Ashes Cricket 2013

Ashes Cricket 2013 is a cricket video game that was developed by Trickstar Games and published by 505 Games. The game was released on 22 November 2013 for Windows, exclusively via Steam, for a short period of time before it was removed from sale. Furthermore, on 28 November 2013 the publisher 505 Games formally announced that the game had been cancelled and that refunds were to be given to anyone who had purchased it on Steam. It has been regarded by critics as one of the worst video games of all time.[1][2]

This article is about the video game. For the series of Test matches, see 2013 Ashes series.

Ashes Cricket 2013
Box art
Developer(s)Trickstar Games
Publisher(s)505 Games
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • WW: 22 November 2013
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, Multi player, Online

Ashes 2013 featured the official licensed Australian and English cricket teams, as well as 14 unlicensed national teams. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and retail PC releases were all cancelled following the game's troubled development and brief launch on Steam.

Features

The game featured the complete 2013 Ashes cricket event series. It also planned for an improved fielding editor with up to 60 fielding options. There was also a plan for a new-look batting system which allows for a larger variety of shots. Weather and pitch conditions would also affect bowling styles.[3] Match commentary is provided by Mark Nicholas, David Lloyd and Michael Slater.[4]

Development

Trickstar Games was developing a new gaming system built upon the beta version of Unity Engine to provide better gameplay in batting, bowling, and fielding. The game was originally to be released on June 21, 2013, however the release date was moved back to July 2013.[5] With a release date still not specified, there were concerns that the game would not even make the revised July release.[6] 505 Games then confirmed the game was being further cancelled for a November 2013 release due to quality concerns, stating it is "simply not worthy of the Ashes name", despite the fact that the new release date missed the opening of the real-life Ashes series in Australia.[7]

In that time, Mike Fegan of Trickstar Games had promised regular updates. He started a weekly video diary on the official Ashes Cricket 2013 Facebook page, but the flow of updates dried up over time and information about the game ceased.

The game was eventually released on Steam on 22 November 2013.

Reception

The game received negative reviews from critics, cricket fans and the media, and there were several videos on YouTube featuring extensive bugs.[8] The Ashes Cricket 2013 Facebook page has since been deleted, and the Twitter feed has remained inactive since July 2013.

Four days later after its release, it was removed from sale. It was finally announced on 28 November that all production of the game had been cancelled, along with plans to release console versions of the game, and that all people who purchased the game would receive a full refund. The publisher 505 Games apologized to the game's users and turned its attention to "protecting the Ashes name and that of the ECB and Cricket Australia".[9]

It is widely featured as one of the worst games of 2013.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

References
  1. Gaston, Martin (28 November 2013). "Ashes Cricket 2013 cancelled". GameSpot. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  2. "BBC News - Ashes Cricket 2013 game taken off sale". BBC Online. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  3. "Ashes Cricket 2013 preview | T3". M.t3.com. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  4. "Nicholas, Lloyd, Slater join Ashes Cricket 2013 commentary team". MCV. 15 May 2019.
  5. "Ashes Cricket 2013 delayed until July". CricketGaming. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  6. "Ashes Cricket 2013 release date 'in a state of flux' following delay - Ashes Cricket 2013 for Xbox 360 News". Videogamer.com. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  7. Karmali, Luke (29 July 2013). "Ashes Cricket 2013 Delayed to November". IGN UK. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  8. "Ashes Cricket 2013". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  9. "Comically Terrible Ashes 2013 Game Officially Cancelled - IGN". Au.ign.com. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  10. "The Gist - 5 Of The Worst Games Of 2013 - The Gist". GameSpot. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  11. "IncGamers' Worst PC Game Launch of 2013 - The Results". PCInvasion.com. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. "The 10 worst games of 2013 | Lazygamer .:: The Worlds Best Video Game News ::". Lazygamer . 26 December 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  13. "Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2013". Pop Insomniacs. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  14. "Ashes Cricket 2013 News - The Worst Games Of 2013". Game-debate.com. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  15. Dan Maher. "The worst games of 2013 - BT". Home.bt.com. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
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