The MMO Enlisted (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One/Series X) launched on March 28 on Steam, but was already removed from the platform after just one day. The difficulties were too great, as the studio admits.
This is Enlisted:
- Enlisted is a squad-based MMO developed by Gaijin Entertainment, known for War Thunder. The game was released on PC and consoles in 2021 following several betas.
- Players control not just one character but a squad of 3 to 9 soldiers. They fight against each other on large maps of World War II.
- Enlisted was generally perceived as a positive change in the MMO genre: The idea of reenacting large military battles early on led to comparisons with a “Battlefield-MMO” since Battlefield was always known for large battles.
Enlisted was supposed to be “reinforced”, but the version was too weak
That was the release on Steam: Enlisted launched on March 28 as “Enlisted Reinforced” on Steam in an Early Access. The idea was that the game had evolved so much since the release that they wanted to present an improved version on Steam.
However, after only about 18 hours, the option to download Enlisted further disappeared: Those who downloaded the Steam version at launch can still play. But currently, it is not possible to acquire and install Enlisted anew on Steam.
20 $ for a Free2Play game
What went wrong? Players were informed in an email and in a post on Steam on March 28 that many people were very dissatisfied with the Early Access version on Steam:
- Players complained about paid DLCs
- or that they could not link their accounts with the Steam version.
As mmorpg.com reports, at the botched launch on Steam, the “standard version” included a paid DLC pack right from the start, even though Enlisted is actually a Free2Play title.
The developers regret the problems, as they assure with a sad cat photo.
Therefore, the Early Access version was removed from Steam. Those who purchased the package can continue playing.
There are “significant technical issues with” linking the accounts. In any case, the Steam version was never intended for so many players.
What happens next? The developers want to resolve the linking issue and “polish all aspects of Enlisted” before announcing a re-release on Steam.
Was the demand really that high? Actually not; at peak, the game could reach 254 players. Currently, about 90 are still playing.
However, the reviews were poor: Out of 178 reviews, only 56% were negative. The main criticism was indeed that the developer “charged 20 $ for a Free2Play game”.
More about Enlisted: Is the new MMO shooter as brutal and realistic as advertised? This is what testers say
