Unfortunately for Epyx and the Rogue team, the commercial versions of the game failed miserably. Wichman blames rampant piracy, but it's likelier that the humble character-set graphics in most versions turned off gamers who were accustomed to advanced sprite-based graphics.

Also, 1983 saw the release of Origin's Ultima III (see book Chapter 23), a game that many considered to be the best role-playing game ever designed for a computer. Its colorful graphics and smooth interface must have made Rogue seem primitive by comparison.​