History TroubledProduction / VideoGames0ToM

** In 2006, Creator/SquareEnix announced ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'', which was planned to be a [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]] exclusive game. The game's development didn't really go anywhere for years to come, and the title was still in pre-production phase by 2011. News of its progress was sparse as ''Versus XIII'' consistently abstained from the game exhibitions, and rumours of its cancellation began to spread. In 2013, the production team announced that the game would be released for [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4]] and UsefulNotes/XboxOne (rather than the intended [=PS3=]), and had been retitled to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV''. A year later, it was announced that Creator/TetsuyaNomura had stepped down as the game's director and was replaced by Hajime Tabata, who then announced a number of large changes to the game's established story, characters and gameplay. The game was then set to be released on September 30, 2016, but was later delayed again to November 29, 2016 in order to avoid a Day One patch... only to release a Day One patch in order to enhance gameplay mechanics and add new moves. However, despite its production troubles, ''XV'' nonetheless, ended up being critically and commercially successful.

* ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'', if [[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/how-microsoft-s-halo-infinite-went-from-disaster-to-triumph this report]] is anything to go by. Originally intended for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and Windows, the game would later be ported to the Xbox One's successor, the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS. The team faced many challenges including working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, switching to Microsoft's new proprietary Slipspace Engine and abandoning from the franchise's traditional linear campaign in favor of an open world design. Yet the biggest hurdle was the high developer turnover as the development team was comprised primarily of contractors who couldn't work more than 18 months per company policy. Fortunately, Microsoft appointed former Bungie developer Joseph Staten to Head Creative in August 2020, who managed to course-correct the game's direction. As Staten worked as cinematic director and writer on the similarly tumultuous development of ''Halo 2'' and ''Destiny'', his experience allowed him to empathize with the ''Infinite'' team and correct development shortcoming, leading to boosted morale. Furthermore, Staten successfully convinced Microsoft on the behalf of the development to delay the game, arguing that a rushed title would only further tarnish the brand, especially given the lukewarm sales and fan reception to Microsoft's post-Bungie ''Halo'' titles. Fortunately, when the game was released in 2021, it was a success with the game having some of the highest concurrent player counts and critical acclaim in the franchise.

** First teased in 2012 and originally known under the codename "Dylan" before it was titled ''Beyond'', the game spent years in pre-production. The team wanted to break away from their traditional role-playing formula and quickly settled on the idea of an online multiplayer action game set on a hostile "[[TheBermudaTriangle Bermuda Triangle]] in space" alien world, with the {{Player Character}}s piloting suits of flying PoweredArmor and a [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness Hard Science Fiction]] approach that was said to be "less ''Film/IronMan'' and more NASA". Development suffered a blow when Casey Hudson, the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' creative director who was slated to take on that role in ''Beyond'', left the company in 2014. Hudson played a major role in development on the games he worked on, and without him the team felt directionless. Regardless, morale on the ''Beyond'' team was high, especially compared to the Montreal team behind ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', which was in a state of internal crisis.

** Still, the game began to show some promise, improving in graphical quality as well as managing to secure a surprising number of fighters such as Zee Tee from ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}'', Captain Viridian from ''VideoGame/{{VVVVVV}}'', The Batter from ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'', a goat from ''VideoGame/GoatSimulator'', and Dust from ''VideoGame/DustAnElysianTail''. However, it became clear that Kjolner was apparently so desperate to pad out the roster that he was not only including characters from games that weren't yet released (some of which were later straight-up cancelled), but also characters from ''games that hadn't even started production''. Him actually beginning work on these games only made things worse, as he increasingly neglected ''Indie Game Battle'' in favor of his own work.

** A [=GBA=] port of the first ''Metal Slug'' was also being made, but was criticized during development demos for poor implementation and was eventually cancelled due to memory limitations alongside planned ports of ''2'' and ''3''[[note]]That, and the fact that [[CompilationRerelease Metal Slug Anthology]] was also being released probably didn't help matters.[[/note]].

* The partnership between Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics (with Creator/{{Activision}} involved on Crystal Dynamics' side) on the development of ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKain Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain]]'' and a proposed, canceled sequel degenerated into a pileup of legal screwovers and ExecutiveMeddling on ownership and content of the IP -- with Crystal Dynamics winning and bridges burned. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20121216013606/http://www.gog.com/forum/general/release_legacy_of_kain_blood_omen_2/post24 Because of this, don't expect]] [[ScrewedByTheLawyers to see a re-release]] of the first ''Blood Omen'' in the near future, although it ''is'' available on the [=PlayStation=] Store as a download for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable.

* Both ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and [[VideoGame/Destiny2 its sequel]] went through development woes owing to disagreements between the development team and senior leadership at both Creator/{{Bungie}} and Creator/{{Activision}}.

*** Marty O'Donnell took on an ambitious composing project to create unique musical environments called "Music of the Spheres," complete with getting Music/PaulMcCartney involved, but Creator/{{Activision}} rejected his ideas for a soundtrack release, and the gameplay reveal was made using other licensed music. This conflict eventually lead to O'Donnell being fired, he successfully sued them for wrongful termination and lost income for profit-sharing and stock options. By the time the game was launched Creator/{{Bungie}} ended up losing two of the most prominent members of the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' crew.

** A [[https://www.ign.com/articles/bungie-report-battle-soul-work-culture-harassment-crunch 2021 report]] by [=IGN=] revealed that Bungie suffered from a toxic work culture that negatively impacted the ''Destiny'' development with the narrative team bearing the brunt of the abuse. During the development of the first ''Destiny'', one narrative lead was so overwhelmed that he would experience regular outbursts that culminating in him throwing a chair at a window. However, the worst abuse was experienced by the ''Destiny 2'' narrative team, which had proportionally more women and people of color than the other Bungie teams. One the writers, a woman of color known in the article as Cookie Hiponia, revealed how she was denied promotion unless she "got good" at the game, her reports of sexist abuse were aside by [=HR=] as just jokes and she even suffered from stress-related health problems that required surgery. Development was so tumultuous that writers were forced to work 80 to even 100 hours per week. On top of that, the writers were harassed and scapegoated by members of the ''Destiny'' fanbase, who weren't aware of the development problems. Only after threats of developers quitting ''en masse'' did Bungie finally fire the problematic leads and overhauled the studio structure.

* ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'', if [[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/how-microsoft-s-halo-infinite-went-from-disaster-to-triumph this report]] is anything to go by, suffered through constant developer churm and missed deadlines. Originally intended for UsefulNotes/XboxOne and Windows, the game evolved into a launch title for the Xbox One's successor the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS. The team faced many challenges including working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, switching to Microsoft's new proprietary Slipspace Engine and switching from the franchise's traditional linear campaign to an open world design. Yet the biggest hurdle was the high developer turnover as the development team was comprised primarily of contractors who couldn't work more than 18 months per company policy. Fortunately, Microsoft appointed former Bungie developer Joseph Staten to Head Creative in August 2020, which lead to a massive turnaround for the game. As Staten worked as cinematic director and writer on the similarly tumultuous development of ''Halo 2'' and ''Destiny'', his experience allowed him to empathize with the ''Infinite'' team and correct development pitfalls, leading to increased morale. Furthermore, Staten successfully convinced Microsoft on the behalf of the development to delay the game, arguing that a rushed title would only further tarnish the ''Halo'' brand, especially given the lukewarm sales and fan reception to Microsoft's post-Bungie ''Halo'' titles. Fortunately, when the game was released in 2021, it was a success with the game having some of the highest concurrent player counts and critical acclaim in the franchise.

* ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'', if [[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/how-microsoft-s-halo-infinite-went-from-disaster-to-triumph this report]] is anything to go by. Intended as a launch title for the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, the ''Infinite'' went through many revisions and developer turnovers. The campaign's departure from the traditional linear campaign to an open world design proved to be a hassle for the developers and had to be halved in size from their original vision. It also didn't help that the team suffered from high turnover as it was comprised primarily of contractors who couldn't work more than 18 months per company policy. On top of all that, the game's first look in July 2020 was nothing short of a debacle as the footage shown was based on an older build showing ugly textures, stuttering framerates and a destaturated color palette. Fortunately, the game turned a corner when Microsoft appointed former Bungie developer Joseph Staten to Head Creative in August 2020. As Staten worked as cinematic director on the similarly tumultuous development of ''Halo 2'', his experience allowed him empathize with the ''Infinite'' team, leading to increased morale. Furthermore, Staten convinced Microsoft to delay the game, arguing that a rushed title would only create bad publicity and hurt future sales. Although Microsoft was initially adamant in the original 2020 release date, they relented as they didn't want a potentially poor response to ''Infinite'' to further tarnish the already lukewarm fan reception to their post-Bungie ''Halo'' titles. Fortunately, when the game was released in 2021, it was a success with many fans, outlets and pundits praising it as one of the best ''Halo'' titles.

* The infamous ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraterrestrial'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}, which was so [[ChristmasRushed rushed]] that it ended up being made just in six weeks. Considering that it was made basically by a single person, Howard Scott Warsaw, and that programming for 2600 was notoriously idiosyncratic, it's actually a minor miracle that the game is playable at all. The game was enormously hyped by the Atari's marketing department -- they actually made more carts than there were Ataris, expecting the game to be [[KillerApp so popular]] it'd create a console sale boom. Instead, it catastrophically failed to live up to expectations, with many people calling it one of the worst games ever made. The game's failure played a huge role in triggering UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. It led to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_video_game_burial Atari secretly burying tons of unsold cartridges in a secure New Mexico landfill]], which were later excavated in 2014.

** Smart has released some later versions as freeware. The flame wars are probably still going on ''somewhere'' on the Internet. And given his interest in the development of ''VideoGame/StarCitizen'', a game [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment that he feels is a similarly troubled production]], they likely won't end anytime soon.

** ''Fez 2'' was announced in June 2013. However, after an argument with game journalist Marcus Beer, Fish [[https://www.polygon.com/2013/7/27/4563350/fez-2-canceled-phil-fish-confirms angrily cancelled the game]] and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere left the industry]]. This bit of news surprised the rest of Polytron, and ever since then are loath to discuss upcoming projects (besides ports). On account of what happened, Fish himself became a persona non grata among portions of the gaming community. Fingers were still crossed that ''Fez 2'' would see the light of day, but those hopes were quashed when Fish [[http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/phil-fish-selling-polytron-and-rights-to-fez-27879 sold the rights to Fez and Polytron]] after his personal information was hacked[[note]](over his support of the [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment controversial]] ''VideoGame/DepressionQuest'')[[/note]].

* The much-anticipated mystery game ''1666'', that was being developed by Patrice Desilets of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' and ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' fame, has been delayed due to conflicts between Patrice and Ubisoft due to Ubisoft acquiring the rights to the game after THQ's bankruptcy. Since Patrice had left Ubisoft for THQ due to creative differences, Ubisoft wasted no time in firing Patrice over "creative differences". However, as [[ScrewedByTheNetwork one final act of spite]], Ubisoft did not outright cancel ''1666'', since that would revert ownership of the rights back to Patrice. Instead, they put development "on hold" indefinitely just so they can keep the title out of Patrice's hands. Patrice pursued legal action to force Ubisoft to release the property (which eventually did happen, though what will happen next is anyone's guess).

** [[https://twinfinite.net/2019/03/ace-combat-7-heartfelt-story/ As]] [[https://twinfinite.net/2019/03/ace-combat-7-best-launch-saved/ explained]] by Producer Kazutoki Kono, the concept of the game sat on the shelf for two years due as Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment focused on the free-to-play business model of ''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity''. After ''7'' was finally given the go-ahead, the project was restarted after the game's announcement at Playstation Experience 2015. Kono was dismayed at the lack of progress or a clear design goal and felt that the game was "boring", all of which led to several delays.

** It was only in late 2017 that the game began to take shape, with the team expanding and Manabu Shimomoto joining as a second producer. The team worked in a frenzy to complete the game, breaking through the game's VR troubles as well as redoing work on various elements to a higher standard of quality. When ''Ace Combat 7'' released in January 2019, it was met with a level of critical acclaim and commercial success the series hadn't seen since the Playstation 2 era, selling 500,000 units [[https://twitter.com/BandaiNamcoSEA/status/1099927006412763137 in Asia]] during its first month. By August 2021, the game had become the best-selling installment in the series with over 3 millions copies sold worldwide, vindicating Kono's struggle.
* ''VideoGame/TheAct'', an InteractiveMovie arcade game with hand-drawn animation from ex-Creator/{{Disney}} animators, was cancelled when its location test failed, and publisher interest never materialized. Developer Cecropia [[CreatorKiller closed]] [[http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass-high-tech/2008/06/while-the-local-gaming-space-rises-cecropia.html afterwards]]. Only a handful of conversion kits and dedicated cabinets exist. The game's sole port to iOS devices was delisted from the App Store in 2015 when third-party company React Entertainment shut down.

* In 2019, ''VideoGame/CookingMama: Cookstar'' was revealed for the Nintendo Switch, released in March 2020 and immediately delisted from the Nintendo [=eShop=] and recalled from stores. Speculation and rumors ran rampant until ''Cooking Mama'' creators Office Create came forward with the full story. The property was licensed out to another publisher (Planet Entertainment) and developer (1st Playable Productions), but when the developers were asked to fic ''Cookstar'''s problems after a poor gameplay demonstration, Planet not only released the game anyway (breaching their contract), but also commissioned and promoted a [=PlayStation=] 4 port of ''Cookstar'' (also without Office Create's authorization). As for the game itself, the release was an ObviousBeta plagued by awful motion controls, [[ItsEasySoItSucks repetitive and unchallenging gameplay]] and an inferior depiction of the Mama. On top of all that, the game was so badly optimized that it caused players' Nintendo Switch consoles to overheat, which spawned rumors that it had a Bitcoin miner embedded (spurred by an odd claim in an PR release that the game would leverage cryptocurrency, which turned out to be meaningless buzzwords meant to intice investors). In the end, Office Create [[CreatorBacklash profusely apologized]] for the game, removed the game from digital storefronts, sued Planet Entertainment over the whole debacle, and ''Cookstar'' became OvershadowedByControversy.

* ''VideoGame/BodyHarvest'' was originally slated to be a launch title for the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}. However, during development, publisher Nintendo took issue with the game's violent themes and thus dropped out of the project altogether. The game was presumed vaporware until Gremlin Interactive and Midway Game picked it up and released it in October, 1998... more than two years after it was originally slated to be released! According to Rusel [=DeMaria=]'s video game history book, the real reason Body Harvest fell through was because of DMA Design's and Nintendo's different ideas (DMA's free-form/mission play similar to GTA vs. role-playing elements that Nintendo wanted), and the game ended up being not as great as could have been after Nintendo didn't decide to publish it.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for almost sixteen years. While never officially announced until 2021, the game's existence was leaked to the press shortly after it started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. However, it would be cancelled quickly after due to series producer Yoshio Sakamoto being displeased with the technical power of the hardware. Development would begin anew in 2008 (presumably for the handheld's more powerful [=DSi=] revision), but was once again cancelled for the same reason. It wasn't until Sakamoto worked with Creator/MercurySteam to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that ''Dread'' was revived, with the positive reception of ''Samus Returns'' and his own satisfaction with their work inspiring him to revisit the concept once again.
*** Unfortunately, once the game restarted development in 2018, it suffered a number of production woes. [[https://www.anaitgames.com/articulos/mercurysteam-empleados-condiciones-trabajo This article]] details the production problems, with an English translation [[https://famiboards.com/threads/metroid-dread-dev-issues-cut-content-salary-punishments-and-more-at-mercurysteam.424/#post-27194 here]]. In short, many of the employees at [=MercurySteam=] were undervalued by higher-ups and [[WeHaveReserves treated as expendable drones]] [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity that were fired for the]] [[DisproportionateRetribution slimmest of infractions]]. This led to more than 50 staff members [[UncreditedRole not receiving proper credit]] for the finished game, due to [=MercurySteam=]'s policies only crediting those who worked for at least 25% of development time. Mismanagement of the project also resulted in tons of content needing to be scrapped to meet deadlines, though said decision was also thankfully the result of both Nintendo and [=MercurySteam=] adamantly refusing to force staff to crunch to make up for lost time (which employees viewed as a godsend for their physical and mental health). Despite the poor working environment, just like ''Prime'', ''Metroid Dread'' quickly became one of the most successful games in the franchise.

* ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'' was originally meant as a spiritual successor to the Classic ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise by series co-creator and main producer Creator/KeijiInafune. However, a combination of big promises, a slashed budget and a desire to look and feel flashy and expensive led to a slow and troubled development. Not only they had to develop a game with all those difficulties but also release it on five consoles themselves with little external help. After multiple delays ended up released in mid-2016... at which point not only were there multiple counts of backer keys either not working or receiving DLC keys instead of the game, but the UsefulNotes/WiiU version caused the console to hard crash, and the release of the game on the Xbox 360, Mac and Linux were delayed even further. Upon release it was also critically savaged and Inafune [[http://kotaku.com/mighty-no-9-s-designer-says-i-will-own-all-the-proble-1782382706 accepted responsibility for the disappointing final product,]] citing the promise of developing ''10 versions of the game at once'' as a death knell in hindsight.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for almost sixteen years. While never officially announced until 2021, the game's existence was leaked to the press shortly after it started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. However, it would be cancelled quickly after due to series producer Sakamoto being unsatisfied with the technical specifications of the hardware. Development would begin of in 2008 (presumably for the handheld's more powerful [=DSi=] revision), but was once again cancelled because for the same reason. It wasn't until Sakamoto worked with Creator/MercurySteam to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that ''Dread'' was revived, with the positive reception of ''Samus Returns'' and his own satisfaction with their work inspiring him to revisit the concept once again.

* In 2019, ''VideoGame/CookingMama: Cookstar'' was revealed for the Nintendo Switch, released in March 2020 and immediately delisted from the Nintendo [=eShop=] and recalled from stores. Speculation and rumors ran rampant until ''Cooking Mama'' creators Office Create came forward with the full story.\\\
Published by Planet Entertainment on a license from Office Create, the game's development (by 1st Playable Productions) did not go smoothly, with gameplay demos falling far below Office Create's desired standards. When asked to go back and fix ''Cookstar'''s problems, Planet released the game anyway, thus breaching their contract and causing Office Create to order all copies of the game recalled. To add insult to injury, Planet had also commissioned and promoted a [=PlayStation=] 4 port of ''Cookstar'' without Office Create's authorization.\\\
Those that did get a hold of the game were met with an ObviousBeta plagued by awful motion controls, [[ItsEasySoItSucks repetitive and unchallenging gameplay]] and an inferior depiction of the Mama. On top of all that, the game was so badly optimized that it caused players' Nintendo Switches to overheat, which spawned rumors that it had a Bitcoin miner embedded. In the end, Office Create [[CreatorBacklash profusely apologized]] for the game, sued Planet Entertainment over it and ''Cookstar'' became OvershadowedByControversy.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for almost sixteen years. While never officially announced until 2021, the game's existence was leaked to the press shortly after it started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. However, it would be cancelled quickly after due to Sakamoto being unsatisfied with the technically specifications of the hardware. Development would begin again in 2008 (presumably for the handheld's more powerful [=DSi=] revision), but was once again cancelled for the same reason. It wasn't until Sakamoto worked with Creator/MercurySteam to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that ''Dread'' was revived, with the positive reception of ''Samus Returns'' and Sakamoto's own satisfaction with their work inspiring him to revisit the concept once again.
*** Unfortunately, once the game started development in 2018, it suffered a number of production woes. [[https://www.anaitgames.com/articulos/mercurysteam-empleados-condiciones-trabajo This article]] details the production problems, with an English translation [[https://famiboards.com/threads/metroid-dread-dev-issues-cut-content-salary-punishments-and-more-at-mercurysteam.424/#post-27194 here]]. In short, many of the employees were mistreated by higher-ups and [[WeHaveReserves treated as expendable drones]] [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity that were fired for the]] [[DisproportionateRetribution slimmest of infractions]]. This led to more than 50 staff members [[UncreditedRole not receiving proper credit]] for the finished game, due to [=MercurySteam=]'s policies only crediting those who worked for at least 25% of development time. Mismanagement of the project also resulted in tons of content needing to be scrapped to meet deadlines, though said decision was also thankfully the result of both Nintendo and [=MercurySteam=] adamantly refusing to force staff to crunch to make up for lost time (which employees viewed as a godsend for their physical and mental health). Despite this, just like ''Prime'', ''Metroid Dread'' quickly became one of the most successful games in the franchise, both critically and commercially.

*** Unfortunately, once the game started development in 2018, it suffered a number of production woes. [[https://www.anaitgames.com/articulos/mercurysteam-empleados-condiciones-trabajo This article]] details the production problems, with an English translation [[https://famiboards.com/threads/metroid-dread-dev-issues-cut-content-salary-punishments-and-more-at-mercurysteam.424/#post-27194 here]]. In short, many of the employees were mistreated by higher-ups and [[WeHaveReserves treated as expendable drones]] [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity that were fired for the]] [[DisproportionateRetribution slimmest of infractions]]. This led to more than 50 staff members [[UncreditedRole not receiving proper credit]] for the finished game, due to [=MercurySteam=]'s policies only crediting those who worked for at least 25% of development time. Mismanagement of the project also resulted in tons of content needing to be scrapped to meet deadlines, though said decision was also thankfully the result of both Nintendo and [=MercurySteam=] adamantly refusing to force staff to crunch to make up for lost time (which employees viewed as a godsend for their physical and mental health). Despite this, just like ''Prime'', ''Metroid Dread'' quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful entries in the franchise.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for an extremely long time, until its surprise reveal and later release in 2021. While never officially announced until then, the game's existence was leaked to the press shortly after it started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. However, it would be cancelled quickly after, due to Sakamoto being unsatisfied with the technically specifications of the hardware. Development would begin again in 2008 (presumably for the handheld's more powerful [=DSi=] revision, with a prototype even being shown to NOA employees the next year, but was once again cancelled for the same reason. It wasn't until Sakamoto worked with Creator/MercurySteam to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that ''Dread'' was revived, with the positive reception of ''Samus Returns'' and Sakamoto's own satisfaction with their work inspiring him to revisit the concept once again.
*** Unfortunately, things did not improve once the game started development at their studio in 2018. [[https://www.anaitgames.com/articulos/mercurysteam-empleados-condiciones-trabajo This article]] details the production problems, with an English translation [[https://famiboards.com/threads/metroid-dread-dev-issues-cut-content-salary-punishments-and-more-at-mercurysteam.424/#post-27194 here]]. In short, many of the employees were mistreated by higher-ups and [[WeHaveReserves treated as expendable drones]] [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity that were fired for the]] [[DisproportionateRetribution slimmest of infractions]]. This led to more than 50 staff members [[UncreditedRole not receiving proper credit]] for the finished game, due to [=MercurySteam=]'s policies only crediting those who worked for at least 25% of development time. Mismanagment of the project also resulted in tons of content needing to be scrapped to meet deadlines, though said decision was also thankfully the result of both Nintendo and [=MercurySteam=] adamantally refusing to force staff to crunch to make up for lost time (which employees viewed as a godsend for their physical and mental health).

** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for an extremely long time, until its surprise reveal and later release in 2021. The game originally started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, but was cancelled at least twice because every time the developers and Sakamoto tried to create the game as it was envisioned, the hardware limitations simply made it impossible. It wasn't until 2015 when Creator/MercurySteam was brought on board to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that things began to change. After the game was released, Sakamoto was very happy with their performance, and brought them on board to finally make and release ''Dread'' for the more powerful ''UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch''.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}'':

* The development of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' (as detailed in [[https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/29/17386066/the-rocky-story-of-retro-studios-before-metroid-prime this article by Polygon]]) was an absolute mess. Even foregoing Creator/RetroStudios's troubled beginnings that prompted a frustrated Creator/{{Nintendo}} and Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto to throw out basically everything they were working on and lay off multiple employees, ''Prime 1'''s development was a stressful time. At a certain point, the Japanese crew was spending most of their year in America overseeing the game, while Retro staffers would spend that same year pulling all-nighters, working 80-100 hours a week and nourishing themselves on [[ChocolateFrostedSugarBombs atomic fireball candy]] of all things ([[http://wii.ign.com/articles/101/1016511p4.html going through a total of 72 gallons worth]]). In the words of one artist: "I think it took us almost six months to do the first level that Nintendo approved, then we had less than a year to do the rest of the game." While the end result remains one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful entries in the franchise, the aforementioned work conditions and the aftermath of studio heads hogging the bulk of royalty payments to themselves still led to some staff jumping ship, forcing Nintendo to step in once again to replace company head Steve Barcia with Michael Kelbaugh.
* ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was considered {{Vaporware}} for an extremely long time, until its surprise reveal and later release in 2021. Unsurprisingly, this trope is to blame. [[https://www.anaitgames.com/articulos/mercurysteam-empleados-condiciones-trabajo This article]] details the production problems, with an English translation [[https://famiboards.com/threads/metroid-dread-dev-issues-cut-content-salary-punishments-and-more-at-mercurysteam.424/#post-27194 here]].
** The game originally started development in 2005 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, but was cancelled at least twice because every time the developers and Sakamoto tried to create the game as it was envisioned, the hardware limitations simply made it impossible. It wasn't until 2015 when Creator/MercurySteam was brought on board to develop ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' that things began to change. After the game was released, Sakamoto was very happy with their performance, and brought them on board to finally make and release ''Dread'' for the more powerful ''UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch''.
** Unfortunately, things did not improve once the game started development at their studio in 2018. Many of the employees were mistreated by higher-ups and [[WeHaveReserves treated as expendable drones]] [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity that were fired for the]] [[DisproportionateRetribution slimmest of infractions]]. Tons of content had to be scrapped because of mismanagement and Nintendo's adamant refusal to allow staff to crunch to make up for lost time (which staff viewed as a godsend for their physical and mental health). This led to more than 50 staff members [[UncreditedRole not receiving proper credit]] for the finished game, due to [=MercurySteam=]'s policies only crediting those who worked for at least 25% of development time.
** And once the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic reared its head, staff members were not allowed to work from home, putting them at risk of getting infected with the virus. Also, management did not allow employees to use the work microwaves present on site, so they were unable to eat warm food for a long time. [[NoSuchThingAsHR Even HR proved to be completely useless.]] Really, the fact that the game was released at all, let alone that it also ended up being critically acclaimed and smashing sales records for the franchise upon release, is nothing short of miraculous.