Broken achievements & trophies should not still be a thing

Credit: Thred

For the ‘completionists’ among us gamers, there’s nothing more frustrating than fulfilling the requirements for a trophy or achievement and seeing it remain locked. Though rarely talked about, this is a significant point of tension between consumers and studios.

Picture this, you’ve just completed an entire playthrough of a game on the hardest difficulty setting without dying or restarting a checkpoint, it’s been a 16-hour slog.

Having failed several times prior, finally you’ve emerged triumphant. You take a breath as the credits roll and await the on-screen notification to say the associated trophy or achievement has been unlocked for your endeavour — yet nothing happens.

This infuriating scenario, unfortunately, has become a common occurrence for gamers of all platforms over the last decade. With trophies treated as an afterthought by many studios, an overriding attitude of ‘tough luck’ comes from the top.

Here’s why this shouldn’t still be happening in 2023.

What’s the point of achievements & trophies?