No Man’s Sky
2016
Wired magazine called No Man's Sky “the most hyped indie title in the history of gaming.” Gamers were excited about the new technology that could generate over “18 quintillion unique planets” to be explored.
It became the most influential video game of 2016… but not in the way it was intended. Critics called it “The worst game of the year”, “Biggest lie of 2016” and “Disappointment of the year”. The gameplay was lackluster, the graphics were unpolished, the story was repetitive, and the planets were boring, so who cares that there are 18 quintillion of them?
Update: In the years following the fiasco, No Man's Sky has been continuously updated and is now a highly rated game.
Additional info:
The Guardian - good interview with Sean Murray
Rockpapershotgun.com - The Broken Promise Of No Man’s Sky And Why It Matters.
The unexpected success of No Man's Sky - how the developers learned from their mistakes and made the game a success