The indie studio behind Outbound, Square Glade Games, has apologised after asking a player to update or remove their negative Steam review if they requested a refund. The request quickly backfired, with some players arguing that developers should not try to improve their positive review percentage by encouraging users to change or delete criticism. The incident has now become a small Steam controversy around the newly released camper van exploration game.

Outbound was released on May 11 for PC and Xbox, including Game Pass, with PS5, Switch, and Switch 2 versions following on May 14. Developed by Square Glade Games, it is a cosy exploration game in which players drive an empty camper van through an open world, collect materials, decorate the vehicle, use technology to power it, and gradually turn it into a home.

The controversy has centered on the Steam version. One player left a negative review, describing the game’s mechanics as “incredibly shallow” and saying it was “definitely not worth the asking price.” The review was screenshotted and shared on the Steam Reddit page, where it began attracting wider attention.

The studio replied by saying it understood that the game was not to the player’s liking and that there were “no hard feelings.” It then added: “Feel free to send a support request to the Steam support to get a full refund on your purchase. If you do so, we would appreciate if you would update or remove your negative review. Thanks a lot.”

A Refund Suggestion Became A Review Controversy

The wording did not land well with some players. The issue was not simply that the studio mentioned refunds, but that it linked that suggestion to the idea of updating or removing a negative review. Because Steam reviews strongly affect a game’s visibility and public perception, the request was read by some as an attempt to push the game’s positive review ratio higher by making negative feedback disappear.

The situation also appears to have triggered a partial Streisand Effect. Outbound’s Steam reviews are still marked as Mostly Positive, but several recent negative reviews have referred directly to the incident. In other words, a request that might have removed one negative review ended up generating more negative attention around the game.

Square Glade Games eventually apologised in response to one of those reviews and said it would no longer ask people to remove or change negative reviews. The studio wrote: “First and foremost, we truly apologize for how our recent replies have come across. We understand that our communication has felt wrong to many of you, and for that, we are genuinely sorry.”

The developers said the first 24 hours after launch had been overwhelming. “To be completely honest, the 24 hours since the launch have been incredibly overwhelming. While we started with a lot of excitement, the reality of a launch brings a lot of pressure and intense emotions. Looking back, we realize that the way we communicated was not the right approach, and we didn’t handle the situation with the care it deserved.”

The Studio Has Deleted Its Earlier Comments

Square Glade Games also made clear that it is changing course: “We also want to be clear: we will no longer be asking anyone to change their negative reviews, and we have also deleted our previous comments. We respect your honesty and appreciate the feedback, even when it’s tough to hear. It helps us make the game better.”

The apology ended with the studio thanking players for their patience and saying it was returning to work on the issues raised by the community. “We’re heading back to work on the issues you’ve raised, but we wanted to make sure we stopped to say we hear you and we’re sorry for the missteps in our communication. Please don’t hesitate to shout out if there’s anything we can support with.”

Outbound currently has mixed reviews on Metacritic, where its score sits at 64. Its overall Steam rating has not collapsed, but the episode shows how sensitive user review management can be, especially for a newly launched indie game. A few badly judged developer replies can quickly become their own story, separate from the game itself.

Source: VGC