Skull Island Rise of Kong: A ‘Worst GOTY’ Contender Has Arisen to Challenge Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has long been dubbed the worst GOTY for 2023. Yet, another contender for this title has arisen, and it goes by the name of “Skull Island: Rise of Kong.”
Developed by Iguanabee Entertainment, it offers a straightforward 3D experience. Nonetheless, it is marred by a plethora of shortcomings. Notably, it is plagued by a cascade of bugs and glitches, and its overall quality falters, especially evident during cutscenes.
With a worth of $40, said King Kong game has sparked a massive viral backlash on social media. Players who have experienced the game deem this price tag unreasonable. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why the game is currently offered at a 20% discount, bringing its price down to $31.99. However, even this markdown fails to quell the players’ discontentment. On Steam, the game has already carried the “Mostly Negative” label despite its recent release on October 17. At the time of writing, only 33% of 36 reviews expressed a positive sentiment.
This brings Skull Island: Rise of Kong to the same level as the “We Don’t Want It. We Don’t Need It” game of Gollum. Five months after its release, the latter is now carrying the same label of “Mostly Negative.” With only 36% positive reviews out of 352 players who have experienced the title, the gaming community thought they had seen it all. Yet, the latest King Kong game has exceeded their expectation, albeit in all the unfortunate ways imaginable.
If titles like TLotR: Gollum and Skull Island: Rise of Kong had debuted a decade or two ago, they might have garnered success in the gaming industry. However, it’s 2023 now, and the gaming landscape has advanced significantly. Mediocre games are now perceived as slights to consumers. Consequently, they can’t avoid the relentless criticism coming from players worldwide.
This serves as a stark reminder of the industry’s remarkable evolution. Developers must carefully evaluate their choices in both game creation and pricing. They need to seriously uphold the trust of players who invest money in their products. But at the same time, gamers may want to extend a measure of empathy toward developers. After all, developing a game is indeed a complex and intricate process.
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