Square Glade Games apologizes after asking Outbound player to edit review

Outbound’s launch has already become a cautionary tale for Steam etiquette. Square Glade Games apologized after asking a player to remove or edit a negative review for the cozy exploration game, a move that many players read as pressure on a customer rather than support for a frustrated buyer.

The backlash landed at a bad time for a game that arrived with real momentum. Outbound went live on May 11 on PC and Xbox, including Game Pass, then reached PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 on May 14. Published by Silver Lining Interactive, it asks players to drive an empty camper van across an open world, collect materials, decorate the vehicle, and turn it into a home. Steam lists it at $24.99 with a 10 percent launch discount to $22.49, and the community page says it supports up to four players.

That goodwill had been substantial before launch. Square Glade Games, the Netherlands-based studio founded by Tobi Schnackenberg and Marc, previously said its debut game Above Snakes sold more than 60,000 copies in its first six months. Outbound then surged past 1 million Steam wishlists, later climbed to 1.5 million, and added about 100,000 more wishlists across consoles. For a smaller indie, that kind of attention makes the Steam review page more than a marketing asset. It becomes part scoreboard, part trust test, and part public customer-service desk.

The studio’s handling of criticism cut against that reality. According to the coverage, Square Glade’s response suggested that if a dissatisfied player asked for a refund, the team might consider changing or deleting the review. The studio later deleted the earlier comments and said it would no longer ask anyone to alter a negative review. A pinned Steam feedback thread now says the team is analyzing stability issues and plans to roll out small improvements in upcoming patches.

Early reaction has not helped calm the conversation. Metacritic shows PC scores in the 40s from outlets including IGN Benelux and TheGamer, while player complaints have centered on shallow progression, repetitive objectives, weak purpose in the open world, performance issues, and limited survival pressure. For a game built around comfort, the biggest fight so far has been over credibility, and on Steam that fight can turn a small launch problem into the story everybody remembers.