Why Haven’t We Seen a Competitive Multiplayer Game Where Everything Is Broken in Its Own Way?
I've been thinking about the endless cycle of nerfs and buffs in competitive multiplayer games (think League of Legends), and I wonder: why haven’t developers tried designing a game where everything is intentionally broken in its own unique way, rather than constantly trying to balance things through nerfs? Here's what I mean:
Every champion/playstyle is broken, but in a unique way. For example, you could have a tank that is nearly impossible to kill, an assassin that always one-shots, a marksman that abuses ranged attacks and invisibility, or a mage that controls huge parts of the map. Each would be ridiculously strong in its own way, and it’s by design.
No nerfs—just "broken" mechanics across the board. Instead of constant tweaks to balance, the idea would be that every champion or strategy has its own type of "overpowered" gameplay. Balance wouldn't be about making everything equal, but about letting each niche dominate in its own way.
Why hasn’t this been tried? Is it because of the risk of design chaos? Would players still feel like skill matters if everyone is overpowered? Is it because player expectations around balance and fairness are so ingrained? Or would the meta just become stagnant with everyone abusing their "broken" powers? Would it still be fun?
Curious to hear thoughts. Could this even work, or would it just break down in practice?
External link →