The Dark Knight holds a special place in the hearts of many, ranging from its depiction of the Joker to its overarching portrayal of Batman. There's also some very powerful quotes from the movie, including Joker's "Why so serious" and Harvey Dent's "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Of course, this quote appears everywhere, but its appearance here is quite telling. Boiled down, it means that the longer an entity or person are around, the more likely they are to commit some grievous error. This action, mistake, or statement results in the hero being "turned" into the villain, either directly in some cases or as a result of public perception.
As a general baseline, this can be applied to companies in the gaming industry. Over the past few years, several companies which were once held to high esteem have had a fall from grace. The beautiful thing is that it's not impossible to bounce back, but that doesn't happen over night. Some companies who were once "heroes" are currently "villains" in the eyes of many regardless.
CD Projekt Red's Hero and Villain: Witcher's Geralt and Cyberpunk 2077's V
Without a doubt, The Witcher is pervasive in gaming culture and general nerd culture. CD Projekt Red adapted this story from Andrzej Sapkowski and made it a much bigger success. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt won game of the year at The Game Awards in 2015, the third and last entry in Geralt's story, and the Netflix adaptation of the books has seen a huge boon as a result of the game's popularity. Now, The Witcher 3 wasn't perfect at launch, and it had its own general "buginess" that actually endeared itself on fans (such as Roach sitting on top of a house). But coupled with how CD Projekt Red was viewed as one of the most consumer-friendly companies in the industry, thanks to its inclusion of massive and free DLCs, it's easy to see why the company was so loved and was considered a hero.
The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 has quickly run that reputation into the ground. While it seems the high-end PC version is mostly meeting expectations, the console versions have lackluster graphics, terrible frame rates, and game-breaking bugs. Many of the insanely low Metacritic user scores of Cyberpunk 2077 state that the game is unplayable in its current state. To make matters worse is how CD Projekt Red seemingly knew this would happen. It didn't send out review codes for the console versions of the game, only the PC version, and it prevented reviewers from showing any gameplay with said reviews. CD Projekt Red only allowed certain B-roll footage to be played, and that itself dos not sound consumer-friendly.
CD Projekt Red could come back from this; regardless, though, this is not the launch it or fans likely wanted. At the very least, it seems CD Projekt Red is restructuring its bonus system so that the hard-working developers still get bad, basically admitting that the executives are at fault. Cyberpunk 2077 may very well be a different game in a year, but for now, CD Projekt Red has lived long enough to see itself vilified by its fans.
Bethesda's "Let Down"
CD Projekt Red may be the most recent example, but it's far from the only one. Recently, Bethesda's Todd Howard called Fallout 76 a "let down," and it would seem many would agree. Fallout 76's updates have indeed brought it a long way; it's a much better game now than it was. But many of Betheda's fans did not want a multiplayer game from the get-go, and that style of mindset still remains for many. This was worsened by its launch as well, where a multitude of things went wrong, where Collector's editions changed promised items, and more. None of it helped Bethesda's situation. Skyrim is hailed as one of the best games of the past decade, it was the height of Bethesda's popularity, but the years since have seen a general decline from famed hero to general "villain."
How it handles Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 may very well determine if Bethesda returns to the hero light or remains in its current reputation, but there's still high hopes and expectations for both games. Starfield is its first new IP in years, while The Elder Scrolls 6 has to live up to Skyrim somehow. This is a double-edged sword no matter how its cut, but there is at least one factor mostly in its favor: both games will be available on Game Pass. Even now, as Bethesda fans debate whether or not The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive, this may impact both launches. There's very little doubt that its platforms, however it turns out, will be a contentious point upon release, and how that's handled may help define that.
BioWare's Magic Turned to Dust
For a long time, BioWare believed in a sort of company magic where it would come together and release a game worthy of its name, even at the last minute. After all, BioWare is the developer of several hit RPGs like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Jade Empire, Baldur's Gate, and more. This reliance on BioWare magic didn't help with Mass Effect: Andromeda or Anthem upon release, though. Both games were panned, worse by fans than even some critics. Andromeda was a buggy mess, one that failed to live up to Mass Effect's standards, where Anthem committed all the sins a bad looter shooter could and then some.
Indeed, in recent years, BioWare's reputation has taken a major hit, falling from one of the biggest RPG developer names in the industry to the creators of Anthem. Obviously, though, this hasn't stopped fans from obsessing over the recent Dragon Age teaser and the Mass Effect 4 trailer which intentionally showed two galaxies. BioWare hasn't gone full Darth Vader yet, and there's still time for it to be redeemed.
Redemption in the Gaming Industry
There's no re-winding the clock. If there were, CD Projekt Red may have approached Cyberpunk 2077 differently, Bethesda may have approached Fallout 76 differently, and BioWare may have changed up its approach to Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. Many fans aren't happy right now with these companies, and they are not going to get these moments back. However, they can learn from them. As the quote goes, "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain," but it doesn't really specify what comes after the villainy.
Darth Vader died as Anakin Skywalker, a hero. In Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock realizes his mistake and commits an act of good: "I will not die a monster." While these may be moments in film, they're entirely based on a virtue, an idea that no one is beyond redemption. CD Projekt Red can attempt to right its wrongs, make up to those who purchased the game, and deliver a better experience with post-launch support. Bethesda has done a lot to improve Fallout 76 itself, and it can do more to make sure its next few games live up to its pedigree. BioWare has the Anthem 2.0 that can fix all of its mistakes while still living up to the concept that everyone loved, while giving its all on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
Each of these companies have had their "hero" moments. Each of these companies have had or are having their "villain" moments. The Dark Knight quote implies an inevitability based on time, and indeed, that's a factor—one pervasive and self-fulfilling in the gaming industry. However, redemption is possible for anyone, as Arthur Morgan and so many before prove in their own stories.
A New Hero Rises
In the meantime, that doesn't mean the gaming industry is without its heroes. Continuing the metaphor would also imply that a hero will always rise to meet a new villain; in other words, while these game companies are attempting to redeem themselves, there are others who may be considered "heroes" now. While it's not a direct response, there are several promising games in the pipeline for 2021 and beyond.
People Can Fly is no small company, but its looter shooter Outriders is making good promises to be everything Anthem was not. Rocksteady will be making its return in 2022 with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. FromSoftware's Elden Ring is out there somewhere. Obsidian Entertainment's plate is stacked with promising RPGs now that it has full Mirosoft support. The Dark Knight quote somewhat implies a cycle, as the Dark Knight rises to meet the villains plaguing Gotham City. The same can be said of the game industry; new heroes will arise, perhaps they will eventually fall into "villainy," and the industry will continue on.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.