Free Shooter Was Charged on Steam. Enlisted Disappeared From Sale; Devs Apologize
Gaijin Entertainment studio seems not to have thought through its decision to release Enlisted on Steam.
The popularity (if not monopoly) of Steam on PCs means that for some gamers, a game doesn't actually exist on PCs unless it debuts on Valve's platform. However, in the case of the new game by Gaijin Entertainment Studio, the release on Steam didn't impress the players. Enlisted, which was supposed to be free, was released on Steam as a buy-to-play title, meaning it required a fee for purchase. The price of the game was set at $19.99.
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In theory, the version available on Steam was an expansion pack of this second-war shooter. Nonetheless, a few additional units didn't reassure the players. In the end, the devs could have just offered these attractions as part of the premium edition, instead of being the sole option to buy the shooter, which is still accessible for free on the developer's website.
Of course, the players quickly expressed their dissatisfaction. Steam users inundated the Enlisted card with unfavorable reviews and filled the game's forum with threads where they expressed their opinions on the developers' decision using strong words.
As a result, the game temporarily disappeared from sale on Steam, and Gaijin Entertainment published an entry in which it apologized for Enlisted's unsuccessful debut on the platform. Current buyers can still play this game (via Steam / Reddit).
Devs: "We apologize, we have let you down"
The apology pertains to more than just adding paid DLC to the basic game version as the sole purchasing option, but also to issues with connecting the Steam profile to the Gaijin.Net account due to a significant technical malfunction. The developer also claims that the release of Enlisted in "Early Access" on Valve's platform was because the developers didn't plan for this version of the game to reach a larger number of players.
The existing Steam version [of Enlisted] was never intended to be available to a massive number of players, hence the "Early Access" status. So making it available to existing huge audience of Enlisted fans could probably lead to even more dissatisfaction, as more people would face these technical issues [with linking Steam and Gaijin.Net accounts], or new ones.
We'd like to apologise once again for letting down both our existing players and those who wishlisted the game on Steam. Please, follow the news on our website while we continue exploring our Steam options, looking for a solution for a linking issue and polishing all aspects of the game.
Players don't buy the devs' apologies
The announcement (even with the cat) didn't soothe the moods, not just because the whole situation of releasing a free game on Steam only in a paid version was somewhat bizarre. The devs' apologies essentially don't address this issue, omitting literally one mention noting the players' dissatisfaction.
Many fans have long been pointing out that the devs' plans for the Steam version may end in failure. The debut of Enlisted cannot be called anything else. At the peak moment in the game, 254 players were playing simultaneously (via SteamDB / Reddit). It's not surprising considering the price on Steam and issues with syncing progress from the Gaijin.Net account.
Players are even more disappointed because many were hoping for a significant expansion of the player base when Enlisted finally opened up to tens of millions of Steam users. Meanwhile, according to many fans, Gaijin Entertainment has completely disappointed and squandered this opportunity.
Hardly anyone purchases the dev's explanation as if the PC's largest digital distribution platform version wasn't designed to expand the player base. Only a few internet users suggest that it might have been an actual "Early Access" rather than a full official release on Steam. The problem is that the developers apparently didn't make an effort to explain this to the community.
As usual, some individuals tend to accuse not the developers themselves, but rather the "businessmen" who dictate the studio's decisions. To be fair, such allegations always arise with any controversial decision of game developers. However, it's hard not to agree with the fans that the consequences of the developers' decisions must have been obvious to everyone.
