Video game development is never an easy or fast process. That’s why a lot of games, sequel or not, take too long to make. There’s a joke that every year there’s always a new Call of Duty game. For games outside that genre, there are those that take too long. However, if the game is good, then it’s good; if a game is bad and it took forever, what is even the point? We have 10 games for you today that took so long to make and get out.
LA Noire (7 Years)
Let’s start this list with good old LA Noire. They say that this game was ambitious for the time, and the announcement came around the last years of the current video game generation. PS3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii would usher in the next generation. After a couple of delays, this game was released around 2011, when the next Gen was up and coming, but this game proved its worth with some stellar reviews.
Spore (8 Years)
One word to describe this game was AMBITIOUS. For the year 2000, a game concept like this was very interesting and had never been done before at this scale. Unlike today, procedural generation technology was very scarce back then. Nowadays, most games can have it, so the ambitious scope of the game made the development take too long, but it was a game worth the time.
Cyberpunk 2077 (9 Years)
We all heard of this one, which started in 2012 and was released in 2021, with all the wrong things happening to it. An array of bugs, performance issues, and graphical problems plagued this game until it was eventually polished and is now loved by a lot. This game’s development was stuck between Witcher 3 and concept changes. The eventual change from the PS4 to PS5 also delayed its release at the time.
Last Guardian (9 Years)
This game suffered due to technical limitations and problems. Developed during the PS3 era, this game had to deal with two things. One of them was that the graphics for Trico’s feathers were a nightmare to code. It also didn’t help that they wanted the game’s AI to be top-notch, since it was that kind of game. The game came out in 2016 with some positive reviews.
Team Fortress 2 (9 Years)
This game suffered an identity crisis throughout its development. The first Team Fortress game would be something like the Hero Shooter games today, like Overwatch. When TF 2 was being developed, it underwent numerous changes in gameplay. It went from being a realistic shooter to an alien shooter, to back to being a Hero Shooter, which is what made TF 2 so popular today.
Prey (11 Years)
This is different from the Prey (2017) game, as they are different. Development started in 1995, and the game came out in 2006. Prey underwent numerous version changes. They couldn’t come up with the game concept. However, they ended up making an interesting game using first-person shooter mechanics and the concept of Portals.
Final Fantasy XV (10 Years)
Originally announced as Versus Final Fantasy XIII, FF 15 was a game that was connected to the greater FF 13 universe. Announced back in 2006 and with numerous trailers, the game’s development went through numerous changes. It wasn’t until 2013 that the game was announced as Final Fantasy XV, ditching the FF 13 universe and Versus title. A lot of things were changed, and some were still kept. It wasn’t worth the hype because the game had missed some marks when it was released in 2016. However, the game in its current form is loved and has a good following.
Diablo 3 (11 Years)
Initial plans for D3 were that it was going to be turned into an MMO, much like Blizzard’s other game, World of Warcraft. Things happened, and creators from Blizzard North who made the first two Diablo games left the company. This put a stop to the development of Diablo 3. Regardless, the new team took their time, and D3 came out in 2012, although it was a bit controversial.
Star Citizen (2012 – Present/14 Years)
We’re testing our patience with Star Citizen because people know its notorious situation. While it’s only been in development for 14 years, there’s still no clear sight of when this game is coming out. One thing to remember is that this game is crowdfunded, and it just seems to get new investors, and people are suckered into putting money into the game.
Duke Nukem Forever (15 Years)
The grand daddy of all video games that took too long to make is Duke Nukem Forever. This game really did suffer development hell, and the company behind it shut down in 2009. The game itself was continued by Gearbox (makers of the Borderlands games). However, its release in 2011 just gave it the title of too little too late. The game itself wasn’t anything special, and most people said that it was just bad.
