Risk of Rain 2 has been held in high regard as one of the best action roguelikes on the market, ever since its release in 2020. With the combination of edge-of-your-seat adaptive difficulty and a plethora of randomized items, each run was a blast. The learning curve was perfect as it rewarded players who wanted to set out to master it. It has always been published by Gearbox Publishing, but Gearbox also developed the newest downloadable content, Seekers of the Storm. Sadly, the game has now drastically changed for the worse, as this expansion sits at a 21% approval rating on Steam, with tons of new bugs essentially breaking the base game for those that have been dedicated from the start.

This is pervasive, with one reviewer stating, “The biggest thing you’ll hear about this DLC is the bugs. Bugs, bugs, bugs. They’re pretty much everywhere now, and they’ve gone to the base game too – so even if you don’t own the DLC, you will have to deal with them now.“, it’s a sad sight for anyone to see a gaming experience deteriorate. Gearbox’s CEO, Randy Pitchford, responded that he’s “tolerated” the “jank” – a puzzling, catastrophic look from the voice of a major game company. Original developers, Hopoo Games, can only watch as their game spirals from a lackadaisical effort.

I’ve seen my fair share of apology notes after a rough release, but none have come so nonchalantly as how Pitchford presents the problems in a public forum with a tone of acceptance instead of initiative. On the game’s Steam page, however, Gearbox has announced an action plan to remedy the issues in a post-launch progress report, so there’s a saving grace that Risk of Rain 2 can be redeemed after this debacle. Gamers are consumers, and they deserve a product that is feature-complete and functional upon release. Here’s hoping Gearbox can right their wrongs.