‘Stormgate‘ Developers Attribute launch Struggles to Market, Player expectations
Irvine, CA – Frost Giant Studios, founded by veterans of Blizzard entertainment’s StarCraft and Warcraft franchises, is facing backlash after attributing the underwhelming launch of their real-time strategy (RTS) game, stormgate, to a challenging market and player expectations.The game, released in beta earlier this year, has garnered mixed reviews, with many players citing issues beyond market conditions.
The studio’s co-founder, Morten, stated in a recent interview that success in the current gaming landscape is “more challenging to achieve and less predictable,” requiring “a huge effort and marketing.” He further claimed success now depends “more on happiness than in the past, and the chance for him will be smaller.” This statement followed a launch that failed to ignite the RTS community as hoped.
However, player feedback, largely visible on Steam, points to internal issues as primary concerns. Common complaints center around a perceived “paid campaign sold in the form of microtransactions,” alongside “technical problems and lack of refinement, poor voice acting, a bland story and uncomfortable mission goals.” One Steam user commented, “23 years after Warcraft III and 15 years after StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty the RTS campaign should not be so colorless and devoid of life. Passion does not equal success. 6/10.” Another player bluntly stated the game was “simply bad,” citing issues with controls, dialog, and gameplay despite praising the music.
The response to Morten’s comments has been overwhelmingly negative,especially on Reddit,where players accused the developers of shifting blame. One Redditor wrote, “Well, in his opinion, if players simply gave him more money, the game would succeed…but because he probably managed the funds, he promised too much and did not keep his promises, it is of course the player’s fault.” Several backers expressed regret for supporting the game’s Kickstarter campaign.
Despite approximately half of players currently assessing Stormgate positively, the game is struggling to gain traction. Frost Giant Studios, comprised of industry veterans known for the highly successful StarCraft and Warcraft series, aimed to revitalize the RTS genre. instead, Stormgate’s launch serves as a cautionary tale, demonstrating that established reputations and substantial funding are insufficient for success without addressing core gameplay and player concerns. The studio’s decision to blame external factors rather than critically evaluating internal shortcomings has further damaged player trust.
