I'm not sure if being in business for 15 years and buying some of your competitors counts as "failing". Sure their business model was terrible for consumers, but you could say that for most major game publishers as well.
If they go out of business, it will be because they failed to realize when they couldn't get away with what they were doing anymore, and that they need to adapt when so many better options are out there that even the stupid can't miss it.
@Myron117: Same here. I'm not sure they can ever get that back though, because back then they had the advantage of a console that could do things the others couldn't. Now that Sony and MS basically release identical consoles each time, they would have to actually follow through with games like Scalebound to interest me again.
@IanNottinghamX: In defense of some of the people who play this, many people find crapiness more forgivable in a multiplayer setting. It doesn't always have to be good as long as you can have fun goofing around with the other players. In fact, it probably helps occupy some of the trolls who would otherwise be messing with you in a game you care more about playing.
Early access is cool if you like the developer enough that you find it fascinating to play the game first-hand as it evolves. But it has to be one where you like it enough that being involved is part of the fun for you, so you at least got something out of it if the finished product never happens.
@vilified_signals: A Sonic Minecraft ripoff might actually not be bad if it had a well-implemented twist. You could play as Dr. Eggman trying to build zones that will stop Sonic, and then you could play as Sonic to try to defeat other players' levels.
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