It's been almost a decade since the original including a brand-new expansion after launch, but Re-Reckoning also fixes the original game's biggest mistake.
The world of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was sprawling and felt like one of Salvatore's D & D novels come to life. It also felt incredibly empty at times, and a lot of people who played it couldn't help but notice it felt like an MMORPG without the massive multiplayer. Even though big names were attached to the project and the game had an energetic marketing campaign, the game underperformed and contributed to the bankruptcy of developer 38 Studios. However, the game received positive reviews and still has a loyal cult following, so a new-and-improved Re-Reckoning makes total sense.
The road to the original Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's release was paved with overly big ideas and excessive spending, all of which contributed in some way to its commercial failure. The game was simply too ambitious in a lot of ways. Mistakes were certainly made along the way, but one of the biggest problems was that the game released in early 2012, just a few short months after Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim became a genre-defining hit.
How Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Fixes An Old Mistake
It's true that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning feels a bit like Elder Scrolls, and there's a good reason for that. The lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and TES IV: Oblivion, Ken Rolston, served as game designer of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Meanwhile, Oblivion's Mark Nelson was director. This means that the DNA of Elder Scrolls and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning would obviously match closely, but it also served as a big disadvantage to Kingdoms of Amalur.
Skyrim had come out only a few months earlier, and most people were still playing it. The timing of Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning's release was its biggest mistake. To casual gamers and even some RPG diehards, Skyrim and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning were simply too similar. Skyrim was a mega-hit within a well-established franchise, and Reckoning was an untested new game. Even with major names attached to the project, the timing was just off, and it couldn't save Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's prospects.
None of that matters now, though, because Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is releasing on September 8th with no Elder Scrolls 6 in sight. Now that the timing of its release is much better, perhaps more people will buy it and experience this excellent addition to the Western RPG library for themselves.
