Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection devs respond to launch fallout
The launch of the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection by Aspyr on March 14 has been anything but smooth, drawing widespread criticism from disappointed fans. The compilation, which includes beloved titles from the Battlefront series, has faced a barrage of complaints on Steam, where it currently holds an "Overwhelmingly Negative" user rating with only 19 percent of over 4000 reviews being positive.
Fans vent frustration over various issues, notably online server instability and game crashes, which have marred the experience for many players. After a day of mounting discontent, Aspyr, the developer behind the collection, has released a statement addressing the concerns, though it falls short of a full apology.
In a post on the studio’s support site, Aspyr acknowledged encountering "critical errors" in its network infrastructure during the Classic Collection's launch. These errors led to high ping, matchmaking problems, crashes, and servers failing to appear in the browser. The statement from Aspyr reads:
"We’d like to thank the Battlefront community for their overwhelming support and feedback for the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection release.
At launch, we experienced critical errors with our network infrastructure. The result was incredibly high ping, matchmaking errors, crashes, and servers not appearing in the browser.
Since launch, we’ve been working to address these issues and increase network stability, and we will continue our efforts until our network infrastructure is stabilized to prevent further outages.
Please continue to report bugs, errors, or unexpected behaviors to our support team via our Request Form."
While acknowledging the server issues, Aspyr's statement notably sidesteps other reported problems such as lag, audio loss, and sluggish performance encountered by players. These additional issues have been highlighted in user reviews and social media posts, contributing to the disappointment among the fanbase.
This isn't the first time Aspyr has faced criticism for its handling of Star Wars projects. The team's previous work on Knights of the Old Republic II was marred by a lawsuit following unfulfilled promises of DLC. Additionally, Aspyr was recently removed from the Knights of the Old Republic remake project, with development handed over to Saber Interactive, an internal studio of publisher Embracer Group.
Speaking of Embracer Group, they recently announced the sale of Saber Interactive and some of its studios on March 14, although they still maintain ownership of Aspyr. The fallout from the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection launch adds to a string of challenges for Aspyr, highlighting the growing pains and challenges faced by developers in the gaming industry.
Despite Aspyr's efforts to address the network issues, players remain frustrated with the performance of the Classic Collection. Online games often encounter server problems during launch, but the severity and consistency of these issues have left many fans disillusioned.
Reports of lag, audio glitches, and overall sluggish performance continue to surface, underscoring the challenges faced by Aspyr in delivering a polished remaster. The company's statement, while acknowledging the primary concern of server instability, has left some feeling that their broader grievances are being overlooked.
The troubled launch of the Classic Collection is a setback for Aspyr, especially considering its history with other Star Wars projects. The studio's previous missteps, such as the Knights of the Old Republic II DLC controversy, have already strained its relationship with the fanbase.
This recent episode adds to the mounting pressure on Aspyr, especially with the company being removed from the Knights of the Old Republic remake project. Saber Interactive, another internal studio of Embracer Group, has taken over development, leaving fans to wonder about the future of Aspyr's involvement with Star Wars titles.
Embracer Group's recent sale of Saber Interactive and some of its studios further complicates the landscape. While Aspyr remains under Embracer's ownership, the shifting dynamics within the gaming industry could signal changes for the studio's future projects.
As the gaming community waits for improvements to the Classic Collection and further updates from Aspyr, it's evident that the fallout from this launch will have lasting implications. For now, fans continue to voice their frustrations and hopes for a smoother experience in the beloved Star Wars universe.