Game Launch Issues
Ongoing coverage on Game Launch Issues.
Latest coverage
"The craziest numbers I've seen in 17 years working at Blizzard": WoW Forever devs seem genuinely shocked the beta is so popular as they explain why their MMO servers keep breaking
The beta launch for World of Warcraft: Forever experienced significant server issues, surprising even veteran Blizzard developers. Senior figures like Josh Greenfield and Tom Ellis expressed shock at the overwhelming player numbers, which caused login queues and performance problems. The team identified and addressed bottlenecks in the regional realm and database performance, ultimately expanding server capacity.
Wardogs dev reflects on the FPS game's messy Steam takeover: "We either fix the queue now or we're f***ed"
Massive multiplayer shooter Wardogs experienced a chaotic launch on Steam, with over 365,000 concurrent players overwhelming the servers and causing issues with anticheat bans. Developer Bulkhead, led by figures like Howard Philpott and James Tatum-Dean, worked quickly to deploy a hotfix that resolved the login queue problems. Despite initial setbacks, the game achieved over 1.5 million sales and an 83% Steam review average.
MindsEye will litigate its own launch 'sabotage' controversy in DLC form
Build a Rocket Boy plans to address the controversial launch of its game MindsEye by releasing a DLC mission called Blacklist, which will share evidence of alleged sabotage. Studio CEO Mark Gerhard stated the mission will also introduce a playable female character and aims to foster community-generated content. The studio is investigating claims of external and internal sabotage and has involved authorities in the UK and US.
Crimson Desert developers "doing our utmost" to respond to its various launch issues, as game still passes huge one-day sales milestone
Crimson Desert, the single-player RPG from Pearl Abyss, has sold over 2 million copies shortly after its launch. The developers acknowledged various launch issues, including PC launch problems via the Xbox App, performance issues on PlayStation 5, and control troubles, stating they are working to address player feedback.
Crimson Desert will not boot on Intel Arc graphics cards and users are being encouraged to refund the game
Crimson Desert actively does not support Intel Arc graphics cards, with players being encouraged to seek refunds from their platform of purchase. Pearl Abyss has not indicated if optimization for Intel GPUs is planned, leaving users with little recourse. The game also experiences launch issues on ASUS ROG Ally and Xbox PC.
