7 most divisive games that made a comeback with a re-release

A comeback story is always interesting because it is incredibly difficult to win back gamers after a released product does not meet their expectations. This not only divides the player base and pits them against one another, but it also creates a hectic environment for the developers. In recent times, we have seen gaming companies releasing games in an unfinished state only for them to fix it later with patches. This damages the company's reputation and also leads to gamers losing trust in the industry.

Although it is not an ideal strategy, it is possible to make a comeback and salvage the damage done. This is something CD Projekt Red did with Cyberpunk 2077 after its release. However, not all companies can fix their games. The studio behind Redfall, Arkane Austin, was shut down after the game received negative reviews.

In this article, we will take a look at seven divisive games that made a comeback with a rerelease. These rereleases are either huge patches or new editions that try to bring the game back to the audience in a new way.

NOTE: This article is subjective, solely reflects the writer's opinions, and is not ranked in any particular order.

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These divisive games made a comeback with a rerelease

1) Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the greatest comeback stories of all time (Image via CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 was announced back in 2012 with a CGI trailer released on YouTube by CD Projekt Red. The hype was inevitable because of the incredible-looking visuals and futuristic dystopia the game was going to take place in. However, eight years later, Cyberpunk bombed on release, with the game suffering from various technical bugs and glitches that hampered the experience.

The only playable version at the time was on PC as console versions were outright unplayable, with the game suffering from massive frame drops and crashes. However, CD Projekt Red fixed Cyberpunk over the years with patches and made a comeback with the 2.0 update, which not only featured a new expansion but also fixed bugs, eventually bringing it to the state it should have been at on release.

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2) No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky revival story is inspirational (Image via Hello Games)

No Man's Sky's comeback story is one for the history books, as the game returned from the dead to become one of the most loved titles of all time. Before launch, the developer Hello Games heavily overpromised features such as multiplayer gameplay, diverse planetary ecosystems, and complex space battles—none of never showed up in the final release of No Man's Sky.

This release disappointed fans as even the gameplay felt repetitive after a while, with not much to do in terms of planetary activities. However, the game made its comeback with free updates over the years that delivered missing features such as base building, new biomes, and multiplayer elements. The updates also fixed numerous bugs in the game to make No Man's Sky a favorite game for many.

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3) Dark Souls 2

Dark Souls 2 is set in a dark fantasy world (Image via FromSoftware)

The Dark Souls franchise is known for its polished gameplay and world design that challenges players with difficult bosses throughout the playthrough. However, Dark Souls 2 is a bit different as players felt the game was too difficult compared to its predecessor, resulting in an uneven difficulty spike. The graphics also took a hit as the visuals were a downgrade compared to the promotional material.

However, the re-release in 2015 marked the comeback of Dark Souls 2 as it addressed the criticisms of the original release. This new release upgraded the graphics to match the promotional material and changed the enemy placements as well. The developers even went ahead and fixed some balancing issues to make the game more fair and enjoyable.

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4) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword made a comeback with a remaster (Image via Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword came out on the Wii back in 2011, and it heavily relied on motion controls. This resulted in the players getting frustrated and the game getting backlash for its control scheme. Another factor that the players didn't like was that, compared to the previous games in the franchise, Skyward Sword was too linear, with only limited options for exploration.

However, the game made a huge comeback as a remaster for the Nintendo Switch in 2021 which featured upgraded graphics and performance. This remaster allowed the players to use traditional controls, eliminating the biggest problem that fans of the franchise were complaining about. Other than that, there was an option to skip cut scenes, allowing players to get to the gameplay sections quickly.

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5) Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV relaunched in 2013 (Image via Square Enix)

The Final Fantasy franchise has always delivered banger after banger, however, Final Fantasy XIV felt like letdown to many players. The game released in 2010 and was riddled with issues such as an unorganized user interface, which made navigating the menus confusing. However, what led to the game's servers being shut down was the various performance issues and bugs.

In 2013, Final Fantasy XIV made its comeback with a new engine and better gameplay mechanics. Over the years, this re-release has received expansions and content updates that have kept it alive and well. Square Enix listened to the criticism of the original 2010 release and fixed the performance issues as well, turning Final Fantasy XIV into a beloved MMORPG title.

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6) Days Gone (PC)

Days Gone is an open world zombie game (Image via PlayStation Publishing LLC)

Days Gone was a PlayStation exclusive that was later ported to the PC in 2021. While the game was highly anticipated for the PC, the hopes of fans crashed and burned when Days Gone was released in a buggy state, riddled with performance issues.

The release was already met with mixed reviews from the critics, which further tarnished the game's reputation. However, future updates solved the performance issues and addressed the bugs. Soon, the PC release was brought to a playable state, and the Steam reviews have been very positive ever since.

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7) Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War was initially criticized by the gaming community (Image via Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which was released in 2017, was immediately called out by the gaming community for featuring outrageous microtransactions and a loot box system. This negatively impacted the game's economy and made the overall experience feel grindy. This grind was especially more noticeable in the endgame content, which forced players to pay to progress further in the game.

However, in 2018, all sorts of microtransactions were removed from Middle-earth Shadow of War, and game was rebalanced to reduce the grindy gameplay. This re-release featured post-launch updates and content, which helped in the game's feedback becoming positive compared to the 2017 release.