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Warhammer 40K: Darktide: Improvements instead of new content and Xbox porting

Jan 26, 2023

Fatshark pulls the emergency brake for Warhammer 40K: Darktide. You have not met your own expectations, now the first thing to do is improve. The porting of the shooter to the Xbox Series X|S and the release of further content are initially on hold.

The developers write that Darktide should be a “highly motivating and stable game” with enough depth for weeks and months of entertainment. The fact that the shooter rushed past this goal can hardly be overlooked. Metacritic still has a merciful 74 out of 100 points in the press rating and 4.7 out of 10 points in the user rating, Steam is clearer. Overall, 55 percent of all ratings there are positive, but only 33 percent in the past 30 days.

The now “largely negative verdict” is based on a variety of aspects. There are, for example, the high system requirements and at the same time poor performance and crashes, which are regularly criticized. In terms of content, however, Darktide only fulfills expectations to a limited extent. “mr.D4RK” summarizes what the problem is in the Steam Community: Missing features such as crafting, a barely perceptible story, few character classes and missions and an endgame that has hardly been thought through can be found there.

The gameplay loop once you hit lvl30 is pointless, crafting doesn't exist, bugs exist, theres not story, mission select is awful, the cosmetic shop is predatory,

Slimey Pidgeon

In addition, buyers are bothered by the in-game shop and the associated game structure: hardly any attractive skins can be unlocked for free, the pricing in bundles and a premium currency is accused of lack of transparency. The predecessors, Warhammer: Vermintide 1 and 2, are significantly better and would focus on fun, not maximized playtime through the focus on luck in crafting and loot, and thus the sale of additional offers. The only thing that worked flawlessly and was well developed was the shop when it was released, players note in more than just one review.

First fun, then the rest

In view of the ever worsening ratings, Fatshark is now reacting. First of all, crafting, game progress as well as stability and frame rates should be improved. So Fatshark goes in search of fun. The seasonal content and premium skins, the release of which would not have looked good in this situation, as well as the porting to the Xbox Series S and Series X. Selling the shooter on a second platform if it is already on the first not fun makes little economic sense; the start of sales as part of a gentle “relaunch” of a significantly improved version of Darktide is cheaper. The developers already have experience: Vermintide 1 and 2 have also been improved in very similar areas.