A new team-based MMO shooter in Early Access on Steam is seeing big early sales numbers despite some potentially major gameplay issues.
Highlights
- Gray Zone Warfare sells over 500,000 copies in just four days, proving to be a hit on Steam.
- Despite mixed player reviews, developers are working on improvements to enhance gameplay experience.
- Fans compare the game to Escape from Tarkov, highlighting potential for growth and success.
Gray Zone Warfare, a new tactical first person shooter MMO that popped up on Steam at the end of April, is already drawing in big player numbers despite being just a few days old. Although Gray Zone Warfare is still in Early Access, it has already managed to sell more than half a million copies in its first four days since release.
Founded in 2008, Czech Republic-based indie developer and publisher MADFINGER Games is best known in the mobile game market, where it has produced highly rated FPS games like the Shadowgun series and other titles like Samurai: Way of the Warrior and the zombie-themed Dead Trigger. Gray Zone Warfare and its expansions are MADFINGER Games' only entries on Steam, offering team-based cooperative PvE gameplay and competitive PvEvP modes.
In its first four days in Early Access on Steam, Gray Zone Warfare has managed to sell more than 500,000 copies of its base game and 250,000 copies of its Tactical Edition Upgrade DLC, according to a release from MADFINGER Games. Both pieces of software became available on April 30, and the developers have stated that they have already released two hotfixes and are working on more improvements to the game, with the third hotfix expected to arrive early next week. A lot of fans seem to be comparing the game to extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov, with the potential to elevate it to new heights as the developers have more time to add to and refine the product.
Not Everyone is Loving Gray Zone Warfare
Despite Gray Zone Warfare's impressive early sales figures, player reviews for the game are mixed, with only 66 percent of its more than 20,000 reviewers recommending it. While some players leaving a thumbs down are still giving the Early Access title time to develop before they make a final ruling, some others have complained about problems with the game's core mechanics. These complaints include blurry graphics, game lag, sound issues, frequent crashes, and inconsistent hit registration. Some players have also reported losing looted gear and weapons in Gray Zone Warfare due to server malfunctions.
Still, a majority of players seem to be enjoying their first few days with the shooter while acknowledging that the game could use a little bit of polish. One reviewer, OJz, gave it a thumbs up despite the current build only being worthy of a 3/10 score, as they said they saw the potential for MADFINGER games to raise that score to an 8/10 by fixing its problems. While a lot of players seem to feel that the functionality of the guns and ammo in Gray ZoneWarfare — probably the most vital elements of an FPS — could use some improvement, that and other criticisms don't seem to be slowing down the game's commercial success.
Platform(s) PC Released April 30, 2024 Developer(s) Madfinger Games Publisher(s) Madfinger Games Genre(s) FPS , Survival , Open-World See at Official SiteSee at Steam
