Once Human's Makers Acknowledge 'Demoralizing' Reception

If you haven’t caught the latest news, Once Human has officially launched after its closed beta and subsequent re-debut at Summer Games Fest, with its official release on July 9. This free-to-play multiplayer open-world survival game from Starry Studio, a subsidiary of NetEase, is now into its second season. However, feedback for Season 2 has been notably negative, leaving the development team feeling "demoralised."

Starry Studio Addresses Player Feedback on Discord

As highlighted by Eurogamer, Starry Studio took to the game's official Discord channel to discuss the player feedback they’ve been receiving. In their statement, they said:

"Since Season 2 began, we’ve gathered a lot of feedback. Some of it has been quite demoralising, but it’s crucial for us to understand how these changes have impacted your experience. We genuinely appreciate your input and hope to address all of your concerns in future updates."

The studio has identified two main issues based on this feedback: weapon builds and scenario tags. To tackle the weapon build concerns, Starry Studio is introducing a blueprint conversion system. The scenario tags issue will be addressed following a player survey, according to Eurogamer’s coverage.

The exact nature of the "demoralising" feedback remains unclear, as, according to PC Gamer, comments submitted via the Once Human Discord feedback section go directly to the development team and are not made public.

Despite the negative feedback, Once Human has seen substantial success on Steam, averaging around 100,000 concurrent players daily, as reported by SteamDB. The game has achieved an all-time peak of 231,668 players and a 24-hour peak of 119,979, which are impressive figures for a new free-to-play title.

While it's disheartening for the team to face such negative feedback, it's important to remember that constructive criticism is vital for a game’s ongoing development. However, it should always be delivered with respect and understanding.