The internet causes us to depersonalize everything. Many times, we are not aware that behind the screen there are people, and that when we laugh at something, there is usually the work and effort of an individual. On some occasions, we should know how to moderate our opinions. At least, until we know the full circumstances. Something that has happened this week with the most ridiculed game on the internet since the infamous Gollum game: the new King Kong game.
Under the name Skull Island: Rise of Kong, the game was quickly dubbed the worst game of 2023. With limited gameplay, questionable graphics, and animations from another era, the game did not seem like something made in 2023, or even a game that had been given a minimum amount of care or effort. But the reality behind it, as always in such circumstances, was no laughing matter.
To the surprise of very few, behind this disaster lies a story of exploitation and unethical practices, as reported by The Verge. The independent studio behind the game, IguanaBee, explained how the publisher who commissioned the game, Game Mill, gave them only one year to develop the game from scratch. Starting in June 2022, their deadline was June 2 of this year. With only 20 people able to work on this project, they couldn’t refuse because, being a small studio and Game Mill being one of their main clients, they needed the commission to keep going.
Furthermore, this wasn’t the only problem. Game Mill has a track record of publishing licensed games of terrible quality, using independent studios. Something that IguanaBee pointed out was that they didn’t even have all the information they needed to be able to complete the game. And, of course, they didn’t provide enough money to do it under the conditions it should have been done.
That doesn’t negate the fact that some developers at IguanaBee are proud of their game. And they should be. Managing to finish a game of this magnitude in a year, with so many obstacles in their way, is an achievement to be proud of.
