Fatshark is going back to the drawing board.
Fatshark has announced that Warhammer 40K: Darktide’s seasonal content and the Xbox Series S|X version launch have been delayed indefinitely. The delay is a result of the developer deciding to first address community feedback, improve stability, and optimize performance.
The delay includes previously announced premium cosmetics, with Fatshark feeling it hadn’t addressed all necessary feedback, saying: “Over the next few months, our sole focus is to address the feedback that many of you have. In particular, we will focus on delivering a complete crafting system, a more rewarding progression loop, and continue to work on game stability and performance optimizations.” There is currently no word on when the game will launch on Xbox Series S|X or when the seasonal content will be released.
The team aims to deliver a complete crafting system, a more rewarding progression loop, and ensure game stabilization and performance optimization to improve player experience. Fatshark has stated it was a tough decision for the studio to make, but ultimately they need to focus on addressing player concerns.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide had a mixed reception upon its launch, with the game’s Steam reviews dropping to “mostly negative.” Darktide attracted criticism for having an unrewarding loot system and a number of optimization issues. After spending more time with the game, players also raised the concerns of an unbalanced class system and a lack of in-game communication tools.
In our Warhammer 40K: Darktide review, we said: “Darktide is as great a swarm shooter experience as any, but it needs to improve much of the surrounding infrastructure to make that core combat experience feel rewarding and meaningful.”