Thanks to social media, players have greater exposure to the development process when changes are made to games like Starfield, but contentious alterations to long-running series like Resident Evil are also frequently made – and usually for the better. Even with small things such as omitting a character to bigger issues with inclusivity, the ability to justify these controversial game changes is important to understanding by a dev team made them to begin with.
Many of these video game changes are necessary to improve the narrative, gameplay, functionality, or inclusivity. Whether big or small, a controversial change to a game can cause tension. In the case of Starfield or The Sims, the reasoning behind the controversial change is easily justified. But with some, such as Fortnite, players are left to guess as to why an update was made.
10 Starfield – Changes To Frame Rate
The highly anticipated space-themed RPG, Starfield, is set to release on September 6. While the game has generated a lot of anticipation, a new controversy has arisen surrounding the fact it will be locked at 30FPS on consoles. During the Xbox Showcase in June, an extended preview was shown revealing some of the game’s innovative features. Players were disappointed to discover that Starfield will be locked at 30FPS on consoles with no option to change the frame rate.
Todd Howard explains that Starfield will run at 4K output resolution on Xbox Series X and 2k on S, but the game will remain at 30FPS for consistency. Especially with the game’s premier at the Xbox Showcase showing the game dropping below 30FPS at times, it makes sense that Bethesda would add a cap to Starfield to ensure its quality on consoles, even if it means Xbox players won’t be getting the frame rate they were hoping for.
9 Animal Crossing: New Horizons – No Brewster’s Roost
Known for its wholesome charm and lovable characters, it’s hard to imagine Animal Crossing being controversial. However, fans were taken aback when one of the game’s most beloved characters wasn’t initially in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Upon release, players noticed the Roost Cafe missing from the Museum. A later 2021 update fixed this issue, allowing players to unlock and build the shop. Even though this meant Brewster’s Roost was missing from ACNH originally, it makes sense for Nintendo to wait and add it in the Version 2.0 update, because it makes players interested in the game again – almost two years after New Horizons originally released.
8 Resident Evil 4 Remake – Changes To Salazar
The new Resident Evil 4 is a brilliant example of how a classic game should be remade. However, players were disappointed to find major changes to its once hilarious villain, Salazar. Capcom has openly admitted to wanting a more serious tone in RE4, and with most of his iconic one-liners gone from the RE4 remake, players feel that Capcom went too far in achieving this. As disappointing as it is to lose one of Resident Evil’s funniest characters, it does make sense for the new tone of the game, since a more comedic Salazar would feel out of place.
7 The Sims 4 – Adding New Pronouns
In May 2022, The Sims 4 introduced the widely anticipated feature that was the center of a global controversy. For a long-standing sandbox series such as The Sims, the ability to change pronouns was overdue. Although the majority of fans welcomed this new feature, the update was the center of criticism with anti-LGBTQIA+ groups. Regardless of the backlash, these changes have given players of The Sims 4 an excellent opportunity to express themselves within the game and have changed The Sims 4′s gameplay for the better.
6 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Changing DLC Cutscenes
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the first game of the series that allowed players the option to pick between two playable characters. Although this was a welcomed addition, the Shadow Heritage DLC drew criticism for its portrayal of a heterosexual relationship, which some fans thought went against the inclusive message that Ubisoft was marketing for the game. Ubisoft listened to the audiences’ feedback and made changes to alter the DLC’s dialogue and in-game trophies.
Ubisoft received praise for listening to the LGBTQIA+ community and making changes to its game, but some people were left baffled as to why the change needed to happen in the first place. The newly added additions don’t impact the existing game all too much, but instead, open so many new opportunities in which to explore the story. Regardless of how the player chooses to interact with the narrative, the updates from Ubisoft finally allow the freedom of choice that was promised in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
5 Fortnite – Removing Trios
An update from Epic Games has been the removal of trios from Fortnite leaving fans disheartened. Initially released in Chapter 2: Season 5, Trios allowed players to team up in teams of three to go up against 32 other groups for Battle Royale matches. Especially with the popularity of Trios, the reason Epic would get rid of this feature is unclear. The best theory at the moment is the removal of Trios reduces wait times while connecting to games, adding some justification for this change.
4 The Last Of Us Part 1 – Changing Character Models
The Last Of Us Part 1 does a fantastic job of recreating the original without changing too many of its best-loved features. The remake was specifically made to run on newer PCs and consoles, so changes were bound to happen. Overall, the game was received well, but players still aren’t happy with the changes made to the character models. These changes aren’t surprising as when Naughty Dog released the TLOU in 2013, devs didn’t have a wider plan for the series, leaving a number of continuity issues between the original and the sequel.
Part 1 fixes some of these issues by updating the character models, such as using Abby’s father in Part 2 as the Doctor at the end of Part 1. The change makes sense with the character looking a lot more like their older counterpart. However, there are still some players outraged with the decision, believing the characters are nearly unrecognizable from their originals, especially in the case of characters like Tess and Joel, with players saying the latter’s new look has completely altered his perceived personality.
3 Resident Evil 7 – Changing POV
Over the last 20 years, Resident Evil has established itself as one of the best horror series in gaming history. While the remakes show that a franchise can be successfully rebooted and made even better, there’s still a lot of contempt surrounding Re7: Biohazard for its change in POV. Long-time fans are unhappy with the decision to switch from the classic third-person, over-the-shoulder gameplay to a more modern first-person horror experience.
This simple swap completely altered the gaming experience and aligns more with the recent trend of first-person horror narratives that are currently popular on the market. Although the frustration is justified, RE7 simply wouldn’t work as a third-person game due to the claustrophobic nature of the Baker’s house being more suited to first-person horror. While the change makes sense, it’s still disheartening to see the games veer away from the classic style fans have come to know and love.
2 Final Fantasy 7 Remake – Whispers
The inclusion of the Whispers in Final Fantasy 7 Remake still remains controversial among players. The Whispers were added to FF7R as a way to ensure the events of the original game happen; whenever something occurs that diverts from the original timeline, the Whispers will appear to fix the error. FF7R tries to make sense of this in canon with Red XIII explaining that these Arbiters of Fate are drawn to those who attempt to alter Destiny. In a way, the inclusion of the Whispers to steer away from controversial game changes has become a controversy within itself – even if the idea behind them makes sense from a creative standpoint.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – Link’s New Powers
The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom has seen changes to Link’s powers that players aren’t too pleased about. Trailers saw TOTK Link’s new arm replace the Sheikah Slate from Breath of The Wild. The Sheikah Slate was introduced at the beginning of Breath of The Wild and was primarily used for powers of Runes such as Cryonis, and Magnesis, along with access to the camera and other capabilities.
Warning: Story spoilers for Tears Of The Kingdom are below.
At the beginning of TOTK, Link saves Zelda from the Demon King as he unleashes his dark powers upon the pair. Link loses his arm but gains a new one through Rauru, thus giving him these new abilities. While TOTK moving away from the Sheikah Slate is controversial as many players worried about its implications on the story, Link’s new arm brings an interesting gameplay dynamic that makes Tears of the Kingdom feel different from BOTW.
Changes, such as those in Starfieldand Resident Evil 4, are integral to the playability of the game and how much people enjoy it. Being able tojustify controversial changes in video games is crucial in maintaining trust with players.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube
