LawBreakers, the low gravity arena FPS from Boss Key Productions that I liked quite a bit, has been having some trouble finding its footing during its launch period. Steam player counts have steadily dropped since release a month ago, but studio co-founder Cliff Bleszinski has said repeatedly that the game is a marathon and not a sprint. In the spirit of that thought, the team has released their plans for updates for the rest of 2017, most of which are free content injections for current players that will hopefully entice new ones at the same time.
For September, players can expect an update featuring the new Namsan map. Currently in testing, this is the first map in LawBreakers to take place outside the US. In addition, the Namsan update will also bring the first in a series of experimental modes called Skirmishes. These will be temporary playlists outside of normal Quick Play that will let you experience the game in a new way. The first of these experiments is the much requested old standby of Team Deathmatch, and we'll see if it proves vital enough to be a more permanent fixture of matchmaking.
For new players, Boss Key hopes to improve the onboarding process, which was one of the major faults I saw with the experience at launch. They're overhauling the playable portion of the tutorial as well as adding a new set of videos to help new players come to grips with the unique gameplay mechanics inherent in propelling yourself through the air by shooting blindly behind you.
Looking further into the future, Boss Key's second DLC map will be Gateway, an official Blitzball arena complete with all the sports trappings. This will be a welcome addition considering how the mode works less than ideally on a number of the maps that were available at launch. When this map appears, it will come alongside a set of limited edition sports skins for your heroes, making this the first seasonal update to LawBreakers. This period will also see a ranked competitive option come to matchmaking in the form of "Boss Leagues".
By the end of the year, players can expect a third new map (called Valhalla) that's based on concept art from the Project Bluestreak days. More excitingly, there will also be a new class joining the playable roster. Shown only in silhouette on the blog, this fellow seems to be toting a minigun alongside some sort of shoulder-mounted munition. Like all gameplay updates to the game, this new class will be completely free.
Quick Take
Boss Key talks a bit in the update about how they hope that players will come back to the game for each new update, and I can see that happen with games like Overwatch, but I'm not sure that the launch was big enough to sustain such plans for the long term. Stuff like LawBreakers Team Deathmatch is very appreciated of course, and I'm interested to see what other temporary modes Boss Key has in mind.Thankfully, the game is in little danger of dropping off the face of the Earth thanks to its publisher backing, but one hopes that their plans for 2018 include something drastic to get more folks interested. Free weekends and strategic price drops can do wonders for a game like this, and there's still hope that LawBreakers could be the next Rainbow Six: Seige success story.
