diff --git a/include/openspace/rendering/loadingscreen.h b/include/openspace/rendering/loadingscreen.h
index 1ae6525a85..8870f9ac59 100644
--- a/include/openspace/rendering/loadingscreen.h
+++ b/include/openspace/rendering/loadingscreen.h
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ public:
     using ShowMessage = ghoul::Boolean;
     using ShowNodeNames = ghoul::Boolean;
     using ShowProgressbar = ghoul::Boolean;
+    using CatastrophicError = ghoul::Boolean;
 
     LoadingScreen(ShowMessage showMessage, ShowNodeNames showNodeNames,
         ShowProgressbar showProgressbar);
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ public:
     void render();
 
     void postMessage(std::string message);
+    void setCatastrophicError(CatastrophicError catastrophicError);
 
     void finalize();
 
@@ -110,6 +112,7 @@ private:
         GLuint vboBox;
     } _progressbar;
 
+    bool _hasCatastrophicErrorOccurred;
     std::string _message;
     std::mutex _messageMutex;
 
@@ -118,9 +121,6 @@ private:
         ItemStatus status;
 
         bool hasLocation;
-#ifdef LOADINGSCREEN_DEBUGGING
-        bool exhaustedSearch;
-#endif // LOADINGSCREEN_DEBUGGING
         glm::vec2 ll;
         glm::vec2 ur;
 
diff --git a/src/engine/openspaceengine.cpp b/src/engine/openspaceengine.cpp
index 9d0809cf5a..47267f22f9 100644
--- a/src/engine/openspaceengine.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/openspaceengine.cpp
@@ -576,12 +576,14 @@ void OpenSpaceEngine::loadScene(const std::string& scenePath) {
         }
     );
 
+    bool errorWithPreInit = false;
     // Run start up scripts
     try {
         runPreInitializationScripts(scenePath);
     }
     catch (const ghoul::RuntimeError& e) {
         LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
+        errorWithPreInit = true;
     }
 
     Scene* scene;
@@ -622,60 +624,68 @@ void OpenSpaceEngine::loadScene(const std::string& scenePath) {
     // an OpenGL context
     std::atomic_bool initializeFinished(false);
     bool errorWhileLoading = false;
-    std::thread t([&scene, scenePath, &initializeFinished, &errorWhileLoading, this]() {
-        _loadingScreen->postMessage("Creating scene...");
-        _loadingScreen->setPhase(LoadingScreen::Phase::Construction);
-        try {
-            scene = _sceneManager->loadScene(scenePath);
-        }
-        catch (const ghoul::FileNotFoundError& e) {
-            LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
-            errorWhileLoading = true;
-            return;
-        }
-        catch (const Scene::InvalidSceneError& e) {
-            LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
-            errorWhileLoading = true;
-            return;
-        }
-        catch (const ghoul::RuntimeError& e) {
-            LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
-            errorWhileLoading = true;
-            return;
-        }
-        catch (const std::exception& e) {
-            LERROR(e.what());
-            errorWhileLoading = true;
-            return;
-        }
-        catch (...) {
-            LERROR("Unknown error loading the scene");
-            errorWhileLoading = true;
-            return;
+    std::thread t([&scene, scenePath, &initializeFinished, &errorWhileLoading,
+                   &errorWithPreInit, this]()
+    {
+        if (errorWithPreInit) {
+            _loadingScreen->postMessage("Failed loading scene '" + scenePath + "'");
+            _loadingScreen->setCatastrophicError(LoadingScreen::CatastrophicError::Yes);
         }
+        else {
+            _loadingScreen->postMessage("Creating scene...");
+            _loadingScreen->setPhase(LoadingScreen::Phase::Construction);
+            try {
+                scene = _sceneManager->loadScene(scenePath);
+            }
+            catch (const ghoul::FileNotFoundError& e) {
+                LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
+                errorWhileLoading = true;
+                return;
+            }
+            catch (const Scene::InvalidSceneError& e) {
+                LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
+                errorWhileLoading = true;
+                return;
+            }
+            catch (const ghoul::RuntimeError& e) {
+                LERRORC(e.component, e.message);
+                errorWhileLoading = true;
+                return;
+            }
+            catch (const std::exception& e) {
+                LERROR(e.what());
+                errorWhileLoading = true;
+                return;
+            }
+            catch (...) {
+                LERROR("Unknown error loading the scene");
+                errorWhileLoading = true;
+                return;
+            }
 
-        Scene* previousScene = _renderEngine->scene();
-        if (previousScene) {
-            _syncEngine->removeSyncables(_timeManager->getSyncables());
-            _syncEngine->removeSyncables(_renderEngine->getSyncables());
-            _syncEngine->removeSyncable(_scriptEngine.get());
+            Scene* previousScene = _renderEngine->scene();
+            if (previousScene) {
+                _syncEngine->removeSyncables(_timeManager->getSyncables());
+                _syncEngine->removeSyncables(_renderEngine->getSyncables());
+                _syncEngine->removeSyncable(_scriptEngine.get());
 
-            _renderEngine->setScene(nullptr);
-            _renderEngine->setCamera(nullptr);
-            _sceneManager->unloadScene(*previousScene);
+                _renderEngine->setScene(nullptr);
+                _renderEngine->setCamera(nullptr);
+                _sceneManager->unloadScene(*previousScene);
+            }
+
+            // Initialize the RenderEngine
+            _renderEngine->setScene(scene);
+            _renderEngine->setCamera(scene->camera());
+            _renderEngine->setGlobalBlackOutFactor(0.0);
+            _renderEngine->startFading(1, 3.0);
+
+            _loadingScreen->setPhase(LoadingScreen::Phase::Initialization);
+
+            scene->initialize();
+            _loadingScreen->postMessage("Finished initializing");
+            initializeFinished = true;
         }
-
-        // Initialize the RenderEngine
-        _renderEngine->setScene(scene);
-        _renderEngine->setCamera(scene->camera());
-        _renderEngine->setGlobalBlackOutFactor(0.0);
-        _renderEngine->startFading(1, 3.0);
-
-        _loadingScreen->setPhase(LoadingScreen::Phase::Initialization);
-
-        scene->initialize();
-        _loadingScreen->postMessage("Finished initializing");
-        initializeFinished = true;
     });
 
     // While the SceneGraphNodes initialize themselves, we can hand over control to the
@@ -1433,12 +1443,10 @@ void OpenSpaceEngine::externalControlCallback(const char* receivedChars, int siz
 void OpenSpaceEngine::toggleShutdownMode() {
     if (_shutdown.inShutdown) {
         // If we are already in shutdown mode, we want to disable it
-        LINFO("Disabled shutdown mode");
         _shutdown.inShutdown = false;
     }
     else {
         // Else, we have to enable it
-        LINFO("Shutting down OpenSpace");
         _shutdown.timer = _shutdown.waitTime;
         _shutdown.inShutdown = true;
     }
diff --git a/src/rendering/loadingscreen.cpp b/src/rendering/loadingscreen.cpp
index 077b0a7f5d..fb6c11b4d1 100644
--- a/src/rendering/loadingscreen.cpp
+++ b/src/rendering/loadingscreen.cpp
@@ -412,12 +412,17 @@ void LoadingScreen::render() {
     using FR = ghoul::fontrendering::FontRenderer;
     FR& renderer = FR::defaultRenderer();
 
+
+    std::string headline =
+        _hasCatastrophicErrorOccurred ?
+        "Failure":
+        "Loading...";
     // We use "Loading" to center the text, but render "Loading..." to make it look more
     // pleasing
     FR::BoundingBoxInformation bbox = renderer.boundingBox(
         *_loadingFont,
         "%s",
-        "Loading."
+        headline.substr(0, headline.size() - 2).c_str()
     );
 
     glm::vec2 loadingLl = glm::vec2(
@@ -431,7 +436,7 @@ void LoadingScreen::render() {
         loadingLl,
         glm::vec4(1.f, 1.f, 1.f, 1.f),
         "%s",
-        "Loading..."
+        headline.c_str()
     );
 
     glm::vec2 messageLl;
@@ -620,6 +625,10 @@ void LoadingScreen::postMessage(std::string message) {
     _message = std::move(message);
 }
 
+void LoadingScreen::setCatastrophicError(CatastrophicError catastrophicError) {
+    _hasCatastrophicErrorOccurred = catastrophicError;
+}
+
 void LoadingScreen::finalize() {
     _items.erase(
         std::remove_if(