Warhammer 40k: Darktide had a tough launch—not disastrously tough, thoughts. The sport’s core techniques, and Fatshark’s earlier pedigree have been all sufficient to hook gamers in and hold them popping again for some main updates. Nonetheless, clunky crafting development, chugging efficiency, and an absence of buildcrafting threw a moist blanket over a sport that was in any other case very enjoyable to play.
As you could be conscious, Fatshark’s sorted plenty of it out, beginning with an enormous class overhaul in October of its launch 12 months, plus a bunch of free updates. As such, Fatshark’s saved it chugging together with decently wholesome numbers—fluctuating round 10,000 gamers in a 24-hour interval, which is okay for a 3-year-old stay service sport—and is now assured sufficient to launch a little bit of paid DLC: An entire new class.
As for why it is taken Fatshark a complete two years to place a price ticket on one thing (apart from its controversial launch cosmetics, in fact) design director Victor Magnuson, chatting with Gamesindustry.biz, explains:
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“The philosophy for Darktide is that any content material that might cut up the playerbase, we give away without cost. So any mission content material, sport mode content material, or any new weapons and stuff like that we’ll give away without cost.
“We really feel {that a} participant class lives on the facet. You do not have to have it, you possibly can nonetheless play with all your pals. So that’s one thing we will cost for, as a result of it is an addition to the sport. It does not cut up the playerbase in any manner.”
I feel that is truthful sufficient. I haven’t got the brightest opinion of priced video games with beauty microtransactions, however round two years of post-launch assist is sufficient to ask for a number of credit to snag a brand new class, in my estimation. Thoughts, it is not all roses and flowers.
Darktide is simply barely sitting at “Blended” current opinions on Steam as I write this. Group sentiment from the naysayers appears to be that Fatshark’s been sluggish on the uptake to replace the sport—based mostly partially on a 2022 weblog put up that acknowledged the studio would drop “one new class each quarter”, which clearly hasn’t come near taking place. Thoughts, Fatshark additionally utterly overhauled how lessons work in Darktide, making them much more complicated.
Some additionally allege that the Arbites is overpriced at $12/£10—particularly because it has a deluxe version, as a result of every little thing wants a deluxe version these days. I do not know the way I really feel about tacking on a much bigger price ticket for extra cosmetics, however I reckon if I’ve performed a sport on and off for a number of years, $12 appears cheap.
It’s, nevertheless, much more costly than Vermintide 2’s careers. For comparability, the Necromancer is $4/£3. Alternatively, the Arbites has three paths—so it is extra comparable to 3 Verminite lessons. The quibbling continues.
Regardless, Magnuson appears cheery about how issues are going: “Gamers are completely happy, we really feel we have got the bottom techniques in the best place, the development is there, it is enjoyable to play. We have got these lessons which might be deep and have plenty of totally different play kinds in them. It took some time to get there, however now we really feel we’re in an excellent place, and that we’re able to do one thing the place we cost just a little further.”
General, Magnuson appears to view the bumpy experience as followers being rewarded for having religion. Which is becoming conceptually for the grim darkness of the longer term the place there’s solely conflict, I suppose: “All of our present playerbase, once we launched Darktide, they knew, ‘it will get higher, so don’t be concerned.’ A number of the brand new gamers have been saying that it was lacking one thing, however all of the old-school Vermintide gamers have been like, ‘Don’t fret about it, they are going to repair this, they are going to add techniques and it’ll get higher. Simply wait’.”
Mmn. Do not get me incorrect, I feel Fatshark’s completed an admirable restore job on Darktide—however I do not assume I am being presumptuous once I say I feel most would’ve appreciated it if the issues weren’t there within the first place.
Nonetheless, he maintains the playerbase has “gotten used to the tempo of how and once we launch stuff. We attempt as a lot as attainable to maintain a three-month cadence, and for main updates, a 12 months. And we have additionally added small occasions in between so there’s one thing to play, or one thing cool taking place within the sport.”
General, Magnuson’s completely happy: “Our philosophy is that, so long as you come again once we do an replace, we’re completely happy. We do not assume it is attainable to have the complete playerbase taking part in the sport ceaselessly, continuously, so so long as they arrive again, we’re tremendous completely happy.”
