Why is Forspoken Feared to be a Flop? | TCG

Square Enix raised many red flags after holding release codes, giving a broken demo, and many reasons to label Forspoken as a flop of 2023.

Square Enix and Luminous Productions are facing serious heat from the Forspoken fans after extended delays, demo updates, and eye-popping PC requirements. Finally, to put a cherry on top, no review codes are coming. It means we cannot get a sneak peek at the full game unless we buy it.

Even though the game was advertised to apply for pre-release review codes, the game publisher Square Enix did not send the review codes to major reviewers/outlets, including Skill Up, VGC, and Windows Central, as they confirmed on Twitter.

Also Read: Complete Forspoken Review: A Good Buy?

So, what could be the reasons for hiding the reviews before release? In this article, The CPU Guide will break down the timeline to state why Forspoken is feared to be a big flop.

Forspoken Red Flags Towards Flop

Below I have stated my personal opinion and criticism from the fans to link the possibilities with the probabilities of why Forspoken could get flopped on the PC and PS5 gaming community.

Bad Optimization

Forspoken PS5 exclusivity means it should deliver state-of-the-art graphics and fluent gameplay, right? Well, my 13 minutes gameplay experience seemed a bit underwhelming as I felt PS5 delivered a framerate within a range of 20 to 30 FPS. I mean, it’s 2023, and even some console players like me expect things to be more optimized for the latest console in the market.

Even though the game has not released a demo for PC, the Forspoken PC requirements were probably the most criticized factor from the gaming community. Fans on Reddit took the game developers by storm as they heavily criticized high-end hardware requirements.

I was not ready to see such requirements for the game, which seems beyond my expectations, especially when using an Nvidia RTX 4080 to run the game at 60fps. No wonder why Square Enix didn’t release the review codes, as the game seems poorly optimized for both PC and console.

Disappointing Demo

The Forspoken developers and publishers have kept fans on a long waiting list since May 2022, which was later pushed to October 2022. After taking my first look at the Forspoken PS5 demo, things were more concerning with button mapping and HDR issues.

Also Read: Forspoken Demo Players’ feedback leads to Development Changes

Square Enix gave a demo update a week before the Forspoken’s official release. However, things still seemed a bit exhausting with the gameplay, as I had to bring up this quick menu every time I switched between the two active spells. I’d say the demo killed my hype for the full game, especially when I couldn’t go through the pre-release review.

Development Improvements

After the constant delays and demo feedback, I still had some challenges, as the updated demo seems to lack some gameplay improvements and graphics optimization. I believe the Forspoken developers are still making some last-minute improvements to bring the final version of the game, which could be relatively better than the demo.

Since there is no time left for pre-order bonuses, the gaming community and content creators had to wait for the game’s release to find out about the lacking elements themselves. Now that the game has been released, Luminous Productions is ready to get criticized as I found this hilarious Tweet mocking the game developers.

Is Forspoken Still Popular in the Gaming Community?

Another factor that seemed pretty unacceptable for the gaming community was the price tag. Even after facing heavy criticism on the demo and hefty price, Forspoken Deluxe Edition has maintained its popularity by standing in the 21st spot in Steam’s Top Wishlist. Moreover, Forspoken Standard Edition stands second in Amazon’s Best Seller games for PlayStation 5.

Therefore, I’d say well done.

Final Words

The withholding of review codes seems a very rare scenario for gamers and content creators. I could say it’s either a marketing strategy or a major red flag to hide the flaws and errors in the game. In any case, fans on social media are divided after the demo gameplay experience.

What’s your take on Forspoken’s current situation? Let us know in the comments.

Eiswan
Eiswan

Hi there! I’m a passionate content creator and gamer. Being devoted to making a difference through my publications, I chose to blog for a career to share my knowledge and expertise in gaming technology. Compiling my tech knowledge and gaming experience, I am here to bring you the latest updates and news from the gaming world. Follow me on Twitter .

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