Summary
With thePlayStation 5halfway through its estimated lifespan, it’s clear to see why people are more than satisfied by this console’s massive library of games. The lack of exclusives has irritated many fans, but this has more to do with the developing AAA landscape and how state-of-the-art video games have longer and more expensive development cycles than ever before.
The PlayStation 5 is no stranger to controversy, with both the console and some of its games being the source of a ton of debate and uproar. Some of the most popular PS5 games players love today have been controversial for numerous reasons, with some being more notorious than others.
Returnalis one of the most intense roguelike shootersplayers can check out, showing how indie gaming has influenced the AAA sphere. Selene’s struggles to escape a planet while uncovering the harrowing events of her past make for a thrilling adventure.
When the game came out, players hated how they couldn’t save in between runs. This made progress a slog as players were forced to stick with a run for a long time before eventually calling it quits. What made things worse were random crashes and Rest Mode glitches that often ruined a player’s progress in a promising run. Thankfully, these issues were patched out, but the controversy these issues generated was notable nevertheless.
Grand Theft Auto 5itself has been a source of controversyfor numerous reasons, ranging from a gratuitous torture scene to Rockstar’s money-hungry behavior being exposed after they chose to focus onGTA Onlinefor far too long. The latter made the decision surrounding the game’s PS5 release to generate a lot of controversy.
Players hated how an amazing title likeRed Dead Redemption 2was stuck at 30 FPS on consoles, whileGrand Theft Auto 5had released updated versions on three different generations of consoles. It showed where Rockstar’s priorities were focused, and turned the announcement trailer of this PS5 release into one of the company’s most disliked videos.
The Last of Us Part 2was the source of much controversyboth before and after its initial release. The risks taken by this game’s story didn’t sit well with many, although the gameplay was solid enough to redeem the experience in the eyes of most players.
However, regardless of the game’s quality, green-lighting a remaster of this title was completely unnecessary and continued Sony’s frustrating trend of remastering games that don’t necessarily need this treatment. Most titles from the PS4 era only need a PS5 60 FPS patch and they’ll be good to go in the eyes of many. Re-releasing the game at full price struck many players as a predatory move.
Theoriginal release ofUntil Dawnmade many horror fans happy with its campy slasher vibes and the game’s butterfly effect storytelling mechanic. However, the remake didn’t enjoy any of this unanimous praise.
If anything, players were perplexed by the shoddy quality ofUntil Dawn’s 2024 release. The lighting was objectively worse and dampened the mood of some scenes, while the game was plagued with technical issues and ran at a measly 30 FPS, angering fans even more who realized just how poorly optimized this title was. It was clear that Sony wanted to cash in on the hype of the upcoming film adaptation and pushed this title out quickly without proper QC.
Technically speaking,Helldivers 2’sPS5 releasewas fairly smooth and turned this title into one of the most successful live-service titles of 2024. However, making PSN accounts mandatory for the PC release caused a wave of backlash that affected Arrowhead’s employees too.
The game was review-bombed after the mandatory PSN sign-in announcement, and Arrowhead’s community manager outright stated that players should review-bomb the game to let their voices be heard. It’s no surprise that this employee was fired, and it would take a while beforeHelldivers 2would get in the good graces of fans once again after this PR debacle.
Sony has been investing a ton of money into creating live-service games that their fans will love. WhileHelldivers 2was a huge success (despite its own controversies), the same can’t be said forConcord.
Despite being one of the most expensive games ever developed,Concordflopped with a game reveal that made it seem like a bootlegGuardians of the Galaxyanda launch that didn’t fare much better.This problem was compounded by the lack of proper promotion for the game’s launch, leading toConcordhaving embarrassingly low concurrent players at release, which caused the game to be shelved less than a month after it hit digital store shelves.
Hogwarts Legacyis a fun open-world game players can check out if they love the world ofHarry Potter. However, before the game was even released, it was subject to a boycott campaign because of J.K. Rowling’s frequent controversial statements on social media.
As a result,Hogwarts Legacybecame the subject of much discourse for something that was completely out of its control. The title was a massive success and one of 2024’s biggest releases, but the controversy it generated is hard to forget even now.
A lot of problemsplaguedCyberpunk 2077during its development, and players realized the sheer extent of these troubles when they got their hands on this game at launch. A title that was supposed to be the definitive next-gen experience turned into a laughing stock because of its prevalent game-breaking bugs and unrealized ambitions.
It wasn’t until the addition of several patches and updates thatCyberpunk 2077finally transformed into the game players wanted all along. The game’s rise from the ashes has been inspiring, but a long time needs to pass before players will forgive CD Projekt Red for disappointing them back when the title first launched.
