After a recent review bombing that has severely impacted their status on Steam, the developers behind Hunt Showdown 1896 are not backing down. Despite facing criticism, Crytek has confirmed they are committed to relaunching the game with significant improvements to the interface and usability, aiming to restore its former glory.

The launch of Hunt Showdown 1896, an updated version of Crytek’s popular extraction shooter, has sparked mixed reactions among the gaming community. While the game achieved a new peak of 60,124 concurrent players on Steam, it has also faced intense backlash. The flood of negative reviews has dragged down its recent score and distanced it from the solid reputation it had built over five years. However, Crytek is determined to turn things around with a series of planned updates.

The re-release of Hunt Showdown 1896 marks a significant change for the game, including a move to the improved CryEngine 5.11, the introduction of a new Colorado map, and a completely redesigned interface. However, the new interface has become a major point of contention among players, leading to a slew of negative reviews on Steam. Although the game’s overall rating remains “mostly positive” at 78%, the latest wave of reviews—only 33% of which are positive—has prompted Crytek to take urgent action.

The shooter will continue to redesign and improve key aspects

Crytek Design Director Dennis Schwarz recently addressed player concerns in a video, acknowledging that key areas like hunter and gear selection, inventory layout, and loading screens are falling short of expectations. Schwarz assured players that these issues are a top priority and that improvements will be rolled out in future updates.

One of the first changes will focus on the loadout screen. Schwarz explained that the current setup will be overhauled to allow players to switch between weapons, tools, consumables, and traits without navigating back to previous menus. Additionally, the top navigation menu will feature a new “play” button to make accessing the lobby screen easier and enable players to quickly start matches.

Other improvements include unifying lobbies for the Bounty Hunt, Soul Survivor, and Shooting Range game modes to enhance consistency and ease of use. Mission summaries, team details, and stats will be combined into a single screen, and the Prestige menu will be updated to clearly display rewards at each level.

Crytek has asked players for patience as they continue to refine the game’s menus and systems in upcoming updates. Despite the controversy, Schwarz expressed gratitude for the game’s growing player base and remains optimistic about Hunt Showdown 1896’s future, confident that ongoing improvements will help strengthen the community.

Source: 3djuegos