Ruined Before Release – The Tragedy of Evolve

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Left 4 Dead’s 2008 release redefined multiplayer, injecting new life into the first-person shooter genre by emphasizing cooperative gameplay above all else. Series creator Turtle Rock Studios began tinkering with early versions of the concept on a whim, a bit of after-work fun not initially intended for public consumption. But even before the crew started toiling away on the genre-defining zombie game, creative leads had another grand idea lingering in the back of their minds, one that would later do for asymmetrical multiplayer what Left 4 Dead did for co-op.

Nascent concepts for Evolve married hunting games Cabela’s Big Game Hunter and Deer Hunter with the premise of extended boss battles. From there, Turtle Rock devised gameplay wherein a group of players would assume the role of Hunters tasked with tracking larger-than-life monsters on an alien planet. In a stroke of game design genius, the developers assigned a lone user the part of monster, the predator and prey who evolved in stages throughout the match.

Multiple publishers were drawn to the idea, so much so that Turtle Rock had little to no trouble finding a home for Evolve on two separate occasions. The asymmetrical title also remained a media darling and fan-favorite appearance at trade shows for much of its preview cycle. And barring minor technical hiccups at launch, the content spoke for itself—offering a unique experience with the potential for exponential growth. So what went wrong? How did a groundbreaking, 2K Games-published phenomenon become saddled with so much baggage that its online community dwindled drastically in only a matter of weeks? The answer lies in unforced errors that managed to disrupt anticipation for the game just a month before release.

This is the tragedy of Evolve.

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