The survival action RPG Enshrouded is currently a surprising success on Steam. The game comes from the developer studio Keen Games based in Frankfurt. As it has now been revealed, a controversial Easter egg is hidden in the game: The former home of influencer Rainer “Drachenlord” Winkler, the “Drachenlaire,” is meticulously recreated in the game. Some find that funny; others dismiss it as bullying.
What kind of game is it?
- The survival game Enshrouded was released on January 24, 2024, in early access for PC. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are set to follow. The studio “Keen Games” is known for games like Portal Knights and Sacred 3.
- On Steam, the game peaked at an impressive 160,405 simultaneous players. With 85% positive reviews, it is also well-rated.
- Enshrouded is currently regarded alongside Palworld as “the survival game” of the moment that you really should check out. We have referred to it on MeinMMO as “Minecraft for adults” on several occasions.
House of the Drachenlord, the “Drachenlaire,” in the Steam hit
This has now been noticed by some users: In one part of the game world of Enshrouded, the former house of influencer Rainer Winkler is clearly and meticulously recreated.
This was also not built there by a player; rather, it is an integral part of the world of Enshrouded, created by the developers themselves.
Why is this problematic? The influencer Rainer Winkler is considered a prime example of a form of online controversy that has now lost all sense and measure and has turned into a case of bullying and a witch hunt.
A group of people on the internet, dubbed “Drachenhaider,” find it amusing or cultish to observe the influencer, visit him, and comment on his actions ironically, sarcastically, or offensively.
The “Drachen Game” involved going to Winkler’s then house (“the Drachenlaire”), whose address had long been known, harassing him, and finding amusement when Winkler would lose his temper and scream.
In doing so, the “haters” feel morally justified because Winkler is said to be a bad person who has committed many wrongdoings. They mock some of his statements, his speech impediments, or his dialect extensively.
Journalists specializing in the internet, such as Sascha Lobo (via Spiegel), have dealt intensively with Rainer Winkler. Lobo wrote in 2021 that Winkler has been tormented, threatened, and harassed by a mob for years.
When Winkler defended himself and became violent, a court found him guilty. Lobo described the treatment of him as a catastrophic failure of the judiciary, media, and society.
An employee of MeinMMO, together with a friend, took these screenshots of the house in Enshrouded and its location on an in-game map for us:
What is the reaction to the house in Enshrouded? The “hater” community finds the house in Enshrouded incredibly funny and shares videos where they comment on the depiction of the house, describe individual rooms, and speculate on what sound effects might be overlaying the images. They detail what words Winkler might use to rudely kick someone off the property in this or that room.
They take pleasure in the fact that even in the Frankfurt studio Keen Games, there are obvious “haters.”
However, there are also isolated voices that view this critically. In a negative review of “Enshrouded” on Steam, it is stated that this Easter egg would fuel the unbearable bullying against Drachenlord. While Winkler must also be held accountable for some of his actions, that should happen through the rule of law, not by a mob of bullies. “No one deserves to be bullied. Absolutely no one.”
The review was found helpful by 17 people and funny by 55 people, highlighting the issue of the entire complicated situation.
MeinMMO has asked the developers of Enshrouded for a statement. We will provide it as soon as we receive it.
Developers will remove the house of the Drachenlord
Update 1.2.2024, 8:30 AM: We have received the following statement from the developers:
We have been made aware that there is a building in the game that resembles a real building connected to real events. It was not intended to have this building in the game. We are currently working on removing this building from the game. Our team will require a few hours until the update is available for everyone. We will take appropriate measures to ensure that this does not happen again. We apologize for this incident and expressly distance ourselves from it.
Jan Jöckel, CEO, Keen Games
You can read our assessment of Enshrouded here: A new survival game from Germany could be the next Steam hit, but it has one major problem
Update 1.2.2024: In an earlier version of the article, we linked the Steam review we quote in the article and shared a screenshot. The author of the Steam review has asked us to remove both. He claims to have been doxxed and received threatening emails. He asked us to remove screenshots and the link from the article. He has deleted his Steam review.
