So, last week Sea of Thieves was finally released to a somewhat mixed reception after a rather shaky launch. One of the biggest issues noted by players on launch was the game’s severe server issues, with many players not being able to play the game due to an inability to log into the server.
With regards to online multiplayer games, this is not exactly a new issue. Many big-name online multiplayer titles have suffered from some sort of server issue on launch, which always largely elicits two types of response from players. Either players are unfazed by such issues, expecting new multiplayer titles to suffer from such issues on release or they are exceedingly angry, believing that this should impact public perception of the game in question.
These two contrasting responses to the same situation begs the question: how should the gaming community feel about a strongly multiplayer-focused game having server issues on launch?
To answer this question, a short analysis of the two modes of thinking will be undertaken.
People Should Expect Multiplayer Games to Have Issues on Launch
Supporters of this view believe that multiplayer games should not be judged harshly for having server connectivity problems on release, and while it is a very annoying problem for players, it is one that is common among multiplayer-focused games.
It is argued that even with beta tests, it is very difficult for developers and publishers to estimate the number of active players the game will actually see on launch and thus impossible to properly prepare servers for these numbers, especially if the game in question appears to be somewhat of an unexpected success.
Battlefield 1. (Credit: Electronic Arts)
With this idea in mind, it is important to note that while Sea of Thieves may be the first significant online multiplayer release for Rare, even publishers or developers with long histories of developing multiplayer titles still release games marred by terrible server issues on launch. Titles such as those in the Call of Duty or Battlefield series always have several complaints made against them regarding players’ inability to connect to servers straight after release.
The argument thus also extends to the idea that if established publishers and developers in the multiplayer gaming space are unable to avoid such problems when releasing new titles, perhaps, it may be one that is truly unavoidable.
As a side, it is very important not to confuse this whole argument as being either a defence for a game that may appear to be substandard or one that allows publishers and developers to avoid fixing issues. Expecting a multiplayer game to have problems at launch does not really equate to a person not wanting them to be fixed.
People Should Be Angry About Launch Server Issues
There are a number of reasons as to why some suggest the gaming community should be angry about multiplayer games having launch server issues. Instead of listing each and every possible reason, the three most popular and broad explanations will be provided.
Firstly, some believe that in some instances server issues are derived from a publisher or developer deciding to neglect to work on providing players with the optimal online experience, in favour of working in another area that may get more people to invest in the game on launch. The belief here is that sometimes more focus will go into marketing an upcoming title or ensuring that it has amazing graphics as opposed to working on the content that affects gameplay.
Sea of Thieves. Source: PC Gamer
Some believe that this may have been the very issue with Sea of Thieves, with Microsoft and Rare. It is interesting to note that although many have praised its great visuals and its ability to provide an initial fun experience, some have also criticised the title for having a low amount content in addition to the existing launch server issues.
Secondly, it has been suggested that the beta tests performed for some upcoming multiplayer titles are often substandard in nature as they fail to provide developers with an accurate simulation of what the online environment will be like when the game is released. This idea can be heavily debated on the basis of which game is being discussed as some titles do have rather extensive beta tests, whereas others do not.
Finally, some believe launch server issues to be a symptom of the whole “release now and fix it later” trend that is currently so popular within the gaming industry; the idea is that it is fine to release a game that is clearly not finished and fixing the problems post-release with the aim of capitalising on the heavy levels of hype surrounding the new title.
Halo’s Master Chief. Source: GamesRadar
Perhaps, some very good examples of such games could be seen in Halo: Master Chief Collection and Driveclub, both of which are played by many for their multiplayer experiences and upon release did not allow players to do this due to server issues. As many titles are released in such a manner nowadays, it would not be unfathomable to believe that some such practices do result in some games having server issues at launch.
So, Should People Be Angry?
Quite simply, nobody likes buying a new multiplayer game and not being able to play it because you are unable to connect to the server. However, it is very difficult to say whether the gaming community should be angry about launch server issues as its very dependent on the game.
It is safe to assume that most publishers and developers naturally do want to avoid such problems at launch as it does impact the manner in which the general public perceives the game. However, this said, there definitely does seem to have been some cases where perhaps more could have been done to prevent these issues and that publishers may have been too eager to want to release a new title.
Personally, I don’t think that server issues within newly released games is a problem that can be entirely avoided, but I also admit that I am not all that knowledgeable with regards to the technical aspects of these problems.
With regards to Sea of Thieves, in particular, it may also be important to note that people identified several areas of contention in the game which may have led some to be, arguably, overly harsh with regards to server issues. Whether the game should be experiencing such issues is up to each player to determine for themselves.
If one thing is definitely certain, it is that the gaming community will continue to see new games being released with server related issues.
But, what do you think? Should people be angry about a new multiplayer game having server issues? Please share in the comments down below.
