On the eve of the launch of a new title, there’s typically a great deal of excitement built up, pushed forward by fans and players who’ve invested their time and even their money into the game before its release. But while there’s a good deal of excitement around Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, there’s also some genuine concern around the state of the game and its playability.
The game has entered its pre-launch maintenance period as of 7am CT on Nov. 29 ahead of the planned 12pm CT launch on Nov. 30. The game is currently unplayable, but for many players who had pre-launch beta access, that was already the case.
One of the game’s dedicated players posted to the r/Games subreddit, sharing their experience and warning players not to pick up the game on release. The player reported that Darktide was subject to frequent crashes: when using a certain weapon, randomly during missions, at the end of missions (costing them rewards), and when trying to start a game. The player even said they had a “better experience playing Cyberpunk 2077 on launch.”
The state of the game and its playability has been an issue for players and the developers at Fatshark since the pre-launch beta started earlier this month. Three major hotfixes were released between Nov. 18 and 24, focusing primarily on crashes, game stability, performance, and online server issues. In the most recent hotfix, the team at Fatshark admitted that stability and online performance still weren’t where it wanted them, less than a week before launch.
For those who have been lucky enough to navigate past the numerous issues, though, they’ve actually had a rather positive experience with Darktide. Many have praised the game for its satisfying gameplay, its dedication to Warhammer lore and its predecessor in Vermintide, the game’s visuals and scenery, and the soundtrack by longtime game music composer Jesper Kyd.
Recent gaming history has had too many examples of “good” games marred by rushed-out launches when the game is clearly unready, with the previously mentioned Cyberpunk 2077 being one of the most infamous examples. Many hope the same won’t happen for Darktide, but the clock is already ticking for Fatshark.
