Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader's New Launcher Was So Terrible That It's Been Shut Down After Just One Day
We all know that you can never really get gamers to agree on anything. If there's a game that's universally loved, there will be someone that hates it, and if there is a game that's universally panned, there will be someone out there saying it's not that bad. However, there is one thing that gamers can be united on, and that's the fact that nobody likes unnecessary launchers on PC.
Epic Games has admitted its own launcher blows, and everyone celebrated when 2K finally shut down its own launcher back in 2024. They don't help the players in any way, shape, or form, and are honestly used more as billboards for advertisements for other games these days rather than something actually helpful. That doesn't stop developers from trying their luck with them though.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader's Launcher Was No Different
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader developer Owlcat Games was one such developer, presumably of the mindset that their launcher for the game would be different and welcomed with open arms. Safe to say that it was not, as the launcher's announcement post on Steam racked up a whopping 1,900 comments and absolutely zero likes (thanks Rock, Paper Shotgun).
RelatedWarhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Had A Rough Launch Because The Studio Decided To Redo Chapter 4 Months Before Release
"We were more ambitious than it was practical to be".
Posts By James LucasPretty much every comment mentions how much of a terrible idea the launcher is, how pointless it is, or asking how they can just skip or remove it. It's a pretty intense backlash as far as Warhammer goes, which is why the launcher has already been killed just 24 hours after it was announced.
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Dive deeper by subscribing to our newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of PC launcher controversies and developer-community pushback, including rollbacks like Owlcat's, with clear context and industry perspective. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.In a follow-up post on Steam, Owlcat announced that it would be rolling back the launcher, returning the game to its previous patch and removing all launcher-related changes. It also said that it is "genuinely sorry for the frustration caused" and thanked fans for feedback, so kudos to Owlcat for listening, and let this be a warning to every developer out there that launchers still ain't vogue.
4.0/5 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Like Follow Followed Strategy RPG Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 75/100 Critics Rec: 73% Released December 7, 2023 ESRB T Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence Developer(s) Owlcat Games Publisher(s) Owlcat Games Engine Unity Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Franchise Warhammer 40KWHERE TO PLAY
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