Devs behind one of Steam’s most-wishlisted games respond after asking players to change negative reviews and kicking up a stink online

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Outbound, a cozy little co-op crafting game that's all about building up a base on wheels and exploring a colorful open world, is under fire from fans upset with developer Square Glade Games' reaction to negative reviews – but the studio now has a response.

In case you've missed the drama, Outbound launched on Steam just a few days ago and sits on the storefront with a "Mostly Positive" rating currently. As a mix of both negative and positive reviews started rolling in, folks spotted responses from Square Glade Games to some, in which the devs ask players to request refunds and subsequently remove their feedback. Admittedly, it's… not exactly a great look.

Square Glade Games has spoken out in response to fans sharing how uncomfortable they find the devs replying to negative reviews, though.

"Hi everyone, we wanted to step into this thread to address the recent discussions and feedback on the reviews," they begin. "First and foremost, we truly apologize for how our recent replies have come across. We understand that our communication has felt wrong to many of you, and for that, we are genuinely sorry."

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Why did it happen? "To be completely honest, the 24 hours since the launch have been incredibly overwhelming. While we started with a lot of excitement, the reality of a launch brings a lot of pressure and intense emotions. Looking back, we realize that the way we communicated was not the right approach, and we didn't handle the situation with the care it deserved."

In other words, Square Glade Games felt under pressure.

"We've been working around the clock to investigate the issues you've been reporting and to get fixes out as quickly as possible." That's no lie – their latest update on Steam shows they've improved multiplayer stability and addressed some others already, with more patches to come.

As for the situation at hand regarding reviews and the devs' replies to them, Square Glade Games admits it'll no longer respond to fans' feedback.

"We also want to be clear: we will no longer be asking anyone to change their negative reviews, and we have also deleted our previous comments," the studio explains. "We respect your honesty and appreciate the feedback, even when it's tough to hear. It helps us make the game better."

It's nice that the team is remedying its mistakes, I'd say – the wholesome gaming community can be a lot sometimes, but it's always better to take reviews in stride.

The devs close with another apology "for the missteps in our communication" – but not all fans are convinced yet, it seems. Some allege it's an "AI-generated" response, while others call for a boycott. It's difficult all around, but I'm hopeful things will lighten up a bit soon.

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Anna KoselkeStaff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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