Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
This is one that everyone probably remembers for the majestic nosedive it took into the list of flopped titles. The game itself was very well received and sold better than many probably expected. Just not quite enough – but we’ll get to that later.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was a risky leap taken by 38 Studios to create a whole new franchise. Backed by EA and having creative giants such as R.A Salvatore, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was already posed to provide something special. To give the game credit it sort of did. The game didn’t exactly break any massive walls down in the world of gaming though to be honest. Third-person combat was there and it was good – just not incredible. A crafting system and leveling methods were also thrown at the player from all angles.
What Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning really did to make it one of the flops no one wanted to see was that it created a game where all of the systems worked well, while establishing a whole new universe. For a completely new company like 38 Studios, this was an achievement that could be ranked alongside landing on the moon or not vomiting while Two Girls One Cup is shown after eating soup. The game had everything it needed to springboard to success.
Such a shame then that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning fell so quickly into a pit.
It sold over 1.2 million units by the end of its first 90 days which, lets be fair, is a pretty good amount of sales for a new title which was releasing just a month before the goliath that was Mass Effect 3. The problem was that the game was made using a massive amount of funds given to 38 Studios by the Rhode Island State government who, like any lender, wanted its money back. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning had to sell at least 3 million units to at least break even so 38 Studios was shut down and the assets sold off to refund what Rhode Island had paid.
