Game Devs Adjust Difficulty After Players Opt for Quitting
Players Refuse “Easy” Mode, Preferring Dignity in Defeat
A recent overhaul of difficulty settings in The First Berserker: Khazan reveals a surprising player preference: many would rather abandon the game than lower the challenge to “Easy.” This feedback prompted developer Neople to rethink its approach.
Player Pride Trumps Ease
Initially, The First Berserker: Khazan offered “Normal” and “Light” difficulty options. However, Neople observed that when players encountered significant obstacles, they frequently chose to stop playing altogether rather than reduce the game’s challenge.
Upon investigation, the development team discovered the reason behind this behavior. Players expressed that switching to an “Easy” setting felt degrading. As one player put it, “I’d rather give up with the dignity in mind rather than put it down on Easy.”
Game manager June Lee indicated that the developers believed players would be more inclined to switch to an easier mode if the options were clearly labeled as “Difficult” and “Normal.”
“Difficulty is subjective and each player experiences the challenges in Khazan in different ways. That is why we submitted several options for difficulty from the beginning.”
—June Lee, Game Manager
Reimagining the Challenge Spectrum
To address player sentiment and improve retention, Neople implemented a significant adjustment to the game’s difficulty tiers. The original “Easy” setting was renamed “Normal.” The previous “Normal” mode was re-branded as “Challenge.”
Furthermore, two new difficulty levels were introduced to cater to a broader range of players: “Beginner” and “Hardcore.” The developer also made the newly named “Normal” difficulty—formerly “Easy”—the default setting for new players.
This approach contrasts with developers like FromSoftware, creators of the Dark Souls series, who famously maintain a single, unyielding difficulty for all players. Research suggests that around 60% of gamers prefer games with adjustable difficulty settings (Newzoo, 2023).
