It’s been a while since I played the MMORPG Wayfinder, as I had a chance to do so in beta access last year. Of course, I couldn’t talk about it due to an NDA. But thankfully, the game was officially released on August 17th, 2023, after a short delay. Except, it hasn’t been fun in the least bit, and despite trying to log in for hours, it has been an exercise of frustration.
So far, most people who have attempted to play the game have complained that they haven’t been able to. And while the games’ developer, Airship Syndicate and Digital Extremes, has been transparent about the issues, that hasn’t done much to satisfy those who have paid money to play the game.
Wayfinders, we appreciate your patience as we continue to monitor and fix server issues. We have implemented some player limits to ensure stability which may result in the error of "Maximum player capacity is reached, please try again later". Should you receive this message we…
— Wayfinder (@playwayfinder) August 18, 2023
However, some of those who were able to log in they’ve complained about the game running into all sorts of issues, with some opting to login out, despite battling the login monster for so long.
Since the last developer update, the team has reduced Wayfinder’s server capacity. If it was already hard enough to log in, now it will be even harder.
We are leaving the reduced capacity servers in place while our teams assess the situation overnight.
This is not the start to Early Access that we had envisioned, or what our Founder's deserve.
We'll be posting a full update from the team tomorrow about what happened, where we… https://t.co/eLSqWFTdhf
— Wayfinder (@playwayfinder) August 18, 2023
As you can imagine, this doesn’t sit well with those who’ve dropped the money to play Wayfinder. While Wayfinder will eventually become a Free to Play game, Early Access is all paid. What makes it worse is that the game is only available via Steam, and if you exceed two hours, you can’t get a refund on the digital storefront. This compounds the issue as many gamers have grown impatient and threatened to get refunds, only to find out they can’t. They’ve wasted more than two hours attempting to log in to the world of Wayfinder.
Just imaged if you paid for the Wayfinder Awakened or Exalted found packs. I’d be a bit frustrated, too.
Some also complain that they took time off of work to play the game. Now, I’d never shame someone who wants to take time off work to play a game or do anything they enjoy. It’s good for your mental health, something we all neglect, but as gaming history has shown us, doing so for an MMO is a terrible idea.
It hasn’t been the most fabulous launch, that’s for sure, but it’s far from the worst. For those who’ve ever (or still do) played Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, or Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 16, then you’re likely familiar with terrible launches. Granted, those were officially released games, where this is an Early Access game, and while some may not want to hear this — Early Access games are called so for a reason.
I’m sure that Airship Syndicate and Digital Extremes will eventually get their stuff together, and everyone will be playing Wayfinder, and all will be righted. But if you’re one of those who’ve given up or maybe want to wait until later, then contact Steam and point them to the developer posts or even this article. While the default time limit is two hours, there have been times when they are understanding of the situation and will still refund you back your money. It’s worth a shot.
And if I may add a nugget of wisdom that I’ve learned throughout my gaming days, maybe don’t take off the first few days of an MMO launch since they never turn out well for anyone. Developers included. I’ve seen servers melt, people lose all rational, feelings get hurt, and it’s never a good time. Sure, you might want to be “first” to log into a new world, but as we’ve seen, that doesn’t always happen. But for those who are staying the course, you never know. Maybe you’ll be rewarded for your perseverance. Who’s to say?
As for me? I’m going to hold the line. As I mentioned, I’m no stranger to MMO launches that haven’t gone as planned. I want to explore this world and play with friends and randoms, and I’ve interested in what the developers have in mind. Heck, I’ve been following Wayfinder before the game had a functional name, so at this point, I’m almost compelled to continue.
Wayfinder was released on August 17th, 2023, for the PS4, PS5, and PC after initially being slated to be released on August 15th, 2023.
