Overview of the Acquisition
The gaming community had mixed feelings about Gearbox’s acquisition of the Risk of Rain franchise in 2022. Fans were apprehensive, fearing that the well-liked series might suffer under new management. These fears seem to have been realized with the release of the Risk of Rain 2 expansion, Seekers of the Storm.
Crisis of Pricing
The first red flag came with the regional pricing of Seekers of the Storm. Unlike the uniform $15 cost in the U.S., players in other countries reported drastic price discrepancies. For instance, Steam users in Brazil found that the expansion cost twice as much as the preceding expansion, Survivors of the Void. Gearbox addressed this issue in an update, announcing a price correction in select markets and advising players who overpaid to seek refunds.
Technical Glitches and Concerns
Unfortunately, the pricing problem was only the tip of the iceberg. Seekers of the Storm introduced several bugs that have significantly impacted gameplay. This issue didn’t just affect those who purchased the expansion; an accompanying update brought these bugs into the core Risk of Rain 2 game. The most pressing concern is that the update has inexplicably tied the game’s physics system to its frame rate. This has severe consequences for gameplay, affecting everything from movement to attack speed.
Gearbox’s Response
The Gearbox development team has acknowledged the problem and is actively working on a solution. Developer gbx-preston admitted that the fps-related issues and their impact on gameplay were unintentional. He recommended that players cap their frame rate at 60 fps to mitigate these problems in the interim. The team remains committed to fixing these issues and has encouraged players to report any bugs they encounter.
Conclusion
While Gearbox’s initial steps to rectify the pricing issues are a positive sign, the technical problems introduced in Seekers of the Storm represent a more significant challenge. The gaming community will be watching closely to see how Gearbox resolves these issues in the coming weeks.
