The shooter “Exoborne – Master The Apocalypse” (Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X) is a new open-world shooter looking to ride the current trend of “extraction shooters” established by Escape from Tarkov. A special twist includes chaotic weather phenomena. However, the developers, Sharkmob, are haunted by their previous game Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodhunt.
What kind of game is it?
- “Exoborne” takes place in apocalyptic America, where extreme natural forces prevail.
- The gameplay idea of the extraction shooter is that players continually find loot, either in PvE or PvP from other players, and craft equipment from exo-rigs, weapons, and mods.
- Exoborne aims to deliver a decisive twist with the chaotic weather phenomena. Huge mega-storms are planned to pose a danger to all players, while savvy loot vultures can also turn this to their advantage.
Controversy over Vampire flop Bloodhunt overshadows new shooter
How is the trailer received? The trailer has achieved 4.4 million views on YouTube after 3 months and garnered nearly 13,000 likes.
The comments on the trailer are overshadowed by controversy: The developers’ previous game, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, turned out to be a flop and was discontinued just a year after launch:
- Bloodhunt was introduced in October 2020 and launched into Early Access on September 7, 2021
- The game was released on April 27, 2022, for PC and PS5
- Development of the game was halted as early as May 15, 2022
Many comments under the Exoborne trailer call for the developers to “revive” or “fix” the game. And those are the nice comments.
“It’s like your ex shows you her new boyfriend”
Players also use the trailer to vent their frustrations:
- “It’s like your ex shows you her new boyfriend.”
- “Sharkmob are the biggest clowns in the industry” – They are accused of “just chasing trends.”
- “No gameplay – Great trailer.”
Developers say: Behind the new game, they stand much more
This is what the developers say: At GDC, developers will also confront the flop Bloodhunt. Why should fans believe in the new project when they have just been disappointed, the US sitePCGamesN asks them.
Narrative Director Martin Hultberg understands the anger and tells the interviewers:
With Vampire the Masquerade, it was a licensed product – Exoborne belongs to the developers themselves. They have a very different level of “commitment,” therefore they have much higher attachment and obligation to Exoborne than to Bloodhunt.
The project also has a different level, as the current publisher fully supports it – that was not the case with Bloodhunt.
The game could haunt Sharkmob for a long time:
What’s behind it: This is really a difficult situation for the developers: Vampire The Masquerade is a big license that has many fans. Therefore, Bloodhunt was closely watched and players hoped for a worthy successor to the legendary role-playing classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption from the year 2000.
If you sink a game that many were looking forward to, it initially leaves a huge shadow that also looms over new projects. Whether the developers are to blame or it’s a difficult publisher situation is irrelevant to the fans for now.
The MMORPG studio Funcom took a similar situation 10 years to recover from “Age of Conan,” which hung like a shadow over their games for a decade. Only in 2018 with Conan Exiles could Funcom truly recover from it.
Hopefully, Sharkmob doesn’t need 10 years to shake off the vampire curse.
Those looking for new shooter fare might find it here:
