’t suit their strengths, causing a clear identity crisis. The game suffered from numerous bugs, poor AI, performance issues, and a lackluster open world.
Missions were repetitive, and the vampire-hunting theme couldn’t mask shallow gameplay. Xbox’s Phil Spencer acknowledged creative problems post-launch. Additionally, Redfall’s day-one release on Game Pass hurt direct sales. Overall, the game felt unfinished and failed to meet the quality expected from a AAA title, damaging both the studio’s and publisher’s reputations.
Star Wars Outlaws, released by Ubisoft in 2024, launched with high expectations but was largely considered a flop. With an estimated $100–200 million development and marketing budget, the game significantly underperformed, selling only around one million copies instead of the five million needed to break even. Developed by Massive Entertainment, the game reused typical Ubisoft open-world formulas, featuring repetitive side quests and collection tasks that felt out of placein the Star Wars universe.
Technical issues and bugs further harmed the player experience. The story and main character Kay Vess were seen as forgettable compared to deeper narratives in previous Star Wars games. The high price and overhyped marketing left many disappointed by the lack of innovation and polish.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Rocksteady’s live-service follow-up to the Arkham series, was widely considered a flop upon release. Despite a seven year development cycle and a high budget, the game sold only one million copies—far below thefour million target. Warner Bros.’ 2024 financial report confirmed the shortfall, noting poor player retention, under 500 concurrent Steam players, and weak post-launch engagement.
Fans criticized the repetitive missions, shallow gameplay, and intrusive microtransactions. The live-service model failed to compete with free titles like Apex Legends. Combined with negative reception, technical issues, and low demand for seasonal content, the game became a financial and strategic misfire for Warner Bros.’ gaming division.
Concord became one of the biggest flops in gaming history, with its servers shut down just 14 days after launch and full support canceled by Sony. Despite an eight-year development cycle and a reported $200 million budget, the game sold only 25,000 copies and peaked at just 697 concurrent players on Steam.
Competing in a market filled with free hero shooters like Overwatch, its $40 price tag discouraged players. While technically stable, the game lacked originality and compelling mechanics. Sony’s overconfidence and failure to address early warning signs contributed to the disaster. Firewalk Studios’ closure marked the final blow, sealing Concord’s status as a massive financial and reputational failure.
Star Citizen, in development since 2012, is often cited as one of gaming’s biggest flops. Despite raising over $800 million through crowdfunding, both its multiplayer modules and single-player campaign (Squadron 42) remain unreleased. Players criticize the project for endless delays, unfulfilled promises, and limited content in its playable alpha. Technical issues, poor optimization, and feature creep have plagued development, while expensive microtransactions—selling ships for hundreds of dollars—have raised concerns over sustainability.
Critics accuse Cloud Imperium Games of mismanaging resources, prioritizing lavish studio expenses over progress. With no clear release in sight, trust among players and investors has eroded, casting doubt on whether the project will ever be completed.
There are reports and industry data indicating that over $800 million has been crowdfunded for Star Citizen between 2012 and 2025. However, since the game is still in its alpha stage with no final product released, this amount is often classified as a “loss.”
