At this point, we’re not sure Haven Studios can ever turn around the negative sentiment that’s stuck to Fairgames ever since it was revealed in 2023.
The title got a worse reception than Concord, which would go on to release and subsequently be shut down within weeks. And yet, the game somehow persists.
We know the Canadian developer recently hosted a pre-alpha test for the free-to-play shooter named ‘Espresso’, which was only available to select players under the conditions of a strict NDA.
But unsurprisingly, information is filtering out of the hands-on, and Insider Gaming’s ever-reliable Tom Henderson has the scoop.
He claims to have seen gameplay, as well as screenshots of the title’s Discord, where players were encouraged to send their thoughts and feedback.
The latter is overwhelmingly negative, apparently, with many criticising key aspects like movement, the class system, and more.
According to Henderson, the release’s visual style has been toned down from its reveal trailer, and it’s now grittier and less colourful, resembling something like Call of Duty or The Division.
There’s still talk of this being an extraction shooter where your objective is to break into a vault, steal the cash inside, and get away – although there will be respawns. Players are divided into four teams of three, so it sounds like everyone is competing to get the loot.
(We’ve no idea how that feeds into the Robin Hood aspect, and why these gangs would kill each other if they’re all working trying to achieve the same goal.)
Obviously it’s worth noting that the entire point of tests like this is to accumulate feedback, so the negativity isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the team is listening. Its goal with an alpha like this will be to improve the overall experience.
But Henderson cites several sources who said they felt the game was boring. It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement, is it?
The problem is, with Sony’s live service strategy already under intense scrutiny, Fairgames needs to be exceptional – perhaps even more than that, considering how negatively the reveal trailer was received.
We don’t want to see studios shut down and people put out of work, but we genuinely don’t see a path to success for this project.
The platform holder, at least so far, appears to disagree.
