A Delayed Game Is Eventually Good But A Bad Game Is Bad Forever
Also known as: A Rushed Game Is Forever Bad · Miyamoto Delayed Game Quote
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is bad forever" is a quote widely attributed to Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto that became one of gaming's most repeated mantras. The phrase circulated as an industry saying since at least the late 1990s and was first tied to Miyamoto around 2002, spawning an image macro format on Reddit in 2012 that became the go-to reaction whenever a major game got delayed. Research since 2022 has shown that Miyamoto likely never said it at all, with the phrase possibly originating from Origin Systems developer Siobhan Beeman in 19963.
TL;DR
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is bad forever" is a quote widely attributed to Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto that became one of gaming's most repeated mantras.
Overview
Origin & Background
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
The standard deployment is straightforward: when a game you're interested in gets delayed, post the Miyamoto image macro with the original text as sincere reassurance.
For the parody version, users typically keep the top text ("A delayed game is eventually good") but swap the bottom text to reference a game that contradicts the quote. Common approaches include naming a game that was delayed and still turned out bad, or one that launched rough but was fixed through updates. Some versions replace both lines entirely to make broader jokes about gaming culture.
The format also works as a reaction image in comment threads. When someone complains about a game delay, dropping the macro (either straight or ironic) is a reliable bit. The meme's dual nature as both sincere and sarcastic means context determines the tone.
Cultural Impact
Full History
Fun Facts
The Miyamoto Shrine fan website listed the quote among his sayings as early as June 2002, making it one of the oldest traceable instances of the misattribution.
The actual earliest known source of the quote's sentiment, Siobhan Beeman, worked at Origin Systems on games like *Wing Commander* and *Ultima VI* and later worked on *The Lamplighters League*.
Gabe Newell's version of the quote, "Late is just for a little while, suck is forever," was delivered without any credit to Miyamoto, treating it as common industry wisdom.
The 2003 Usenet post that is the first confirmed Miyamoto attribution was in a thread complaining about *Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death*, of all games.
Despite extensive research by multiple historians, no interview, press conference transcript, or first-party Nintendo document has ever been found containing Miyamoto saying the quote.
Derivatives & Variations
Cyberpunk 2077 edits:
Memes using the format to mock CD Projekt Red's repeated delays followed by a broken launch, spiking around October 2020 and March 2021[5]
Metroid Prime 4 version:
@ArloStuff's January 2019 edit commenting on the game's development restart at Retro Studios, gaining 4,200 likes on Twitter[5]
Spyro edit:
The earliest known parody edit by @Doctor_Cupcakes in August 2018, captioned "but a Spyro game is forever bad"[5]
Duke Nukem Forever rebuttals:
Memes pointing out that Duke Nukem Forever was both delayed for over a decade and still widely considered disappointing, used to challenge the quote's logic[8]
Drake format crossover:
A Samus-themed Drake meme variation about Metroid Prime 4's development, replacing Drake with Samus Aran[8]
Frequently Asked Questions
References (14)
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