StarCraft 2 spiritual successor Stormgate launches to a mixed rating on Steam, but Frost Giant is undaunted: 'Mixed reviews are to be expected at this stage'

Stormgate was unveiled in 2022 and it's come a long way since then: It was the biggest videogame Kickstarter of 2023, earning $2 million on top of $35 million already raised through an initial funding round, and even managed to attract some celebrity voice acting from Simu Liu and Chris Metzen. It also made a big impression on online editor and PC Gamer strategysmith Fraser Brown, who declared that «for the first time in a while, I'm excited to dip my toes into the competitive side of real-time strategy again.»

The early access launch for Kickstarter backers hasn't gone smoothly, however. Since its debut on July 30, Stormgate has earned a «mixed» rating on Steam across just over 2,000 user reviews: Common complaints include an incomplete story and unremarkable unit interactions, sub-par enemy AI in PvE modes, the lack of manual saving and loading, and over-aggressive monetization.

That's far from a catastrophe, especially given that it's an early access release and expected to stay in that state for at least a year, and doubly especially because the full early access launch, which will see Stormgate go free to play, doesn't happen until August 13. For now, access is limited to Kickstarter backers and anyone who purchases an «early access pack.»

Developer Frost Giant Studios emphasized those points in an update released a few days after Stormgate's early-early access launch, saying there's still «a long road ahead» before the 1.0 release is ready. It also addressed some of the current complaints about the game, foremost among them that a new in-game hero, not included with any of the Kickstarter bundles, was available for separate purchase on launch day: To ensure that early backers of Stormgate «feel rewarded» for supporting the game, the next paid hero to be released will be given to everyone who purchased the «UItimate Founder's Pack» tier or higher on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, as well as to everyone who purchases the Ultimate Early Access pack on Steam.

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