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Is Below the biggest indie flop of this generation?

Vire

Vire

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https://cdn.images./dynamic/184/photos/411000/620x/Below-preview-Xbox-One-exclusive-re-emerges-as-most-promising-adventure-game-of-2018-694701.jpg
Preface: I like Capybara (Sword and Sworcery/Critter Cruch!) and I'm among the many who waited an eternity to be pretty disappointed in the final product.

How do you go from being on center stage at Microsoft's E3 2013, with the head of the Xbox Division Phil Spencer doing all sorts of free PR for this game and all of the spotlight in the world to slowly fading to the point where literally almost no one gives a shit?

If you look at this very moment, Below, the game that was trotted out in front of the entire gaming world - is not even under the featured category for the Xbox Game Pass. I had to drill down deep into the menu settings to even find it and download it. The game received mixed to middling reception with a metascore of 68 on MetaCritic and I highly doubt it is setting the world on fire in terms of sales.

How does this all happen?

Well you take 5 years to develop and release your game that doesn't realize the initial vision that was set out before it. The game as it is stands is littered with irritations and unnecessary frustrations that make it almost impossible for me to enjoy.

I wish the best for the folks at the studio, but I'd love to see the post mortem behind the doors meeting for this game and how/where they go from here. What happened to this game over the course of development.

What do you think ERA? Has there been a worse indie flop you can think of? That was prodded up to this degree at least...
 
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Deleted member 14377

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I'm sure it's a fine product these days, but this doesn't have even close to the amount of shitshow backlash that No Man's Sky had.
 
Sean Mirrsen

Sean Mirrsen

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May 9, 2018
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I wanted to have an opinion on this game as a game, but when I tried to run it on my PC with 4GB of RAM it just ate it all and CTD'd due to failing to read a file.

So I have no opinion on this game as a game, but as a program it is very much a shoddy job.
 

Deleted member 46598

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The Culling 2

Remotely separate in terms of hype over time but I can't recall a developer literally revoking a game because the community that liked the original straight up dismissed it outright. Except FFXIV.
 

Deleted member 3017

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didn't realize this had a 68 on MC. That's rough. Guess I've been out of the loop, as I thought this game had been received well critically.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

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I haven't played it (don't have an Xbox or gaming PC) but I have been surprised at how little coverage it seems to have gotten. Maybe releasing at the same time as Ashen was a bad idea.
 
.exe

.exe

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Oct 25, 2017
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Full Metal Furies flopped pretty hard. It's by the immensely talented people behind Rogue Legacy. Goes to show that having one massive hit doesn't ensure visibility for your sequel. Below at least got some coverage. I don't remember any talk whatsoever about FMF.
 
spam musubi

spam musubi

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Oct 25, 2017
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It's a victim of its hype unfortunately. For years people built up expectations and the game released pretty unceremoniously and with little detail as to what it is. Should have been marketed better. People here often complain about marketing budgets but they do matter.
 
iFirez

iFirez

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I really disliked it. Just didn't do anything for me. Put many many hours in and it just wasn't for me. Which is fine and I love that others like it. I'm a big Capy fan but this game just turned out it wasn't for me.
 
toythatkills

toythatkills

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Oct 26, 2017
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The game is just not fun. There's a great article on Eurogamer about how the game is better when you're not playing it, which perfectly captures my (and I imagine many peoples') feelings.

Launching on Game Pass I guess enabled opinions of its gameplay to get out very quickly, and people were much less likely to try and convince themselves it was better than it was because they didn't have a $25 purchase to defend to themselves.
 
Orb

Orb

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Oct 27, 2017
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Depending on what you consider "indie," probably not the biggest flop. But for me personally, the difference between my anticipation of the game and what was delivered was massive. I was really disappointed in what I played, and I really wanted to like it. The atmosphere and style of the first few minutes had me really hyped, but then the actual gameplay loop started and I was just completely uninterested.
 
LavaBadger

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Since we'll never see sales numbers and it's free on Game Pass, we'll never know how big a flop it really is.

It doesn't seem great though.
 
Cess007

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For people saying No Man Sky. The critical reception of NMS was slighly better:

- No Man Sky (PS4): 71
- Below: 68

And let's not talk about sales, because despite everthing, NMS sold a lot.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

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Oct 27, 2017
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Frecklestein said:
I'm sure it's a fine product these days, but this doesn't have even close to the amount of shitshow backlash that No Man's Sky had.
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Liam1884 said:
Yeah, it has to be No Man's Sky.
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-Tetsuo- said:
No mans sky exists
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Rodjer said:
No? No Man's Sky did worse despite selling a fuckton.
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No Man's Sky was disappointing initially, but in no way a flop.
 
OP
OP
Vire

Vire

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No Man's Sky was not a flop at all though? It made back it's money and then some, and eventually and bitterly lived up to most of its promises through free expansions.
 
Quikies83

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I reeeeeally enjoyed my time with the game... grabbed it when it first dropped on Game Pass..

I'll jump back in when they update it and address some of the hunger/thirst rates, etc.
 
Liam1884

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Oct 30, 2017
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Cess007 said:
For people saying No Man Sky. Metascores:

- No Man Sky (PS4): 71
- Below: 68

And let's not talk about sales, because despide everthing, NMS sold a lot.
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No Man's Sky was also a hell of a lot more anticipated than Below.

Its fall from grace is much bigger than Below being dumped on the Xbox Store.
 
Rodjer

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Triggerhappytel said:
No Man's Sky was disappointing initially, but in no way a flop.
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NMS flopped, period, the game didn't leave up for the hype and the whole marketing campaign, this game was overhyped.

Now it is a different game, but in 2016 it was a shitshow despite selling a fuckton thanks to lies.

Cess007 said:
For people saying No Man Sky. The critical reception of NMS was slighly better:

- No Man Sky (PS4): 71
- Below: 68

And let's not talk about sales, because despite everthing, NMS sold a lot.
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Slighty better by 3 is insignificant, the former has a HUGE HYPE compared to the latter.
 
Aaron D.

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I don't get the NMS comparisons.

NMS was greeted with Gamer RAGE!!!.

Below was greeted with crickets.
 
Dache

Dache

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Oct 25, 2017
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OP needs to define what they mean by "flop". Commercially or critically? Or both? Does a "flop" constitute an indie studio or solo developer with a hugely successful title and then released something disappointing in one or both of the two ways?

No Man's Sky might have had a huge backlash against what the public and press believed it was going to be vs what we initially got, but it sold fucking loads and I'd argue has earned its credibility back at this point, so I wouldn't name it here at all.
 
OP
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Vire

Vire

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daxy said:
Full Metal Furies flopped pretty hard. It's by the immensely talented people behind Rogue Legacy. Goes to show that having one massive hit doesn't ensure visibility for your sequel. Below at least got some coverage. I don't remember any talk whatsoever about FMF.
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This is a pretty good answer, the ridiculous name really buried the game alive and they didn't leverage the fact that it was made by the people behind Rogue Legacy.
 
Qwark

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Oct 27, 2017
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When I hear flop, I think financially. From what I've heard from developers, games on gamepass do better than if they weren't on gamepass, so I'm inclined to believe that unless I hear otherwise.

It sounds like you're talking more about quality though, which I think there's more room for discussion. I haven't played it myself (I plan too), but it seems to me like it was just overly ambitious, but I'm keeping an open mind until I try it.
 
Orb

Orb

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Also, remember that Mighty No. 9 came out this generation. In terms of anticipation to final product, for a lot of people this one would be big.

As others have said, I don't think you can really consider No Man's Sky a flop considering they sold a shitload of copies.
 
collige

collige

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Oct 31, 2017
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We Happy Few was the first thing that came to mind. NMS might have been a critical flop, but it didn't flop commercially, and they managed to turn it around.

Edit: actually I'm sure MN9 has everything beat.
 
Cess007

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LavaBadger

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Rodjer said:
NMS flopped, period, the game didn't leave up for the hype and the whole marketing campaign, this game was overhyped.

Now it is a different game, but in 2016 it was a shitshow despite selling a fuckton thanks to lies.
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The fact that it sold a fuckton though means it did not "flop". There are plenty of garbage movies that make millions despite being of low quality. Those aren't considered flops.
 
Rodjer

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Cess007 said:
And yet, that's not a flop. Biggest disappointment of the gen? Debatable. Bigglest flop? Nope. Neither comercially nor critically, I think
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71 is not a critical flop for one of the most hyped titles of this gen? Ok.

LavaBadger said:
The fact that it sold a fuckton though means it did not "flop". There are plenty of garbage movies that make millions despite being of low quality. Those aren't considered flops.
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NMS did really good saleswise but flopped in reviews and didn't leave up to the hype. Flop doesn't mean always selling bad.
 

Deleted member 25108

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You people change the definition of flop to match what argument you make at different times of the day, much less days of the week.

In no universe was no man's sky a commercial flop and it wasn't much of a critical flop either. It's metascore showed divisive opinion but there were plenty who still enjoyed the day one experience.

It was a con job but it wasn't a flop.


Below seems to be a commercial flop and it has more middling and negative positive reviews percentage wise than NMS , even from a gaming media that tends to overate indies in general.
 
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Keldroc

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Oct 27, 2017
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Rodjer said:
NMS flopped, period, the game didn't leave up for the hype and the whole marketing campaign, this game was overhyped.
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You don't know what a flop is, then.

Now it is a different game, but in 2016 it was a shitshow despite selling a fuckton thanks to lies.
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Oh, you're one of those people. Never mind.

"Thanks to lies." 2 1/2 years later and still this bullshit persists.
 
mutantmagnet

mutantmagnet

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Frecklestein said:
I'm sure it's a fine product these days, but this doesn't have even close to the amount of shitshow backlash that No Man's Sky had.
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No Man's Sky had a period they were losing sales revenue because of mass refunds but when you add up the final tally after the refunds ended it wasn't a flop. These days NMS has turned around their critical drubbing and got even more sales. Try again.
 
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