Back in 2009, I ran a humble blog. It was around May of that year Hideo Kojima, the legendary Metal Gear Solid creator, began teasing us through a countdown website, his next title in the much lauded franchise. On the screen of my computer, the website displayed a field with grass, (green and brown), grey skies, and constant lightning cutting through the clouds.
The clock was ticking, and eventually we deciphered that it was set to come to an end at the beginning of Microsoft’s press conference at E309. The entire media was buzzing: “what’s this all about?” many would ask, but soon enough we would know the answer…
I remember the moment like it was happening now: Kojima came on stage with a translator and announced Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the latest MGS title for the Xbox 360. I went to the countdown website and there he was, Raiden. I was like, WHAT THE H……..
Yeah, we got plenty of those in the gaming world. From Bobby Kotick’s big mouth, to stunning, unexpected announcements. Below the break, you’ll find eleven more that caused our jaws to drop.
Bobby Kotick Wants To Take The Fun Out Of Gaming, Charge $100 For One Game
One morning I woke up to do my daily surfing for breaking gaming news, big in the headlines that day was Bobby Kotick, the much controversial Activision CEO. For him, games should be more expensive, costing up to $100 and even more. Not only that, the exec also said he wanted to “take the fun” out of games.
What the hec is wrong with this man? I mean, it’s already too much to pay $60 for game and he wants to add 40 plus dollars on there? What the hec?!
Square-Enix Announcement Of Final Fantasy XIII Going Multiplatform
So it’s E3 2008, and Microsoft’s presser is underway. Everyone’s expecting the usual: Halo 3, Gears 2, Fable II, Bioshock and other Xbox 360 titles to make an appearance, and they all did. But there was something else.
Up on stage came Square-Enix’s Yoichi Wada. Journalists were stunned, “what is he doing at MS’s press conference“? they whispered amongst themselves. Yoichi Wada himself looked somewhat nervous; but he did it nonetheless: Final Fantasy XIII, the once PS3 exclusive would see an Xbox 360 release, day and date alongside the PS3′s version in the Western nations.
No doubt one of the biggest WTH moments in gaming history.
Vince Zampella And Jason West’s Mad Ordeal With Activision
A few months ago, from nowhere, a rumor broke over at G4TV, claiming that Activision had fired the two formers heads of the developer it owns, Infinity Ward, Vince Zampella and Jason West. Before the smoke was cleared, Zampella and West had filed suit against the publisher, suing for over 30 million dollars in unpaid royalties.
Soon thereafter, a deal was announced between EA Partners and the two jobless men. They had formed a new studio dubbed Respawn Entertainment. The studio will be funded by EA to developers titles that EA will publish while Respawn gets to own the Intellectual Property (IP). Also, Respawn Entertainment can forge deals with other willing publishers, as they own Respawn Entertainment wholly.
It was a traumatizing scenario for the two men, and gamers alike. Now, the future of Infinity Ward remains in question, as most of the talented developers who worked there have left to join Zampella and West.
Bungie Goes Multiplatform
No one saw this coming. Although, afterwards, the studio said it had been in talks for quite some time, we all were taken aback with Bungie announced that it had forged a deal with Activsion, one similar to that of Respawn Entertainment and EA Partners, that gives Bungie the freedom to develop a title funded by Activision, while the studio retains ownership of its IP.
The deal will last for many years, too, which will obviously allow for more than one title to be released.
It was a WTH moment simply because we never saw it coming. But what the hec was Microsoft thinking? Letting go of the studio that has made you the most cash? Still, though, we don’t know if Bungie wanted to stay either, being that there are millions of gamers out there, and they probably wanted to develop titles for a wider audience, which brings us to the next, really big, what the hec moment:
Insomniac Games Go Multiplatform
Yes, this one’s also similar to the deal EA has with Respawn Entertainment, and what Activision has with Bungie. The big difference, though, Insomniac Games has been with Sony since the first PlayStation, developing titles like Spyro The Dragon, Ratchet And Clank, and more recently, Resistance 1 & 2.
No one saw it coming, and even one of Sony’s top execs said he was saddened by the move. Still, the studio reckons its relationship with Sony hasn’t changed, and that they’ll continue to release titles exclusive to the PS3.
They, too, wanted to reach a bigger audience, and the deal with EA Partners allows Insomniac Games to do just that. Still, it’s one of the biggest WTH moments, ever.
Pachter Gets His Own Show
This is probably more of a LOL moment than a WTH, but one thing’s for sure, we never expected the ever-talking Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst, Michael Pachter, to receive his own show on Game Trailers he did.
I remember when it was announced, I thought, ‘what the hec’?
Killzone 2 Misleading Trailer Drama
Who’ll ever forget that infamous Killzone 2 leaked trailer that showed the game looked so good, you’d thought it was running on a PC. Discussions raged on forums around gaming’s web, with gamers uttering their disbelief.
They couldn’t believe a game looked so good on the PS3, and they were right. It wasn’t the real deal. The guys at Guerrilla Games had forged it.
When news broke that it was indeed fake…. well, you can only imagine what happened then. WTH?!!!
Halo3: ODST Is Suddenly A Full Game
So Halo: ODST was initially advertised as an extension pack for Halo: 3, and that was fine. If you want it you buy it, right? Wrong. Soon after, Microsoft announced that what was once an extension pack will be retailed for $60, just like other new, complete titles. So instead of paying $20-30, even $40 for it, the game was sold at full price.
Full price? It was a decent game to be honest, but nothing worth $60. A major what the hec moment.
David Jaffe’s A Liar
For months, David Jaffe was claiming that, despite what most gamers thought, and leaks appearing here and there, that his new game was truly not Twisted Metal. Games Thirst even broke a piece, where Michael Pachter basically revealed that David Jaffe had told him he was working on a new Twisted Metal. Jaffe jumped on twitter straightaway, making fun of the media and saying it wasn’t so.
Well, guess what? Just last month, at E3, Jaffe came on stage at Sony’s press conference, old bus and all, to announce, you guessed it: Twisted Metal PS3.
I have nothing else to say about that.
Sony Discontinues PS3 PS2 Games Compatibility
Back in 2005-2006, Sony promised that all PS2 games would be able to work on your PS3. It was so at the beginning but soon after, the hardware giant discontinued the PS3s with said functionality.
Gamers raged on for years, even up to this day, some are yet complaining about the feature’s removal. Might be the biggest what the hec moment ever; except the upcoming fiasco is THE worst in gaming history.
Xbox 360 Red Ring Of Death Fiasco
You’re wrapped up deep playing Halo: 3 on your Xbox 360 and suddenly it stops, you look at the box and the Red Ring Of Death is staring straight in the face. Now, it’s already bad that this happens, but what’s even worst, this is the fourth time you’ve experienced the problem.
Microsoft almost had the Xbox 360 recalled, and it probably should have. No other time in gaming history have we witnessed such a bugged console. The software giant spent over 3 billion dollars to try and fix the issue, and although it’s mostly a situation of the past, there are still owners experiencing the RROD.
Now, the new Xbox 360 Slim has been released, and we’re sure the situation has been fix. Still, though, it’s the biggest WTH moment in gaming.
only ones that did not surprise me are Bobby Kotick Wants To Take The Fun Out Of Gaming.
Charge $100 For One Game
its antivision what did you expect?
Halo3: ODST Is Suddenly A Full Game.
its M$ what did you expect?
would not be the first time they have released DLC as a full priced title ……. cough crackdown 2!
Xbox 360 Red Ring Of Death Fiasco
does not surprise me!
theres a reason why they say never let a hardware company do software, and never let a software company do hardware.
though the biggest WTF moment in gaming for me would have to be this years E3 were gabe walked out and announced portal 2 for the ps3.
never in my life did i expect that to happen, especially after all the flack he had given sony and the ps3.
not even all the things up there put together than supercharged were as much of a shock as gabes appearance!
Yeah, the Gabe scene was serious.