Recently, the developers of Wayfinder announced that they are transforming their game from an MMO into a single-player game that players will need to pay for once. Now, the new version is live on Steam, and many players believe it was the right decision.
What’s the status of Wayfinder? Back in mid-May, we reported that Airship Syndicate announced their shift of Wayfinder from an MMO and live-service game to a pay-to-play. At that time, many players expressed their negative opinions about this decision.
Partly because they had already invested a significant amount of money in a game they would now no longer want to play without its online aspects.
Now, the new version is live on Steam, and until June 25, 2024, you can secure the “new” Wayfinder for 10% off. So currently, you pay €22.05 on the platform. A trailer announced the launch of Wayfinder Echoes:
What changes in the concept? Wayfinder launched a few months ago as an MMO on Steam. As a live-service game, however, it could not really convince on the platform, despite several “rescue attempts”. Ultimately, the team decided to take a drastic step to give their game another chance.
“Wayfinder will remove all online requirements and become a single-player game with optional three-player co-op,” the official announcement on Steam states. Therefore, to play Wayfinder, no accounts or logging into servers would be necessary anymore. The team knew that this was a significant step but a necessary one so that the game could stay forever.
This also means that progress will no longer be transferable, as save states will now be local and no longer on the servers. These changes form the basis for the major Wayfinder’s Echoes update.
Community sees a second chance for the failed MMO
How is the community reacting now? Previously, there had mainly been negative voices criticizing the decision to abandon the MMO aspect. Now, especially in the comments under the latest launch trailer (via YouTube), there is a lot of support.
- maplesyrupmush9320 writes: “I love the team for deciding not to let this game die. I would buy it again 10 times.”
- ReeceHendrix writes: “No lie, but Wayfinder could really make a comeback with this content.”
- Komorur writes: “All the right decisions made, I wish you the success you deserve.”
- Naturise1 writes: “Just played through for 8 hours and it was insane, 100% worth the change.”
- umbralbushido8636 writes: “I really hope the game finds its player base, it doesn’t deserve to die just because it changed direction (for the better in my opinion).”
The team decided to give Wayfinder another chance in this way primarily because they care deeply about the world and characters.
Looking at the current reactions from the community, many players also seem convinced that Wayfinder could have a second chance this way. What do you think of the change, and have you checked out the “new” Wayfinder yet? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. A similar situation is currently unfolding around the MMO New World: Amazon is hitting the reset button: From New World to an Action RPG – Also for PS5 and Xbox
