Home News Game Publisher Faces Backlash Over Buggy Release

Game Publisher Faces Backlash Over Buggy Release

Author : Hannah Update:Dec 10,2024

Gamers are

Following several setbacks such as the cancellation of Life By You and the problematic launch of Cities: Skylines 2, Paradox Interactive has explained how it intends to proceed with the insights they've gained about players

Paradox Interactive Explains Recent Games' Cancellation and DelayPlayers Have Expectations, and Some Technical Issues are Difficult to Resolve

Gamers are

Mattias Lilja, CEO of Cities: Skylines 2 publisher Paradox Interactive, along with CCO Henrik Fahraeus, has commented on players' attitudes towards game launches. Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun during the company's recent Media Day, Lilja said that players have "higher expectations" and are "less trusting" that game developers will fix issues after a game gets released.

Learning from their experience with last year's disastrous release of Cities: Skylines 2, the publisher has expressed that it is being more meticulous with sorting out problems found in their games. The publisher is also of the opinion that players need to have earlier access to the game to gather feedback that can aid with development. "If we could have brought players in to try it on a larger scale, that would have helped," Fahraeus said about Cities: Skylines 2, adding that they hope to have "a larger degree of openness with players," prior to launching a game.

Gamers are

In line with this, Paradox decided to indefinitely delay its jail management simulator, Prison Architect 2. "We're pretty confident that the gameplay [of Prison Architect 2] is good," Lilja said. "But we had quality issues, which means to give the players the game they deserve, we decided to delay it." And with the recent cancellation of their life sim game, Life By You, due to unmet demads, Lilja additionally clarified that the indefinitely delay is because they just haven't been "able to keep the pace" they wanted.

quot;So it's not the same kind of bucket of challenges that we had with Life By You, which led to cancellation," he explained. "It's more that we haven't been able to keep the pace that we wanted," adding that they've found some issues "harder to fix than we thought" when Paradox does "peer reviews of the game and user testing and whatnot."

In Prison Architect 2's case, the problem is "mostly certain technical issues rather than design," Lilja said. "It's more how can we make this technically high-quality enough for a stable release." He added, "It's also based on the fact that we, in all transparency, see that fans right now, with a squeezed budget for games, have higher expectations, and are less accepting that you will fix things over time."

Gamers are

According to the CEO, with the gaming space being a "winner-takes-all type of environment," players are likely to drop "most games" quite quickly. He added, "and this is even more pronounced now, [during] maybe the last two years. That's at least what we read from our games, and also from from others in the market."

Cities: Skylines 2 launched last year with problems so bad that fan backlash prompted the publisher and developer Colossal Order to issue a joint apology, subsequently proposing a "fan feedback summit." The game's first paid DLC was also delayed due to major performance issues during its launch. Meanwile, Life By You was axed earlier this year, as they had ultimately decided that further development on the game would not bring it up to the standards of both Paradox and its player community. Though, Lilja later explained that some of the problems they've faced were issues that they rather "had not really understood fully," so "that's totally on us." he added.

Latest Games More +
Educational | 34.8 MB
Mastering the art of drawing your favorite characters from Rainbow Frien is now easier than ever with the free training application, How to Draw Rainbow Frien. This app is designed to guide you through the process of bringing these beloved game characters to life on paper. With straightforward and u
Educational | 62.1 MB
Joe the Monkey from The Money Mammals is on a mission to become a money smart kid, and he needs your help to learn the difference between needs and wants. This is a crucial skill for pre- and early elementary schoolchildren to master, setting the foundation for a lifetime of smart financial decision
Educational | 60.1 MB
Setting a goal and performing simple household chores to save for it is an excellent way to teach kids about financial responsibility and the value of money. The Money Mammals' "Save for a Goal" program is a delightful approach to introduce children to the concept of earning money with a specific pu
Educational | 36.9 MB
Are you ready to put your reflexes and financial knowledge to the test? The Money Mammals Currency Challenge is here to challenge you on your dollars and cents. Dive into this engaging game and discover how sharp your money smarts really are!Teachers and Parents - It's never too early to start finan
Educational | 101.2 MB
Fun Coloring Game with Poli and Friends! Enjoy the Kid's Games!Dive into a world of creativity and fun with Poli and friends! Our engaging coloring games are perfect for kids who love to play and learn. What games are you excited to try? We have a variety of Poli coloring games that will keep your l
Educational | 34.9 MB
If you're a fan of the thrilling *Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach* game series and eager to learn how to draw its iconic characters, the "How to Draw FNaFfs Security Breach Characters Step by Step" app is your perfect companion. This app is designed to guide you through the process of creat
Topics More +
Mar 04,2025 A total of 10
More
Feb 27,2025 A total of 10
More
Dec 31,2024 A total of 10
More
Dec 30,2024 A total of 10
More