The comeback of Lords of the Fallen is an impressive story in online gaming.
This action role-playing game (RPG) was created by Hexworks and released by CI Games in 2023.
At first, players had mixed feelings about it. But the game has gone through an amazing change since then.
Surprisingly, it’s now celebrated by many gamers, showing how important it is for game makers to listen to players and keep working to make their games better.
A Rocky Start
Lords of the Fallen, released in 2023, is a new version of a game with the same name from 2014. The original game, made by Deck 13, had cool art and ideas but didn’t become popular because of gameplay problems.
CI Games created a new studio called Hexworks just to make this new version. They wanted to fix the old issues and create a great “Soulslike” game (a type of challenging action game).
When the new Lords of the Fallen came out, reviews were mixed. It got a score of 73 on OpenCritic, a website that collects game reviews. People liked the improved graphics and the unique feature of switching between two worlds. However, there were lots of problems:
- The game didn’t run smoothly on many computers
- There were many bugs (errors in the game)
- The difficulty wasn’t well-balanced
- The combat and exploration, which are super important in this type of game, weren’t very good
The Commitment to Improvement
Instead of giving up, Hexworks and CI Games decided to fix these problems. This isn’t something all game companies do. For two years after the game came out, they released more than 50 free updates.
These updates tackled a wide range of issues:
- Performance optimization
- Control revamps
- Bug fixes
- Stability improvements
- Enhanced build variety
- Stamina balancing
- Boss scaling adjustments
- Mob density tweaks
- Co-op stability enhancements
The developers’ approach was methodical and player-focused. They actively monitored Twitch streams, YouTube videos, and Reddit threads to gather feedback.
They even conducted polls on Twitter to gauge player preferences on various aspects of the game.
The 2.0 Update: A Game-Changer
After many updates, Lords of the Fallen released a huge 2.0 update that changed almost everything in the game. This update fixed most of the problems players had complained about:
- Better Combat: They made fighting smoother and more fun.
- Improved Sound: They added new sounds for different actions like attacking, blocking, and parrying (deflecting attacks). This made battles feel more real and exciting.
- Easier Movement: Players can now move faster, dodge better, and even jump with a special button. This makes it easier to explore and fight.
- Better Graphics: They improved the already good-looking game and made the menus easier to use. Players can also make better-looking characters now.
- Help for Lost Players: They added a new feature to help players who get lost find their way.
One of the coolest new things is the “Free Friends Pass.” This lets players invite their friends to play the whole game together, even if the friends don’t own the game. This is great because:
- It’s fun to play with friends
- It might make more people buy the game if they like playing it for free
This update shows how much the developers cared about making the game better for everyone who plays it.
Player-First Philosophy
The improvement of Lords of the Fallen isn’t just about fixing technical issues. It shows a big change in how the company thinks about making games. They’ve decided to focus on what players want above everything else.
Marek Tyminski, the boss of CI Games (the company that owns Hexworks), has been talking a lot about making decisions based on what players want. Here’s an example of how they did this:
Character Creation Change
- At first, the game used “body type A and B” for character creation. This is what many games do nowadays.
- The developers asked players what they preferred in a poll. About 50,000 people answered.
- Almost 90% of players said they wanted the old-fashioned “male and female” options instead.
- The developers quickly changed the game to use “male and female” options.
Some people didn’t like this change, but it showed that the developers really do listen to what most of their players want.
Mixed Reactions and Big Improvements
Not Everyone Agreed
Some people didn’t like CI Games’ approach:
- Some news websites said the company was being unfair to different groups of people.
- But CI Games stuck to their plan of focusing on what most of their players wanted.
Being Open and Learning from Others
Games didn’t just change the game. They also changed how they work:
- They started telling players more about how they make games.
- They hired the same company that helped make Elden Ring (a very popular game) better.
- This shows they really want to learn and improve.
The Results
All this hard work paid off:
- More players now like the game.
- On Steam (where people buy games), the reviews went from “Mixed” to “Mostly Positive.”
- The game went from being disappointing when it first came out to being respected by many players.
What Players Like Now?
Players are saying good things about:
- The improved fighting in the game
- How great the game looks (it uses new technology called Unreal Engine 5)
- How it’s similar to other hard games they like, but with some new ideas
Many gamers have recommended this game for people who are new to this type of challenging game. It’s still hard, but not as punishing as some other similar games.
What We Can Learn From This
The success of Lords of the Fallen teaches us some important lessons:
- Don’t Give Up: Keeping at it and improving can turn a bad game into a good one.
- Listen to Players: Pay attention to what players say and use their ideas to make the game better.
- Be Open and Honest: Telling players about how you’re making the game helps them trust you.
- Mix New and Old Ideas: It’s good to try new things, but keep some familiar stuff that players like.
- Keep Improving After Release: Updating the game a lot after it comes out can make it much better.
- Put Players First: Making what players want, not just what you think is cool, leads to better games.
What This Means for Gaming
The Lords of the Fallen story is about more than just fixing one game. It shows a new way for game makers to work with its audience.
Many companies release broken games and don’t fix them, but Hexworks and CI Games did something different.
They kept working hard, talked to players even when it was tough, and really focused on what players wanted. This didn’t just save their game – it set a new example for other game makers.
The journey of Lords of the Fallen, from a disappointing start to a celebrated comeback, shows what can happen when game makers don’t give up, really listen to players, and truly want to make things better.
It’s an inspiring story for other game makers and a win for players who want games made just for them.
