Fallout co-creator Tim Cain urges studying failed games to avoid survivorship bias

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

Tim Cain published a video arguing that publishers, developers and players should study unsuccessful games as well as hits to understand what does and doesn't work. He says publishers focus on sales and therefore often ignore lessons from failures, while gamers copy popular titles without knowing which elements drive their success. Cain points out that even acclaimed games can have major flaws, so analyzing forgotten or mediocre titles reveals useful design and production mistakes to avoid.

• Tim Cain, Fallout co-creator and video blogger, published a video Wednesday calling for closer study of unsuccessful games.
• Cain singled out examples like Viking: Battle for Asgard as the kind of forgotten, mediocre titles that can teach useful lessons, while excluding irredeemable games such as Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
• He argued publishers prioritize sales and therefore learn from hits rather than failures, creating survivorship bias in which common features of unsuccessful games are overlooked.
• Cain noted that bestselling games often still contain flaws (low framerate, poor user interfaces, crash bugs), so examining failures helps identify which elements actually matter for success and which can be tolerated.