After the success of Marvel Rivals, NetEase is publishing another shooter due for release this week: FragPunk. At least, it’s releasing on PC, as its console launch has been delayed without a new release date.
The online shooter was first revealed at last year’s Xbox Games Showcase in June, showing off its unique card mechanic that alters gameplay and the environments with wacky effects.
FragPunk releases on PC tomorrow, 6th March, but a message from the official social media account states the Xbox and PlayStation releases need more time due to “unexpected technical challenges”.
“Since the announcement of the game, your excitement has been truly inspiring, and we know how much you’ve been looking forward to launching into battle on both Xbox and PlayStation,” the announcement reads.
“However, we want to be fully transparent with you: during the console compliance testing process, we encountered unexpected technical challenges in optimisation and adaptation.
“Rather than rushing the console release and providing a potentially poor user experience, we have made the difficult decision to delay the launch of the console versions to ensure that players receive a comparable experience to those on PC.”
It’s unknown when the console versions will now be released.
However, the developer will compensate players on Xbox and PlayStation by providing all rewards up front, including in-game currencies, cosmetics, experience, and more once the game is out.
Any console pre-orders will be cancelled, but those players will receive in-game currency worth $10 when these versions eventually launch.
“This delay was not an easy decision, but we are committed to delivering the best possible experience for our players, and this additional time will allow us to fully optimise and polish the console versions for launch,” the statement continues.
The PC release of FragPunk will include 150+ Shard Cards, 13 playable heroes (called Lancers), and seven maps to battle on.
FragPunk promises an alternative to Valorant – like Riot’s shooter it’s a five-versus-five free-to-play shooter with teams taking turns to attack and defend.
I went hands-on with FragPunk at last year’s Gamescom and was impressed by both the speed of gameplay and its intriguing card system that should help it stand out from other games of the genre.