Remedy Entertainment is acknowledging player complaints aboutFBC: Firebreak, and the development team seems to be making no excuses for the elements that have drawn criticism at its launch. The developer certainly isn’t giving up onFBC: Firebreakand is already working to fix some problems, but some other aspects may take some time to resolve.
As the first attempt from Remedy to develop a co-op multiplayer game,FBC: Firebreakwas releasedon June 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There was already plenty of excitement from Remedy’s fan base prior to the release, as the game serves as a follow-up to the developer’s well-received 2019 action-adventure game,Control, set six years after the events of its story. But the reception hasn’t been flawless, with the game currently sitting at a mixed review rating on Steam.
In a preparedstatement on Steam, which accompanies a hefty patch, the development team had bittersweet words about the game’s launch, filled with a mix of excitement and disappointment. Remedy is planning to fix several issues that players have made complaints about. One of the biggest among these isFBC: Firebreak’s confusing opening hours, which has earned the game criticism for its lack of explanation about many key game mechanics. “The game’s first hours do not provide a great experience,” Remedy admits, and the development team has plans to make onboarding more understandable, though it may be one of the features that take longer to implement.
Remedy has noted that players seem to be enjoying the gameplay experience more if they can make it past the first few hours, but another problem with the opening is the lack of a power fantasy. The new patch balances this out a bit by letting players start their first job at Clearance Level 3, though they can opt to start at one of the lower levels if they choose to do so. Players have also been frustrated with the lack of power ofFBC: Firebreak’s weaponsin the early stages, and the patch will alleviate this somewhat by removing the requirement to unlock unrelated items before players can access weapons or augments. There are more changes related to gear progression planned for future updates, though Remedy is still deciding on how to approach the subject, given that most players seem to have rejected or ignored its Lost Assets system.
Additionally, the new patch includes a variety of other changes, including making the Stapler Corrupted Item easier to follow and a decrease in the amount of time required to craft the BOOMbox and Swivel Cannon. Remedy has already announced plans fortwo major content updates coming toFBC: Firebreakin the future, so fans should expect many more changes as the development team works to get past the game’s bumpy release.
FBC: Firebreak Version 1.2 Patch Notes
Overview
We have overhauled core systems to make progression faster and more rewarding. Economy changes improve how you earn and spend currencies; the Requisition store now separates gear from cosmetics, and Job progression has been restructured to allow players to play full Jobs (all three zones) more quickly.
On top of that, there are many visible and under-the-hood improvements to the game included in this patch.
Read our extensive blog post about what is included in this patch and what improvements we are looking at bringing to the game in the near term.
FBC: Firebreak
WHERE TO PLAY
FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak— the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.
