Gollum Developer Apologizes for Delivering an "Underwhelming Experience"

On May 25, 2023, Daedalic Entertainment unveiled The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, an action-adventure game situated in J. R. R. Tolkien's renowned LotR universe. It places players in the shoes of one of the series' most iconic and recognizable characters, embarking on a quest to recover the coveted Precious.

Following its launch, the game swiftly garnered infamy as the lowest-rated title of 2023. Players and critics alike criticized Gollum for numerous deficiencies, such as outdated graphics, a subpar user interface, an array of technical issues, and more. Presently, the game boasts a Metacritic score of 36 and a User Score of 1.4, with Gollum's Steam reviews being "Mostly Negative".

In response to the community's feedback, Daedalic issued a statement the day after release, expressing apologies for providing an "underwhelming experience" and acknowledging the game's present state. The announcement revealed that the team is diligently working to rectify the game's technical problems and bugs, pledging to release multiple patches and enhancements in the near future.

Following Gollum's problematic launch, developers from various studios initiated a movement on Twitter, sharing their own poorly received releases as a show of solidarity with the creators at Daedalic. Dannie Carlone, a Senior Staff Environment Artist at Sony Santa Monica, was among the early adopters of this trend, proudly presenting his own "lowest score" game and emphasizing that each project carries valuable positives and lessons learned.

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