Tactical shooter Squad admits "trust has been shaken" as recent Steam reviews drop to 'mixed'

If you want to play a hardcore military simulator, Call of Duty hasn't been the best option for some time now. While Battlefield 6 does a great job of imagining a large-scale war, there are plenty of alternatives to turn to if you want to go even more in-depth with the tactical gunplay. While it doesn't quite make our list of the best FPS games, Squad released to positive reviews back in 2020. It still sits at 84% on Steam, landing it a 'very positive' rating. However, recent reviews on the storefront have dropped to 'mixed', and developer Offworld is keen to rebuild its bridges with the community.

Dustin 'SgtRoss' Ross penned an announcement explaining changes happening within Offworld in order to better engage with fans who feel that "feedback is ignored, playtests are disregarded, updates are rushed, and many more issues persist."

The first change is Ross' role in the company. Formerly an executive who focused on Squad, he is now leading a Community Development Team, which will focus on listening to and implementing player feedback. Transparency is the name of the game because, in Ross' words, "trust has been shaken, and that's on us."

In Ross' place, executive producer Peter Maurice will guide the game's overall development. He says that the developer has "lost sight" of Squad's core: its passionate community. The first step to mending the bridges that have fallen into the torrid waters is a player survey, but Maurice promises regular, "smaller, meaningful updates" from hereon out.

The first port of call when it comes to fixing the game is vehicles. Maurice lays out a roadmap of tuning and updates for vehicle handling across the next three months, and tells players to expect "ongoing discussion, community playtests, and transparent updates." Finally, he thanks players for holding the developer accountable and caring about it.

You can read the full announcement on Steam here.

If you're waiting patiently for Squad's developers to get back on track, try out some of our picks for the best multiplayer games in the meantime. If it's a mil-sim you're after, we've got some greats on our list of the best war games. Cardi B cosmetics optional.