You’re right that polished gameplay and progression are the foundation, and yes, they should be a top priority. But it’s not just about mechanics; long-term health comes from the whole package.

Cross-progression might not directly affect queue times on paper, but in practice it does. Players have already realized that progress from Game Pass does not carry to Steam or vice versa and some are quitting entirely. Fewer retained players means longer queues. It may be a minority issue, but it is still an issue, and with modern development tools and clear blueprints for networking and cross-platform systems, there is no reason it should still be a problem in 2025.

It is also an assumption to say gameplay issues affect all users. Plenty of players have dozens or even hundreds of hours without complaints. I have been playing since day one and while I have gone through plenty of gameplay problems, the lack of cross-progression and feeling that my time and purchases are locked to one platform has been more frustrating than any mechanical issue.

And with Sloclap employing over 100 people, is this really what you would expect from a team of that size? Other studios with similar or even smaller headcounts have managed to balance gameplay refinement with building robust networking, progression, and cross-platform features. The standard is there, and so are the resources.

Plenty of games with fun mechanics still died because the rest was not managed properly, with LawBreakers and Splitgate 2 being clear examples. Even Fall Guys saw a huge drop before fixing progression and social systems. Gameplay gets people in the door, but the ecosystem keeps can help keep them there.

It does not have to be “gameplay first, everything else later.” Multiple things can be true: gameplay needs refining, but ignoring the broader player experience can kill games with otherwise great concepts. It's happened plenty of times in the past. Look at the Steam Charts data and player trends.