What do Saints Row, New World, Cyberpunk, Battlefield 2042, Elden Ring and Batman Arkham Knight have in common? All of them are AAA titles and none of them could be played on the day of their launch due to dozens of bugs.
Some time ago we received the key to be able to try the new Saint’s Row, but the plans did not go as expected. The title was unplayable. Starting from the base, it could not be opened. In fact, there are articles on the internet where they list different options so that it finally opens. In my case, it worked to frantically hit the enter key until it loads a bar. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not.
That was not the only problem. In my experience, I couldn’t even reopen the game I had saved. I created a character, played for a few minutes, and then left. When I came back, when I tried to load the game in question, the file was damaged. The same problem recurred multiple times and so far no solution.
As a result of this event –and the anger that it generated in me– I began to think about the many times that large companies gave us (not to us as a general medium, but to us as individual players) AAA titles that were impossible to play.
Having everything served on a platter and not knowing how to take advantage of it
Before someone wants to run at me with “broken” indies, I want to say: yes, obviously there are independent titles with dozens of errors that make their playability impossible, but there are very marked differences between one and the other.
Starting from the base –and beyond the fact that video games are an expensive hobby considering the current economic situation–, the most important point is the price. Spending $60 on a game is not the same as spending $20 on a game. If a title is that expensive, it is expected (and should be required) that it be in perfect condition. There should be no “tutía” for it not to be so.
But cost aside for a moment, there are two things companies shouldn’t have an excuse for releasing such shoddy games.
One of them is the development team. The companies behind these types of titles have teams made up of hundreds of people, while the number of people involved in an indie title can be counted, in most cases, on the fingers of one hand.
With this in mind, it would make much more sense for an indie title to have bigger bugs than one that has all the necessary staff to work on any issues that arise.
Another reason, and perhaps the most important, is the capital they have to carry out the project. If we think of the millions that they have as a base to finance/produce the title in question, certain situations that still exist today are incomprehensible.
Beyond the bugs it had, the New World it was unplayable in its early days because there were no servers available. How can it be that a company like Amazon, which bills figures impossible to imagine, has launched an open world MMO without servers capable of supporting the demand?
And no, the excuse that such an influx of people was not expected is absurd. Both the closed beta and the open beta that they did previously, demonstrated the great interest generated by the title.
These large companies have all the necessary resources to deliver a title in optimal conditions. However, they don’t. They do not even meet the scheduled delivery dates – although, in this sense, I prefer that they delay the launch than that they release it full of bugs.
Back to the price issue.
Beyond the fact that these companies in question have everything served on trays, one of the issues that hurts the most is the pocket. They not only play with the illusion of people, but also with their money.
As I mentioned previously, AAA titles are not remotely cheap. It is almost a joke that they cannot be played. They should be ashamed of taking advantage of their followers in this way.
There are franchises, like Battlefield, who have hundreds of thousands of lovers throughout the world. Taking advantage of that almost unconditional love (and the trust of their loyal players), they did not even make an effort to make the last title moderately drinkable, after all, they had already raised what was necessary with the presale.
What can we do as players?
It seems to me – and this is a purely personal opinion – that at this point in the game we should put a stop to these companies. Although it is impossible for us to know in advance if the title we are waiting for so much is going to be broken or not, if we should take more drastic measures if it does not turn out as it should.
What measures to take? I don’t have an exact answer if I’m honest. It occurs to me to automatically refund the title and not give them a chance to wait for a patch. It’s enough? Of course not. Not buy more products that they make? It may sound somewhat extreme, but it may be the only solution so that they finally stop teasing those who pay for their business.