Ready or Not's Players Stage a SWAT-tastic Comeback Despite Nudity-Free Update Outrage
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Despite a review bombing incident related to content changes for its console release, tactical shooter *Ready or Not* saw a significant increase in player count on Steam, boosted by a summer sale and anticipation for the console launch, suggesting that negative reviews don't always translate to a decline in popularity.
Right, so here's a head-scratcher for ya. Remember *Ready or Not*, that tactical FPS where you basically play SWAT team simulator? Turns out, despite a proper review bombing kerfuffle recently, the game's player count on Steam has more than doubled. Bloody hell, what gives?
According to Game Rant, *Ready or Not* got a bit of a kicking from its community after VOID Interactive, the developer, had to tone things down to get the game approved for console release. We're talking about removing nudity (oi, where's the fun?), reducing gore, and changing some, shall we say, *delicate* scenes involving NPCs and overdoses. Understandably, some PC players weren't chuffed about these changes.
But here's the twist. While the game's recent reviews on Steam are sitting at a rather dismal 'Mostly Negative,' the actual number of people playing the game shot up. PC Gamer noticed that *Ready or Not* peaked at 17,269 concurrent players on July 6th. Compare that to just under 6,000 players back on June 26th, and you've got yourself a pretty impressive surge. So, what's going on?
Well, a few things are likely at play here. First, the Steam Summer Sale happened. With the game at 50% off, plenty of new players probably grabbed it, keen to give it a go. "Bargain" is a powerful magic spell, mate.
Second, *Ready or Not: Digital Deluxe Edition* is currently sitting pretty at the top of PlayStation's pre-order charts. So, even with the changes, the game is clearly generating a fair bit of hype for its upcoming console launch.
This whole situation raises some interesting questions about the power of review bombing. Does it actually affect a game's popularity, or is it just a vocal minority making a racket? In this case, it seems like the latter. After all, *Ready or Not* is widely considered a pretty damn good SWAT-inspired shooter. And let's be honest, a sale is always going to bring in more players, regardless of a few grumbles online.
*Ready or Not* is set to launch on consoles on July 15th, marking its debut on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Will the console release keep the numbers up, or will the initial boost fade away? Only time will tell. But for now, it seems like VOID Interactive has dodged a bullet (pun intended).
Tags: Ready or Not, Steam, Review Bombing, Tactical Shooter, VOID Interactive
Original article: Game Rant