The gaming community has been abuzz with the release of Rematch, the latest title from acclaimed developer Sloclap, known for its successful games Sifu and Absolver.
Marketed as a vibrant 5v5 online multiplayer arcade soccer game played from a third-person perspective, Rematch generated significant excitement, especially following a hugely popular recent beta that saw an impressive 1.9 million players participate across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. This widespread engagement signaled a strong appetite for Sloclap’s unique take on the arcade sports genre.
However, the anticipation was quickly tempered by a significant disappointment: the absence of crossplay at launch. Fans reacted with understandable frustration when Sloclap confirmed this critical omission just hours before the game’s early access period began. Now, coinciding with Rematch’s full launch today, June 19, Sloclap has issued a comprehensive blog post shared with the press, directly addressing what went wrong and offering a candid apology to its player base.
This article will delve into Sloclap’s explanation for the crossplay delay, their commitment to rectifying the situation, and other crucial updates regarding the game’s performance and future content.
Crossplay Controversy: Sloclap’s Apology and Explanation
The most significant point of contention for players at launch was the missing crossplay feature, which Sloclap now openly addresses.
Understanding Player Expectations
Sloclap began its statement by acknowledging the frustration felt by its community, stating, “We understand many of you were looking forward to playing Rematch across platforms from day one.” This recognition of player expectations is crucial for rebuilding trust. Crossplay has become a highly anticipated and, for many, a standard feature in modern online multiplayer games. It allows friends on different gaming platforms to play together, significantly enhancing the social aspect and longevity of a title.
For a game like Rematch, which thrives on its multiplayer interactions, the absence of this feature at launch was a considerable letdown. Players often expect this functionality to be a core component of a modern online experience, especially after a successful multi-platform beta.
Unforeseen Technical Complexities
The developer explained that the lack of crossplay at launch was due to “unforeseen technical complexities.” Sloclap highlighted that Rematch is the studio’s “first crossplay title,” indicating a new territory for their development team. Implementing cross-platform functionality, especially for a real-time competitive game, is notoriously challenging. It involves intricate network architecture, synchronized game states across different hardware and software environments, and navigating various platform-specific certification requirements.
These complexities can include managing different authentication systems, ensuring stable connections, handling varied input latencies, and ensuring fair play across diverse ecosystems. Despite their best efforts and working “utmost to include crossplay at launch,” these technical hurdles proved more significant than initially anticipated, preventing the feature from being ready in time for the game’s release.
An Apology for Delayed Communication
Crucially, Sloclap also offered a sincere apology not just for the delay of crossplay, but for their failure to communicate this setback earlier. The studio admitted, “We should have communicated as soon as it became apparent that crossplay wouldn’t be available at launch, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience and frustration it caused to some of our players.” This acknowledgment of their communication misstep is a vital step in addressing player concerns.
Announcing such a significant omission just hours before early access began left many feeling misled and disappointed. Transparency and timely updates are paramount in community management, and Sloclap’s apology for this oversight suggests a commitment to better communication going forward. This also suggests that the decision to delay crossplay was likely made closer to launch than initially hoped, perhaps due to last-minute issues, leaving little time for proper player notification.
Priority: Crossplay Implementation and Development Timeline
Sloclap is prioritizing crossplay and providing insight into its development process.
Crossplay as the “Highest Priority”
Sloclap unequivocally stated that crossplay is their “absolute highest priority,” alongside essential bug fixes. This strong commitment underscores the importance the studio places on delivering this feature to its players. They recognize that for many, the ability to play with friends across different platforms is fundamental to their enjoyment and long-term engagement with Rematch.
This focus means that significant development resources are being channeled into bringing crossplay online as quickly as possible. The studio is aware that the feature’s absence limits the player pool for some, potentially hindering match quality and the overall social experience, which is a core element of a multiplayer game.
Progress and Future Deadlines
The development team already has a “basic working version from a technical standpoint.” This is a positive sign, indicating that the fundamental networking and platform interoperability challenges are largely being overcome. However, Sloclap explained that several critical steps remain before full implementation. They “need to implement the relevant interfaces,” which refers to the in-game menus, friend lists, and matchmaking systems that allow players to interact with cross-platform features seamlessly. After that, the feature will require extensive “debugging and polishing” to ensure it is stable and provides a smooth user experience.
Finally, the crossplay functionality must successfully pass “console certifications,” a rigorous process mandated by platform holders like PlayStation and Xbox to ensure quality, security, and adherence to their guidelines. Sloclap acknowledged that “all this takes time,” but reassured players that they “are doing our best to move forward quickly” and will “share a more precise deadline as soon as possible.” This transparency about the development stages provides a realistic expectation for players, avoiding further disappointment.
Addressing Launch Performance Issues
Beyond crossplay, Sloclap is also tackling several performance and stability issues that affected the early access launch.
Lag, Stuttering, and Frame Drops
Sloclap openly addressed the performance issues that some players experienced during the early access phase of Rematch. They confirmed that fixing these issues is also a top priority. Specific problems identified include lag, stuttering, and significant frame drops, all of which can severely impact gameplay fluidity and responsiveness. In a fast-paced arcade soccer game, smooth performance is critical for competitive play and overall enjoyment. Lag can cause delayed inputs, while stuttering and frame drops create an inconsistent visual experience, making it difficult to react effectively to in-game events.
Server and Client Desync
Another major issue impacting match quality has been server and client desynchronization (desync). Sloclap provided a clear example of this, stating, “For instance, we are aware of issues where players would sometimes be unable to interact with the ball, with player characters and the ball seemingly moving across the pitch unpredictably.” This phenomenon is a direct result of the game client (what the player sees) getting out of sync with the server (the authoritative state of the game).
Desync can lead to highly frustrating situations where what a player perceives on their screen doesn’t accurately reflect what’s happening on the server, causing missed shots, inexplicable teleportation of the ball or players, and a general feeling of unfairness. Sloclap confirmed that they are actively “on the case” to resolve these critical network synchronization problems, which are vital for a fair and enjoyable multiplayer experience.
Game-Breaking Bugs and Crashes
Beyond performance and desync, the studio is also diligently working to “squash game-breaking bugs.” These include more severe issues that can disrupt the entire gameplay session, such as game crashes, freezes occurring after goals are scored, and menu lockouts where players become stuck and unable to navigate the game interface. Such bugs severely impact player retention and satisfaction, as they prevent players from enjoying the game or even progressing.
Prioritizing these critical bug fixes is essential for ensuring a stable and reliable foundation for Rematch, preventing players from encountering frustrating roadblocks that might lead them to abandon the game. This comprehensive approach to bug fixing, alongside performance and crossplay, indicates Sloclap’s commitment to improving the overall quality of the game.
Future Content and Long-Term Vision
Despite current challenges, Sloclap is actively planning and developing future updates for Rematch, promising new content and features.
Four Key Development Areas
Sloclap outlined its comprehensive roadmap for upcoming updates, focusing on “plenty of cool content and features” they intend to bring to Rematch. These future developments are categorized into four main areas of focus:
- Core Gameplay Changes: This suggests ongoing refinement and evolution of the fundamental mechanics of Rematch. This could involve balancing adjustments, new abilities, map variations, or entirely new game modes that expand on the existing arcade soccer foundation.
- Competitive Features: Recognizing the importance of a thriving competitive scene, Sloclap plans to implement a tournament system, a leaderboard system for players above Elite ranking, and a club creation system. These features are crucial for fostering a dedicated competitive community, allowing players to organize, compete, and track their progress in a more structured environment.
- Social Components: While crossplay is the “big one” in this category, Sloclap is also planning other social enhancements. These include the ability to spectate a squad’s game when you join a squad, which allows players to jump in and watch their friends’ matches before joining the next one. Additionally, they plan to allow players to team up and rematch with teammates they enjoyed playing with, streamlining the process of forming persistent groups and fostering positive social interactions.
- Casual Play Features: To cater to all types of players, Sloclap aims to introduce features for more casual play. This notably includes AI-controlled bots, allowing players to train with and against AIs. This is beneficial for new players learning the ropes, seasoned players practicing specific strategies, or simply those who prefer a less competitive environment.
Managing Player Expectations: A Small Team’s Effort
Sloclap concluded its blog post with a realistic and humble note regarding the development timeline for these ambitious features. The studio pointed out that it is “not a huge team,” emphasizing the significant effort required to develop and implement such extensive content. They explicitly stated, “Please remember that we are not a huge team, and that these features take time, so don’t expect all this by the end of the year!” This transparent communication aims to manage player expectations, preventing disappointment from unrealistic timelines.
It acknowledges the challenges faced by smaller studios in delivering large-scale updates while still conveying their long-term commitment to the game. It encourages patience from the community, reminding them that quality development requires time and dedicated resources.
Initial Reception and Promising Concurrent Player Count
Despite the launch challenges, Rematch is showing strong early performance metrics.
“Mostly Positive” User Reviews on Steam
Despite the acknowledged issues with the lack of crossplay and early performance hiccups, Rematch has been “well-received on Steam.” This positive reception is reflected in its “mostly positive” user review rating on Valve’s platform. This indicates that a significant portion of players who have purchased and played the game are generally satisfied with the core gameplay experience, recognizing its potential and enjoying what it offers, even with the current limitations.
The positive reviews suggest that the fundamental design, mechanics, and fun factor of Rematch are strong enough to overcome initial frustrations for many players, providing a solid foundation for future improvements.
Strong Concurrent Player Numbers
Further underscoring its promising start, Rematch has demonstrated a healthy player count. At the time of this article’s publication, the game had 35,595 concurrent players on Valve’s platform. This figure represents the number of players actively online and playing the game simultaneously. For a newly launched title, especially one from a smaller studio and with acknowledged issues, this is a very respectable number.
It indicates a strong initial interest and a dedicated player base that is actively engaging with the game. This number also “looks set to rise as the game heads into its first weekend,” which is typically when player counts for new releases see a significant surge as more players have free time to dive in. A robust and growing concurrent player count is crucial for the health of any online multiplayer game, ensuring quick matchmaking and a lively community.
Rocky Start, A Committed Future
Rematch’s journey from highly anticipated beta to full launch has been marked by both excitement and noticeable speed bumps. Sloclap’s candid apology regarding the absence of crossplay at launch, attributing it to unforeseen technical complexities and admitting to delayed communication, is a crucial step towards mending relations with its community. The studio’s commitment to making crossplay its “absolute highest priority,” alongside addressing critical performance issues like lag, stuttering, and game-breaking bugs, signals a dedicated effort to improve the game’s immediate state.
Looking ahead, Sloclap has laid out an ambitious roadmap of future content, encompassing core gameplay enhancements, competitive features like tournaments and leaderboards, expanded social components, and casual play options including AI bots. While the studio responsibly manages expectations by highlighting its small team size and the time required for such developments, the initial “mostly positive”
Steam reviews and strong concurrent player numbers suggest that Rematch has a solid foundation of engaging gameplay that resonates with players. Despite a challenging start, Sloclap’s transparent communication and clear commitment to ongoing development provide hope for Rematch to evolve into the vibrant, cross-platform arcade soccer experience its players eagerly anticipate.
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