10 Games Everyone Thought Were Scams but WERE NOT
Summary
TLDRGame Ranks explores 10 games that were initially doubted by the gaming community but ultimately proved their worth. Titles like 'Black Myth Wukong' and 'Po World' faced skepticism due to their ambitious trailers and small development teams. Despite concerns of being scams or vaporware, these games not only released but also garnered positive reception. 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance' and 'Cuphead' overcame Kickstarter-related doubts, while 'Final Fantasy 7 Remake' defied long-standing skepticism. The list also includes games like 'Omori' and 'Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,' which battled against communication gaps and publisher controversies to deliver quality experiences.
Takeaways
- 🐵 Black Myth Wukong was initially doubted due to its impressive trailers, but it turned out to be a high-quality game, proving skeptics wrong.
- 🌍 Po World was suspected to be a scam because of its ambitious concept, but it delivered a polished early access game without any fraudulent actions.
- 🎮 Kingdom Come: Deliverance faced skepticism due to its Kickstarter origin, but it managed to overcome hurdles and release a well-received game.
- 💃 Cuphead's ambitious design and art style raised doubts about its release, but it became a successful and acclaimed indie game.
- 🗼 Odin Chronicles: 100 Heroes was seen as a potential scam due to its Kickstarter campaign, but it was completed and released to positive reviews.
- 🧛 Vampire Survivors was underestimated and thought to be a scam because of its simple appearance, but it became a popular and engaging game.
- 🔄 The System Shock remake was considered a scam due to prolonged development, but it was eventually released as a successful remake of the classic game.
- 🌟 Final Fantasy 7 Remake was long-awaited and doubted, but it was released to high acclaim, revitalizing the series.
- 🎨 Omori was suspected to be vaporware after long periods of silence from developers, but it was released to critical acclaim.
- 🏰 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning suffered reputational damage due to its publisher's scandal, but the game itself was well-made and successful despite the controversy.
Q & A
What was the initial skepticism around Black Myth Wukong?
-The initial skepticism around Black Myth Wukong was due to its impressive trailers that seemed too good to be true, coming from a small, relatively unknown studio. People were concerned that the game would either be a scam or fail to live up to the trailers' quality.
How did the developers of Black Myth Wukong prove the skeptics wrong?
-The developers of Black Myth Wukong proved the skeptics wrong by releasing a real game that was huge in scope, contrary to expectations of it being a scam or an incomplete tech demo.
What was the controversy surrounding Po World's development?
-The controversy surrounding Po World's development included skepticism about its ambitious premise and accusations of asset theft from the Pokemon developer, Game Freak. However, the game was released as a surprisingly polished early access title, and the theft accusations were unfounded.
Why did some people consider Kingdom Come: Deliverance a potential scam?
-People considered Kingdom Come: Deliverance a potential scam due to its ambitious goals, the risk associated with Kickstarter-funded projects, and the team being first-time developers with a history of high-profile failures in the platform.
How did Cuphead defy expectations and skepticism?
-Cuphead defied expectations by not only being released but also becoming one of the landmark indie games of the decade, selling over a million copies in its first two weeks and proving its ambitious trailer was not just vaporware.
What were the concerns about the Iodine Chronicles: 100 Heroes Kickstarter project?
-Concerns about the Iodine Chronicles: 100 Heroes Kickstarter project included skepticism about the ability to deliver a spiritual successor to the S aden series with a massive scope, the history of failed JRPG Kickstarters, and the risk associated with the project being led by a celebrated Japanese game developer.
Why did some people initially think Vampire Survivors might be a scam?
-Vampire Survivors was thought to be a scam due to its sudden popularity, cheap price, and the assumption that its mobile game-like appearance must involve predatory practices like loot boxes or real money currencies.
What were the development challenges faced by the System Shock remake?
-The System Shock remake faced development challenges including long development periods, multiple complete resets, and changes in vision from a very accurate remake to a modernized version, leading to skepticism about its eventual release.
Why was there skepticism about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake?
-Skepticism about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake stemmed from its long history of teases and delays, Square Enix's inconsistent track record with the Final Fantasy series at the time, and the announcement that the game would be split into multiple parts.
How did Omori's development history lead to scam suspicions?
-Omori's development history led to scam suspicions due to the developer's lack of communication after the Kickstarter ended, long periods of silence, and the extended development time beyond initial estimates, leading backers to assume the project was abandoned.
What was the controversy surrounding Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning?
-The controversy surrounding Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was not about the game itself but its association with the publishing partner 38 Studios, which was accused of defrauding Rhode Island out of a significant loan, overshadowing the game's quality.
Outlines
🎮 The Surprising Success of Initially Doubtful Games
This paragraph introduces a video script discussing games that were initially met with skepticism due to their impressive trailers, which seemed too good to be true. The speaker, Falcon, highlights the tendency for gamers to be wary of such announcements, fearing they might be scams. However, Falcon points out that not all such games turn out to be disappointments, with some exceeding expectations. The paragraph sets the stage for a countdown of games that defied initial doubts and turned out to be great.
🐒 Black Myth: Wukong - From Skepticism to Awe
The speaker discusses 'Black Myth: Wukong,' a game that faced skepticism due to its impressive trailers that seemed too good to be true. Initially, the game's developers were a small, relatively unknown team, which fueled doubts about their ability to deliver on the promises made by their trailers. Despite these concerns, the game was not a scam and turned out to be a massive and impressive title, proving the skeptics wrong and demonstrating that sometimes, games can exceed expectations.
🌍 Pokémon World: Surprising Polish in an Unlikely Concept
Falcon talks about 'Pokémon World,' an open-world survival game that combined elements of gunplay and Pokémon, which sounded dubious and scam-like. Despite initial skepticism, the game was released in early access and was surprisingly polished and feature-complete. Accusations of asset theft were investigated but led to no consequences, and the game ultimately defied expectations, showing that ambitious concepts can sometimes be successfully realized.
🏰 Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Overcoming Kickstarter Skepticism
The paragraph covers 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance,' a Kickstarter-funded game that faced skepticism due to the platform's reputation for risky investments. The game's ambitious goal of creating a realistic medieval simulation raised doubts. However, the team, composed of industry veterans, managed to deliver a game that, despite initial bugs and a smaller scope than promised, fulfilled its Kickstarter promises and impressed players with its depth and quality.
🍵 Cuphead: The Ambitious Indie Game That Defied the Odds
Falcon discusses 'Cuphead,' an indie game with a trailer so impressive it seemed unlikely to be realized. Despite being listed as vaporware by some, the game was eventually released and became a landmark indie title, selling over a million copies in its first two weeks. The game's success proved that ambitious indie projects can indeed come to fruition, contrary to common doubts.
🔮 Iodine Chronicles: 100 Heroes - A JRPG That Surpassed Expectations
The speaker talks about 'Iodine Chronicles: 100 Heroes,' a Kickstarter-funded spiritual successor to the 'Saden' series that faced skepticism due to the history of failed JRPG Kickstarters. Led by the series' creator, the game managed to secure significant funding and, despite delays, was released to positive reviews. It was a rare success story in the realm of crowdfunded JRPGs, offering a complex game with multiple systems and a large cast of characters.
🧛 Vampire Survivors: A Surprisingly Addictive Indie Hit
Falcon highlights 'Vampire Survivors,' a game that gained popularity rapidly and was initially suspected to be a scam due to its low cost and seemingly simplistic design. However, the game turned out to be a fun and engaging experience without predatory monetization practices. Despite minor controversies over sprite design, 'Vampire Survivors' was a genuine indie success story.
🚀 System Shock Remake: Overcoming Development Hell
The paragraph discusses the 'System Shock' remake, which faced skepticism due to its long development and multiple changes in direction. Despite the common perception of such projects as scams, the game was eventually released and was well-received as an excellent remake that modernized the classic title while preserving its unique elements.
🌟 Final Fantasy 7 Remake: The Long-Awaited Revival
Falcon talks about the 'Final Fantasy 7' remake, which was met with skepticism due to its long development and the history of the series' missteps. Despite doubts and a lack of information for several years, the game was eventually released to high praise, featuring a new battle system and stunning visuals. The success of the first part of the remake has left fans hopeful for the remaining installments.
🎨 Omori: The Indie RPG That Silenced Doubters
The speaker discusses 'Omori,' an indie RPG that faced skepticism after a long period of silence from its developers following a successful Kickstarter campaign. Despite concerns that the project was abandoned, 'Omori' was eventually released to critical acclaim, becoming one of the standout titles in the indie RPG genre and proving that patient development can lead to great results.
🏰 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - A Gem Tarnished by Association
Falcon concludes with 'Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,' a game that was unfairly tainted by the controversies surrounding its publisher, 38 Studios. Despite the negative press, the game itself was a well-crafted title with a fun combat system and a dense world. The speaker argues that the game's quality was overshadowed by the publisher's issues, but it stands as a solid title on its own merits.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Scams
💡Black Myth Wukong
💡Kickstarter
💡Vaporware
💡Indie Games
💡Pre-Alpha Trailer
💡Early Access
💡Remakes
💡38 Studios
💡Undertale
Highlights
Announcements for games can sometimes appear too good to be true, leading to skepticism about their legitimacy.
Black Myth Wukong was doubted due to its impressive trailers, but it turned out to be a great game.
Po World was initially suspected as a scam due to its ambitious concept, but it proved to be a polished game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance faced skepticism as a Kickstarter project but managed to deliver a quality game.
Cuphead was considered vaporware due to its ambitious design, yet it became a landmark indie game.
Iodine Chronicles 100 Heroes was doubted as a spiritual successor to the Saden series, but it was completed successfully.
Vampire Survivors gained popularity quickly, and despite its simple appearance, it's a well-crafted game.
The System Shock remake faced development issues and skepticism, but it was eventually released to positive reviews.
The Final Fantasy 7 remake was long teased and doubted, but it was released to high acclaim.
Omori was considered a potential scam due to long periods of no communication from developers, but it was released to great reviews.
Kingdom of Amer Reckoning suffered from association with 38 Studios' controversies, but the game itself is of high quality.
Many games that initially seem like scams or vaporware can defy expectations and become great titles.
Small development teams can sometimes create games that rival those of larger, more established studios.
Community skepticism can be a driving force for developers to prove the quality of their games.
The success of games like Undertale has led to a rise in indie RPGs, some of which have faced doubt but ultimately delivered.
The gaming community's perception of a game can be influenced by the actions of its publishing partners.
Despite initial doubts, many games have proven their worth and become beloved by players.
Transcripts
sometimes announcements for games are
just too good to be true and they turn
out to be well scams and we've all been
burned so much that frankly it's easy to
believe anything that looks really good
is a scam but it's not always the case
sometimes they end up being awesome
games hi folks this Falcon and today on
game ranks 10 games everyone thought
worse games but turned out to be great
starting off with number 10 it's black
myth Wukong there are so many trailers
that come out these days that are too
good to be true I mean look at the day
before those trailers were extremely
impressive but uh you all know how that
game actually turned out to be that one
was a sandwich if I've ever t uh
seen one not tasted one seen one in many
ways black myth looked like something
similar a flashy trailer from a studio
most people have never heard of uh these
guys started out as just a small team of
about seven before ramping up production
after that first pre-alpha trailer if it
wasn't a scam these guys were just
biting off way more than they could chew
there was no way this was going to be
anywhere close to what they were showing
in those trailers right I mean it had to
be at least kind of a scam good things
like this don't just happen there's just
no way not even big billion dollar
companies were making games that look
this good something had to be off here
folks online were skeptical at first and
after the day before crashed and burned
the cynicism surrounding the game only
got worse at least in certain corners of
the internet when it became obvious that
the game was at least coming out a lot
of started to speculate based on
previous the final product was going to
be a little more than a Boss Rush and
maybe more of a tech demo than an actual
complete game I mean the devs managed to
prove all the Skeptics wrong Blackmouth
was a real game and it's huge and I do
want to say that it was one of the games
that I thought was going to turn out to
be a good one a real one and it
was sometimes game devs can pretty much
come out nowhere with an amazing game
it's rare but it
happens at number nine is po world even
more than Wukong the premise of Po World
sounds like a big old scam I mean it's
an open world survival game with guns
and Pokemon it's everything uh you like
all jammed together into one game that
is very often the premise of a scam game
and look at the first trailer looks like
a scam it looks fake looks like the sort
of thing a guy would make using CGI to
trick non- Gamers into investing into
his flyby night Kickstarter but pal
world had at least two things going for
it for one these guys have made a game
before another key thing is that there
was no Kickstarter they just made the
game it's early access which is
sometimes a red flag but the game they
released was surprisingly polished and
mostly featur complete for an early
access
game yeah
that didn't stop some people from
claiming the game was a scam though they
claimed that the game stole assets from
the Pokemon developer game freak well
the Pokemon company said they
investigate and nothing came of it most
of the anger surrounding the game uh
from Pokemon fans has died down but
before and around release man some
people were mad as hell about palor
between the developers who by their own
admission have no idea what they were
doing and were in way over their heads
and the Absurd premise of the game I can
see why people assumed it was you know a
scam but it wasn't uh through some
miracle it came through and ended up
being much better than it had any right
to
be at number eight is Kingdom Come
Deliverance this is the first but far
from the last Kickstarter game that will
show up on this list unlike previous
games where the extent of the scam was
just that the game might not actually
come out this game had the distinct
possibility people who backed it would
get nothing back from their investment
kickstarters are risky by Nature you
basically donate money to someone in the
hopes that they return the favor once
that money is back in their hands that's
it if they don't deliver the goods your
so out of luck by the time Kingdom
Come announced their Kickstarter many
high-profile failures had eroded
consumer confidence in the platform and
basically any high-profile file game
like this was going to have people
assume it's a scam to the skeptic's
credit there was reason for concern I
mean it was a firsttime team making a
very ambitious open world medieval
simulation their Kickstarter was honest
about the difficulty of the project they
were working on and the devs were
actually made up of veterans of the
industry who would work together on
other projects like Mafia 2 but there
are plenty of examples of misleading
information on Kickstarter pages so
there's no way to know if anything they
were saying was actually true and uh the
original release plans got potential
backers guards up there was going to be
this episodic multiple act release
structure which didn't seem realistic
the final game didn't end up being quite
as big as they had originally promised
and it was pretty buggy when it first
came out but overall they managed to
fulfill their promises from the
kickstarter and made a pretty damn
impressive
game now you're getting
it
nice
good at number seven was cuphead another
one of those types of games that looks
so ambitious in the trailer that it just
can't come out there are countless
examples of this sort of thing in the
past radio the Universe shut up in Jam
gayen 2 or heart forth Alicia the list
goes on cuphead looked like the type of
game that was faded to be vaporware just
another exciting Indie that was never
going to come out or it would come out
and be nothing like the game they
initially promised that's one we've seen
time and time again discussion around
the game was generally positive around
the initial announcement but there were
definitely people thinking this was
never going to see the light of day well
they did prove it was real by previewing
the pre-release build and the
overwhelming response was disappointment
in the game's original short length
Impressions were good otherwise but they
knew they were going to have to make the
game bigger which was going to take time
and
money this kind of ramping up in game
development can lead to disaster a lot
of Indie developers Buckle under that
sort of pressure uh even major Outlets
were skeptical about the game at that
time wired put the game in its 2016
vapeware list cuphead did managed to
prove the doubters wrong though it's one
of the landmark indie games of the last
decade sold more than a million copies
in its first two weeks there really
wasn't anything to worry about but uh
again big ambition small team it scares
people
[Laughter]
[Music]
number six is Auden Chronicles 100
Heroes if there's one thing we've come
to learn it's that a celebrated Japanese
game developer attaches their name to a
Kickstarter project uh don't don't put
money in it if they do that if they do
that just start running project Phoenix
Mighty number n Red Ash shenmu 3 some of
these things put out actual games but
anything trying to make a spiritual
successor to some classic jrpg or
something it's going to fail the pull a
project Phoenix and take all your money
string you along for years and disappear
into the night jrpg products made by
veterans are just cursed they're either
scams or cursed or both either way they
never work minus the random outlier like
bloodstained enter iodin Chronicles uh
this game was sold as a spiritual
successor to the saden series and the
project was led by yoshitaka marama the
creator of that series the the the suen
guy it made a shocking amount of money
it was the third highest video game
Kickstarter of all time just below
shenmu 3 in bloodstain but many fans
were still extremely skeptical of the
game would ever come out making jrpgs is
hard these are huge games it doesn't
matter whether they're 2D or 3D or
whatever they just have tons of unique
assets uh and if you're doing voice
acting that's a huge undertaking it's
pretty standard to do voice acting
nowadays too um and this wasn't just
going to be a basic jrpg it was
following s in which it has multiple
combat systems an entire base management
aspect and more than 100 Heroes to
recruit it was originally going to come
out in 2022 but it got delayed due to co
and for a while things looked really
touch and go with the game The Game's
director tragically passed before the
game came out but they were able to
finish it in 2024 and mostly to a
positive response that the game came out
at all as a minor miracle so it's kind
of amazing it's complete it's a massive
complex game with a lot going on and
that's exactly what fans of the old
sting games
want I order a retreat
at number five is vampire survivors this
exploded in popularity out of nowhere
and it looks like a phone game it's got
to be a scam right it's so cheap it's
got to be predatory somehow right where
where's the loot boxes where's the real
money currencies where's the gambling
well there's none vampire survivors is
exactly what it is nothing more nothing
less the developer's experience in the
gambling industry is actually used for
good rather than evil here it's got all
of the dopamine activating flashing
lights and sounds to keep you hopelessly
addicted without trying to get anything
at all from you it's all just in service
of a fun game
[Music]
[Music]
there were some grumblers about certain
Sprites that the game used which are
very similar to certain Castlevania
Sprites but as the developer made clear
they purchased a very popular asset pack
without realizing how close some of the
Sprites were it's a small mistake
they're not ripping Castlevania off the
game isn't even remotely similar so eh
[Music]
at number four is the System Shock
remake the classic emmo of the scam
kickstarters to put a flashy trailer get
a whole bunch of money from gullible
backers then procrastinate like all life
depended on it make excuses say your dog
at your homework who cares all that
matters is that you have plausible
deniability by the time the accusations
of fraud start getting thrown around but
but then hopefully you're gone you're
you're You're gone you you've left
you've disappeared that's how to scam at
least that's what it looks like they do
maybe they do something much more
complex and clever uh it doesn't seem
like it though for a few years though it
was really looking like the System Shock
remake was never happening it took so
long with so many complete resets and
development that I wouldn't blame anyone
for thinking this was some long con you
can only start over from scratch so many
times before you start to look like the
boy who cried bad engine that's only
scratching the surface of the game's
trouble development too at first it was
going to be a very accurate remake then
it was going to be a complete overhaul
then it was going to be a modern uh
thing then an old school thing
eventually they decided on a kind of
hybrid style that ended up working
really well the game was stuck in
development H for around 7 years but the
completed game was an excellent remake
SL remaster it modernized the game in a
few smart ways with a mind on keeping
everything that made the game unique
intact um the game was very touch andgo
during development it could have been a
mess and I wouldn't blame anyone for
starting to think the the whole project
was a scam but they managed to reach the
light at the end of the tunnel and
release a game that was so much better
than most of us assumed it would
be I will kill what I
find and number three is the Final
Fantasy 7 remake no one thought this was
going to be a literal scam more like it
was going to be Vapor wear Beyond Good
and Evil too at at worst it could have
been one of those situations where
Square Enix was purposely misleading
investors keeping stock prices High by
promising a Final Fantasy 7 remake that
they never had any intention to making
teasers for this thing go all the way
back to 2005 like it was something
people were speculating about for years
and years it was like Kingdom Hearts 3
but worse just this endlessly teased
thing that seemed like it was never
going to happen even after getting fully
announced in 2015 skepticism was skyh
high and you can't really blame fans for
assuming the worst at that point Square
wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders
back then the strange and inconsistent
Final Fantasy 13 series the mess that
was the original launch of 14 the half
finished mess that was 15 the series
track record wasn't looking so good back
then and it seemed like a distinct
possibility the Remake would never see
the light of day barely any information
about that game came out between 2015
and 2019 and the stuff they did reveal
mostly came off as fake they were going
to split the game into three parts uh
yeah okay sure sounds uh very
episodically Kickstarter and it's
basically nobody believed it was going
to happen until it did and even holding
a physical copy of the game didn't seem
real at the time it happened it's got
the best battle system the series has
seen in Gears and it's visually stunning
now are they actually going to finish
the trilogy who knows ask me again in
20127 or whenever the final part is
supposed to come out but uh I mean we
got two of the three parts at this point
so
not bad not
[Music]
bad suck on
this suck on
this
still now for the real
you're up do your job m shut up the move
over get ready see
[Music]
you how you like
that I could have done that on my own
sure you could and number two is omori
the success of games like undertale led
to a flood of minim Min IST Indie RPGs
that just I mean you couldn't go on
Kickstarter without seeing one one of
the most interesting was amori it looked
good but soon after the kickstarter
ended the developer stopped
communicating they'd pop back in
occasionally to give a status update but
it was the kind of thing that could
easily be viewed as them trying to play
K backers this went on for 6 years far
longer than the initial Kickstarter
estimates so most backers assume the
project was dead either the dev ran out
of money or they're just stringing the
supporters along whatever uh didn't look
good for the game I imagine everybody uh
was pretty surprised when the game
released least Christmas 2020 to rave
reviews it ended up being the best in
the new wave of Indie RPGs or at least
one of the best depends on your
perspective I don't blame Bankers for
starting to think this was a kind of
scam they were really long droughts in
communication but sometimes you just got
to let a guy cook
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
and finally at number one Kingdom of
Amer Reckoning it's less that the game
itself was considered a scam and more
its reputation was damaged by
associations with the sketchy dealings
of its publishing partner 38 Studios the
general narrative around 38 Studios and
its founder Kurt Schilling is that they
defrauded the state of Rhode Island out
of a 75 million loan and nearly
bankrupted the state and that negative
attention often gets directed onto the
game which isn't fair 38 Studios was
definitely in over its head they had no
idea what they were doing and honestly
Rhode Island clearly did not either but
the game this game specifically not the
MMO they were planning on at the time
was mostly insulated from that 38
Studios didn't make Kingdom of Amer big
huge games did and these guys had a
proven track record of quality they made
Rise of Nations one of the best RTS of
all time and the actual game separate
from all controversy is pretty damn
solid it's got a fun real-time combat
system a detailed and dense World sure
it seems like playing a more active MMO
a lot of the time but in this game's
case it it works
the game actually sold pretty well too
it surpassed a million copies but 38
Studios was bleeding money to make it on
expensive real estate and big paychecks
so the only thing they were going to do
to recoup development costs was if the
game sold 3 million copies minimum that
that wasn't going to happen they never
have a chance to hell of that and
because of that it killed big huge games
who were actually pretty talented
developers the story around the game
tends to overshadow everything else but
it's a pretty darn good game actually
it's pretty great if you can get past
the bizarre Kurt Shilling Association
and honestly I can I'm fine with it I
don't care
[Music]
[Applause]
and that's all for today leave us a
comment let us know what you think if
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very much for watching this video I'm
Falcon you can follow me on Twitter
Falcon hero we'll see you next time
right here on game ranks
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