Owlcat Games has rolled back a newly implemented launcher for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader less than 24 hours after its release, responding to significant player backlash. The studio had announced the introduction of the launcher on June 22nd, only to reverse the decision on June 23rd following a wave of negative feedback.
The new launcher, similar in concept to those used by other publishers, was intended to serve as a central hub for news and updates regarding Owlcat's game portfolio. The studio cited research indicating that a substantial portion of players interested in CRPGs like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous were unaware of Rogue Trader. They aimed to mitigate this by making the launcher as unobtrusive and lightweight as possible, even including an opt-out option that allowed players to launch the game directly.
Despite these efforts to minimize player friction, including avoiding mandatory registration, the reception was overwhelmingly negative. The initial announcement post on Steam garnered approximately 1800 comments with no likes, indicating strong disapproval. Players expressed their unwillingness to deal with an additional layer of software. In response to the vocal criticism, Owlcat Games acknowledged the player sentiment, stating, "Lord Captains, we hear you and we are rolling back the launcher." The game has since reverted to its previous patch, removing all launcher-related changes. The studio apologized for the frustration caused and noted the rapid action taken in response to player feedback.