FairGames pre-alpha playtest still has not solved the fun problem, report says

Another pre-alpha test, same core complaint

FairGames ran another pre-alpha playtest last week under the codename espresso, and the clearest takeaway from the new report is that players still do not think the game has found its core appeal. Insider Gaming says the newest build was criticized for movement, NPC behavior, the class system, and the overall feel of the match flow. That is not ordinary balance-note feedback. It suggests the game is still being questioned at the level of basic fun.

The current build centers on Cargo Heist, four teams, and respawns

The report says the mode being tested was called Cargo Heist. Four teams of three players entered a mansion, looted the map, cracked vaults, and extracted with the haul. The structure is extraction-shooter adjacent, but with respawns, which changes the risk profile in a way that some players felt undercut the tension. Insider Gaming also says the build used a class-based setup, grappling, wall-running, and a look closer to The Division or Call of Duty than the brighter tone seen in earlier reveal material.

Negative Discord feedback and early quits are the real warning signs

The sharper details in the report come from player behavior, not just adjectives. Screenshots from the playtest Discord reportedly showed heavy criticism of multiple foundational systems. People who played told the outlet that some squads stopped after only a few matches, and some teammates left mid-session because the build felt unfinished or dull. That does not mean the project is finished for good, but it does mean Haven Studios still has to solve more than late-stage polish problems.

Reddit read it as another PlayStation live-service stress test

The r/Games thread sat at 255 points and 138 comments at crawl time. The top replies were openly skeptical, with several users arguing that Sony should stop spending money on a game that keeps surfacing with the same "not fun yet" feedback. The thread was less interested in fine design theory than in platform strategy. After repeated live-service stumbles across the industry, players are reading every shaky extraction-shooter playtest as a referendum on whether PlayStation still knows when to cut risk.

Source: Insider Gaming report · Reddit discussion