What's up with gaming developers and launching unfinished games?

After Cyberpunk 2077 became an embarrassing fiasco for CD Projekt RED, a slew of games have followed, especially in the past few months.

From Halo Infinite to Forspoken followed by Redfall, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and finally, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, it's clear that this is no longer an isolated case resulting from improper management within a single company.

All of the aforementioned games suffer from a similar complaint - the overall lack of polish unbecoming of a AAA title.

Although each game's respective developers vowed to resolve the issues, the damage is already done. The reputation of a promising title is nigh unsalvageable save in rare cases. Even then, if a game can "eventually" be good, why won't developers just delay them as opposed to spending months fixing them while risking their brand?

These growing incidents are but a few examples of a broader problem plaguing the gaming industry. Studios seem to have fallen into the habit of pushing incomplete games out, leaving gamers to deal with the fallout. Such practices dampen the enjoyment of players and damage the reputations of the studios involved in a game's creation.

So, what know? Can this still change? Maybe. But, developers need to hold themselves accountable. Otherwise, the growing unrest might force gamers to vote with what counts the most - their wallet.

The gaming community has made their pent-up frustration and disappointment loud and clear - they've had enough.

Gamers deserve gamers that live up to their promise and potential, gamers that can ignite their passion and not douse it.

Don't forget, gamers aren't just products. To most, they're experiences, moments, and stories that stick to players for years. Developers need to realize that whatever they are creating is something special. Although the finances are important, it's important to know that rushing unfinished games to the market is never just a good thing. By doing so, the game becomes worse than a defective product; it becomes a defective experience.

It's high time studios take a step back, reevaluate their process, and work to deliver a quality experience that meets, if not exceeds, gamers' expectations.

Because, after all, isn't the never-ending quest for a better and more memorable experience exactly what gaming is about?

Square Enix

,

Nintendo

, and

Blizzard Entertainment

appear to have learned from their earlier mistakes and we're hoping the rest will do so too soon enough.