Incident: Ashes Cricket 2013 Game Pulled Due to Severe Bugs.

Published Date: 2013-11-29

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the Ashes Cricket 2013 game happened in November 2013 as per the article published on 2013-11-29 [22979].
System 1. Graphics engine used in Ashes Cricket 2013 by Trickstar Games [22979]
Responsible Organization 1. Aussie developer Trickstar Games [22979]
Impacted Organization 1. Gamers who purchased the Ashes Cricket 2013 game were impacted by the software failure incident as they experienced a game that was widely condemned as buggy and unfinished [22979]. 2. Publisher 505 Games was impacted as they had to issue refunds to disappointed fans and faced backlash for releasing a subpar product [22979]. 3. Developer Trickstar Games was impacted as they were blamed by the publisher for the failure of the game and for providing false assurances about the graphics engine's capabilities [22979]. 4. The England and Wales Cricket Board, which granted its license to 505 Games, was impacted as they had to apologize to supporters who purchased the faulty product [22979].
Software Causes 1. The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was primarily caused by the game being pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished, with numerous issues such as missing animations for fielders catching the ball, unnatural player movements, players running through each other, and bizarre ball throwing angles [22979].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper quality assurance and testing procedures during the development phase [22979] 2. Unrealistic assurances from the developer regarding the capabilities of the graphics engine [22979]
Impacts 1. The game Ashes Cricket 2013 was widely condemned as pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished, leading to its removal from sale just days after release [22979]. 2. The game had a combined user rating of 1.1 out of 10 on Metacritic, indicating extremely poor reception from players [22979]. 3. The publisher, 505 Games, had to issue refunds to customers who purchased the faulty game [22979]. 4. The England and Wales Cricket Board expressed extreme disappointment as the product did not meet their expectations, leading to apologies to supporters who purchased the game [22979].
Preventions 1. Thorough Quality Assurance (QA) Testing: Conducting comprehensive QA testing could have helped identify the numerous bugs and issues present in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game before its release [22979]. 2. Better Communication and Oversight: Improved communication and oversight between the publisher (505 Games) and the developer (Trickstar Games) could have ensured that the development process was on track and that any issues were addressed promptly [22979]. 3. Realistic Expectations and Due Diligence: Setting realistic expectations and conducting proper due diligence on the capabilities of the graphics engine for creating a cricket game across multiple platforms could have prevented the mismatch between assurances and the actual performance of the game [22979].
Fixes 1. Conduct a thorough review and overhaul of the game's codebase to address the numerous bugs and glitches reported by users [22979]. 2. Implement a robust quality assurance process to ensure that future releases undergo rigorous testing to prevent similar issues from occurring [22979]. 3. Enhance communication and collaboration between the publisher and developer to avoid misunderstandings and false assurances regarding the capabilities of the game engine [22979]. 4. Provide timely updates and patches to address the existing issues and improve the overall gameplay experience for users [22979].
References 1. Gamers who created videos on YouTube showcasing the abysmal state of the game [22979] 2. User ratings on Metacritic (1.1 out of 10) [22979] 3. Comments and posts on the publisher's Facebook page, including a comment by gamer Varun Seth [22979] 4. Statement from publisher 505 Games blaming Aussie developer Trickstar Games [22979] 5. Statement from a spokesperson for the England and Wales Cricket Board expressing disappointment and apologizing to supporters [22979]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: In the case of the Ashes Cricket 2013 game, the software failure incident occurred with the game being widely condemned as buggy and unfinished, leading to its removal from sale shortly after release. The publisher, 505 Games, received assurances from the developer, Trickstar Games, that the graphics engine was capable of creating a dynamic cricket game for multiple platforms. However, these assurances were found to be misplaced, resulting in a subpar product that did not meet expectations. This incident reflects a failure within the organization involving the development and release of a flawed software product [22979]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: There is no specific mention in the provided article about similar software failure incidents occurring at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if this particular type of software failure has happened at multiple organizations based on the information provided in the article.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game can be attributed to design-related factors introduced during the development phase. The publisher, 505 Games, received assurances from the developer, Trickstar Games, that the graphics engine was capable of creating a dynamic cricket game for multiple platforms. However, these assurances were found to be misplaced, indicating a failure in the design phase of the project [22979]. (b) The software failure incident can also be linked to operational factors, particularly in the operation or misuse of the system. Gamers and critics widely condemned the game as being pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished. Videos on YouTube showcased numerous glitches and anomalies within the game, such as fielders being unable to pick up the ball, players running through each other, and unnatural ball throws. These issues point towards operational failures in the game's functionality and user experience [22979].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident with the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was primarily attributed to issues within the system itself. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the Aussie developer Trickstar Games for providing assurances about the graphics engine's capabilities that were ultimately found to be inaccurate. This indicates that the failure was a result of internal factors related to the development and quality of the game [22979]. (b) outside_system: There is no explicit mention in the article of the software failure incident being caused by factors originating from outside the system. The focus of the failure analysis provided in the article primarily points towards internal issues within the development process and the capabilities of the graphics engine.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was primarily attributed to non-human actions, specifically related to the game's numerous bugs and unfinished aspects. The article mentions issues such as fielders being unable to pick up the ball, move unnaturally, players running through each other, and bizarre ball throwing angles, all of which point to technical deficiencies in the game's programming and design [22979]. (b) However, human actions also played a role in the failure incident. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the Aussie developer Trickstar Games for providing assurances about the graphics engine's capabilities that were ultimately found to be incorrect. This highlights the human decision-making and communication errors that contributed to the software failure [22979].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was primarily attributed to hardware issues. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the Aussie developer Trickstar Games for assuring them that the graphics engine was capable of creating a dynamic cricket game for multiple platforms, but those assurances were found to be misplaced [22979]. (b) The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was also due to software-related factors. The game was widely condemned as being pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished, with numerous issues such as missing animations for fielders catching the ball, players running through each other, and unnatural ball throwing angles. The game had a very low user rating on Metacritic, indicating significant software flaws [22979].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The failure of the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was attributed to being pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished, with issues such as missing animations for fielders, unnatural player movements, and bizarre ball physics. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the developer, Trickstar Games, for providing assurances about the graphics engine that were later found to be misplaced. The company apologized to fans and offered refunds, indicating a lack of malicious intent [22979].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to poor decisions made during the development process. The publisher, 505 Games, received assurances from the developer that the graphics engine was capable of creating a high-quality cricket game, but these assurances turned out to be misplaced. This indicates a poor decision in trusting the developer's claims without proper verification [22979]. (b) Additionally, the delay in the release of the game from June to November due to development problems suggests that there were mistakes or unintended decisions made during the development process that led to the software failure incident [22979].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence (a) The software failure incident in the Ashes Cricket 2013 game was attributed to development incompetence. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the Aussie developer Trickstar Games for providing assurances about the graphics engine's capabilities that were later found to be inaccurate. This led to the game being widely condemned as buggy and unfinished, with numerous issues such as missing animations for fielders, unnatural player movements, and bizarre ball physics [22979]. The failure was a result of factors introduced due to a lack of professional competence during the development process.
Duration permanent The software failure incident related to the Ashes Cricket 2013 game can be categorized as a permanent failure. The game was pulled from sale just days after its release due to being widely condemned as buggy and unfinished [22979]. The publisher, 505 Games, blamed the developer, Trickstar Games, for providing assurances about the graphics engine that were found to be misplaced, leading to the failure of the game [22979]. Additionally, the game had a combined user rating of 1.1 out of 10 on Metacritic, indicating a severe and lasting negative impact on the game's reputation [22979].
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in this case can be attributed to a crash. The Ashes Cricket 2013 game was pulled from sale just days after its release due to being widely condemned as "pathetically buggy and clearly unfinished" [22979]. Users reported issues such as fielders being unable to pick up the ball, players running through each other, and bizarre, unnatural angles in ball throws, indicating a significant failure in the system's ability to function properly. (b) omission: One of the specific issues highlighted in the game was the omission of an animation for fielders catching the ball. This omission was evident in videos posted by gamers on YouTube, showcasing the abysmal state of the game [22979]. (d) value: The software failure incident also involved a failure in the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Users gave the game a combined user rating of 1.1 out of 10 on Metacritic, with all positive ratings being seen as sarcastic [22979]. This indicates a clear discrepancy between the expected performance of the game and the actual experience users had. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can also be categorized as "other" due to the overall erratic and faulty behavior of the game. The game exhibited various issues such as players standing still, fielders unable to move realistically, and bowlers failing to pick up the ball, leading to an overall sense of inconsistency and poor quality in the software's performance [22979].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence unknown (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The consequence of the software failure incident: The articles do not mention any consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, or non-human entities being impacted due to the software failure. The primary consequence discussed is the dissatisfaction of gamers, the withdrawal of the game from sale, and the issuance of refunds to customers due to the poor quality of the game [22979].
Domain entertainment (a) The failed system in this incident was related to the entertainment industry. The software failure incident involved the Ashes Cricket 2013 game, which was widely condemned as buggy and unfinished, leading to its removal from sale just days after release [22979]. The game's poor quality was highlighted by various issues such as missing animations for fielders, unnatural player movements, and bizarre ball physics, as reported by gamers and critics. The game's low user rating on Metacritic and the negative feedback on social media platforms further emphasize the impact of the software failure on the entertainment industry.

Sources

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