Summary
With ever-growing budgets and extended development cycles in recent years, players have witnessed some of thebiggest flops in triple-A gaming,both in live-service and single-player titles, that failed to live up to their hype andstruggled to find their audience. In many cases, these failures have resulted in entire studios being shut down, underscoring the immense risk and financial cost associated with modern game development, where a single misstep can spell disaster even for well-established companies.
While each failed game has its unique launch conditions, the reasons behind these colossal flops are not always surprising. Many such games debuted in a poor technical state, creating a lackluster initial impression that is difficult to overcome, as seen with titles likeCyberpunk 2077. Moreover, the modern gamble on live-service models in an oversaturated market frequently leads to disappointing initial performance, causing numerous games with planned long-term support to be prematurely abandoned or shut down, thereby denying developers the chance to address issues or implement content already in development.
Below, we’ll examine some of thebiggest games from recent years that floppedor severely underperformed financially, highlighting their impact on the studios and publishers involved.
Star Wars Outlawsstands among Ubisoft’s biggest missteps in recent years, prompting the company to make strategic shifts following the game’s unexpected failure. Despite launching under a major franchise name and backed by heavy marketing,Outlawsfailed to meet expectations. The release was further hindered by a range of technical and gameplay issues that only added to the disappointment.
With an estimated budget of around $200 million, the game reportedly sold just 1 million units worldwide in its first month, with sales declining quickly afterward. While Ubisoft has not provided exact figures, the company notedthat the game “underperformed” against expectations, suggesting the ambitious title may not break even, likely needing somewhere between 3 and 4 million sales to reach profitability.
Given the scale and marketing behind this release, the total sales are considered disastrous. As a result, Ubisoft delayedAssassin’s Creed Shadowsfor extra polish and reconsidered its typical strategies, including a return to launching games on Steam from day one.
Despite relatively strong lifetime sales estimated to have surpassed 5 million units,Anthemremains one of the most disappointing triple-A launches in recent memory. Its troubled release marked a turning point for the industry, foreshadowing a wave of underwhelming live-service titles that followed.
Developed over six years at BioWare in an attempt to restore the studio’s reputation after the lukewarm reception ofMass Effect: Andromeda,Anthemwas backed by heavy marketing from EA, with total costs reportedly around $150 million. The game saw a solid start, selling 2–3 million units in its first month, but this fell short of EA’s ambitious expectations of 5–10 million sales, as well as its broader goal of establishing adecade-long franchise similar toDestiny.
The real blow came when EA decided to pull the plug prematurely, scrapping thepromisingAnthem 2.0overhaul project. Several factors contributed to this decision, including a poor critical reception, rapid player drop-off, lack of content, a weak endgame, and persistent technical problems. Once active support ceased in 2019, sales plummeted, with most players unwilling to buy an unfinished game even at steep discounts.
In many ways,Dragon Age: The Veilguardstands in stark contrast toAnthem, yet it delivered even more disappointing financial results for both BioWare and EA. A single-player-only title, it launched in an almost flawless technical state, backed by a decade of development (with multiple reboots) and a reported budget of over $150 million. Despite being the fourth mainline entry in a well-established RPG franchise,The Veilguarddebuted to near-catastrophic results.
While EA has not released official sales figures, the game hadengaged only 1.5 million playersby early 2025, including those accessing it through the EA Play subscription service. This suggests direct sales were even lower—a far cry from the lofty expectations for a major RPG release long awaited by BioWare fans. EA later noted that the game “did not resonate with a broad enough audience” in a highly competitive market, indicating it missed the mark on its goal of reaching at least 3 million players within the first few months.
BetweenStar Wars OutlawsandSkull & Bones, it’s difficult to decide which title proved to be more underwhelming and problematic for Ubisoft. However, consideringSkull & Bones' reportedly inflated budget of over $200 million and its development cycle, which dragged on for nearly a decade and was marred by multiple reboots and delays, its financial results are likely to disappoint.
At launch, this pirate-themed live-service game struggled to attract even a million players, despite offering an 8-hour free trial while carrying a steep $70 price tag. Ubisoft has yet to release any official sales figures, a silence that strongly suggests the game fell far short of expectations.
To Ubisoft’s credit, unlikeAnthem,Skull & Boneshas not been abandoned. The title is still receiving support and isexpected to get its largest content update yet—one that may ultimately determine the game’s future and whether it can turn its fortunes around.
Redfall’sfailure came as a surprise, especially given Arkane’s strong track record and Microsoft’s backing. Developed over four years with a reported budget exceeding $150 million, expectations were high for a co-op shooter that would carry the studio’s signature depth of gameplay mechanics and player freedom. Instead, players were met with a hollow experience riddled with technical issues.
No official sales figures have been released, butRedfallwas undeniably a huge commercial flop, with low retail sales and minimal Game Pass engagement. Estimates suggest lifetime sales didn’t even reach the one million mark—a rare and unfortunate achievement for a modern triple-A game from an experienced studio. The swift shutdown of Arkane Austin further cemented the game’s commercial failure, highlighting just how far short it fell of expectations, where even Game Pass couldn’t soften the blow.
Rocksteady’s superhero live-service venture ranks among the top triple-A flops of recent times, with sales figures that were strikingly low, given the project’s scope, budget, and expectations. With an estimated budget of over $200 million and a seven-year development cycle complicated by a pivot to live-service design,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguedebuted to underwhelming numbers, reportedly selling 33% less thanGotham Knights, itself a financial disappointment for Warner Bros.
By almost every measure,Suicide Squadstruggled. It received a lukewarm critical reception,sparked backlash from longtimeArkhamuniverse fans, and suffered from the shallow execution of live-service elements due to Rocksteady’s inexperience in the genre. Warner Bros. later reported a $200 million revenue hit due to the game’s poor performance,bluntly labeling it a “disappointing” release.
Remarkably, post-launch support has been more consistent than what more successful titles likeAnthemreceived, lasting nearly a full year. This is despite an extremely limited player base, even when the game was discounted by over 50% just two months after release.
Concordis a textbook example of a mismanaged live-service title, one whose failure willlikely be studied for years to come. It’s difficult to compare its collapse to any previous case. Most games in similar situations are quietly canceled before release (as with Sega’s “supergame"Hyenas), yet Sony pushed forward, seemingly hoping to launch a major franchise, and they paid a price.
Launched into an oversaturated hero-shooter market with a paid model, likely an attempt to quickly recoup its estimated $250+ million budget after nearly eight years of development,Concordwas shut down just two weeks after release. Sony issued full refunds to all buyers, a rare move that underscored the scale of the catastrophic financial disaster.
The swift and far-reaching aftermath ofConcord’sflop is hard to overstate.Firewalk Studios was closed shortlyafter the game’s shutdown, and Sony reportedly wrote off the project entirely. In the wake ofConcord’sfailure, the company is reportedly reconsidering its entire live-service strategy,canceling multiple projectsthat had been in development for years.
