Wayfinder launched in August of last year and has been fighting an uphill battle since it released into early access. From the server issues to a heaping load of bugs. To various system changes and working to get new content out. Airship Syndicate has not had the best of times with the launch. This was further exacerbated by the fact Digital Extremes, the former publisher of the game, divested from Wayfinder. As well as layoffs hitting the company as whole. Suffice it to say, things could be better for both Airship and the game’s community.
It would seem that a spiral of doom and gloom would claim the game and it would just be lost to time. But that is not the case as an interesting development happened on Monday. When Airship Syndicate announced that they gained full ownership of the game:
Wayfinders,
We have reached an agreement with Digital Extremes to begin the transfer of Wayfinder to Airship in earnest. Until this moment, Digital Extremes has remained the publisher of record on Steam and PlayStation. We now begin the process of transferring those responsibilities to Airship. We know Wayfinder had a rocky launch, but we still believe in the game and the world we created.
When we founded Airship it was to create great games in compelling worlds, with memorable characters and adventures. With those core principles in mind, we’ve spent the last several months working behind the scenes, challenging some of the core ideas in Wayfinder and creating an experience that remains consistent with our standards and beliefs. We did this while keeping in mind that we want to respect our founders and excite new players – all while staying feasible as a business model for us as a new independent publisher.
We plan to share these changes soon, but we aren’t quite ready. Due to these changes, we’ve turned off new sales of the game for the time being. Those who have purchased Wayfinder can still access and play as normal with no interruptions.
Airship is committed to keeping Wayfinder active and vibrant. There will be major changes, and major improvements, but we have no plans for it to disappear like so many online-only games we’ve all played and loved.
We think Wayfinder can be something special, and be around to play forever.Thank you so much for your support. Stay tuned to our social channels for more information in the next 4-6 weeks. –Sir_Snarf, Community Manager
They then went onto answer a lot of questions from their community:
Details from the Wayfinder Q&A
The information below is taken directly from their official Discord Server you can find here. Below are some of the more important bits of information you should know:
Q: 4-6 weeks…?
A: Could be sooner! not known but wanted to set expectations. –SOLIDAge, Marketing and Engagement DirectorQ: Why disable purchasing the game?
A: The fundamental game will change quite a bit. Buying it today won’t reflect the game it’ll become soon. -SOLIDAgeA: Full details will be shared as soon as we are ready to do so. atm all purchases will be disabled while the game is restructured. Everyone who owns the game will be able to continue play without any disruptions. -Sir_Snarf
Q: I’m assuming when you guys do get the game where you want it, there will be an actual release date? -DrTilt
A: Yes -Sir_SnarfQ: So, no more Founders? -Alex ZeroFive
A: Correct, This doesn’t mean Founders is going away. Just that Founder’s packs will not be purchasable. (Clarification has not been provided as to if Founder’s packs will be purchasable again in the future prior to full launch.) -Sir_Snarf
Q: So how can I get a refund? -Dasani
A: All sales and transactions are via First Party platforms (Steam/PSN) and up until this point- the previous publisher, Refunds can be issued if they meet the refund criteria of the associated platforms. -Sir_SnarfQ: Will Wayfinder become a “seasonal game” that wipes progress each season? -Fori
A: We are not doing this. -SOLIDAgeQ: I’m not sure how much I’m asking for here, but is the game meant to be RNG grindy still, similar to warframe, or are there pity systems being planned? -Zalm
A: Lots of the MTX and financial models of Wayfinder at EA launch were due to outside influence. We now have full control on how and what the game can be. -Sir_Snarf
The final bit stands out to me. Because it seems as though the perceived seasonal model and Warframe-like monetization options, such as buying weapons as opposed to grinding them, were ideas from Digital Extremes themselves. Warframe does not have a paid battle pass, however.
On top of this extensive Q&A with their community, they also directly commented on some of the preconceptions that delisting all ways to spend any money can bring.
“Wayfinder Isn’t Going Away”
Below are statements made from the community team in response to certain comments. Such as, when asked if the founders packs for Wayfinder and additional microtransactions is being delisted because the game is being shut down, they replied with:
We wouldn’t come out saying we’ve been working on the game and the fundamentals of it to just cancel it? That makes no sense. Now that we’re in control of the business we know exactly what we’re going to do with the title, and it’ll be around forever. -SOLIDAge
At people saying, “The game’s going to shut down.” Why would we officially say WAYFINDER ISNT GOING AWAY and then plan on going away. Sounds like a good way to permanently damage the reputation of the studio. Sales are going down because the product is changing and the current stores don’t reflect that. We want our customers to know what they are buying. We will do good by our supporters who have gotten us this far, but this wasn’t part of the plan… it is what it is, and we will strive to make the best outcome for all of our customers and team members regardless of what dice life rolls for us. -Sir_Snarf
We want people to be as informed as possible when they make a purchasing decision. Now that we have full publishing rights, we will make sure we are doing the best we can for our fan/supporters. Nothing more we can share for now, but the game is changing from where it started. -Sir_Snarf
And when replying to someone who said: “I didn’t mind the game as it was before…” They replied with:
Then you’re going to love it very soon. – SOLIDAge
This would indicate that the core game will still have a lot of what people still love about it, but details on the changes will come sometime next month as they previously stated. Finally, they did mention:
No PvP being added. No PvEvP either. -SOLIDAge
More details can be found in a reddit post by user “Adaelyn” that you can find here.
Author/Editor Comments
Lords of Gaming was given the privilege of playtesting the game in their closed betas many months before Early Access. As well as covering it extensively since it was announced. It is disappointing to see Airship Syndicate needing to pivot like this after all they have endured. They have released so much cool content and announced so much more, and I personally wish the game will be everything both its community and the development team wants it to be.
If you would like to join their server to catch any minute details or interact with the community, you can do so here. As well as visit the “Dev-Tracker” to see that all comments and Q&A’s I picked out have not been edited.
