News Earth Defense Force 6 launches to negative reception following undisclosed Epic Games requirement for online play

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Earth Defense Force has always been a bit of a unique series. Featuring awkward controls and often-repetitive missions, the games have managed to find a following for their fun and frantic gameplay, along with their magnificently cheesy voice acting. While the games are fun to play alone, it's in the up to four player multiplayer where they really come into their own, and it's here the latest entry has come under fire.

EDF 6 has been available to pre-order on Steam for the past month, after releasing in Japan on PS4 and PS5 back in 2022. Retailing for £49.99 in the UK with a few token pre-order bonuses, the game had fans relatively excited to get hands on with the latest entry. The game launched today, and as early buyers downloaded the game on Steam, they were surprised to find that they needed an Epic Games account to access online features.

Doing a little digging into the subject reveals that the inclusion of Epic Online Services isn't necessarily breaking news, with Epic themselves posting about the game's integration back in April via their development blog. Despite this the Steam page failed to mention the requirement for a third party account until after the game launched, with the developers posting what seems like a hastily-written response earlier today along with amending the store page itself.

For this game, to enhance cross play and online functionality,
Online play requires signing in to your Epic Games account.
We apologize for the lack of advance notice.

Signing in to your Epic Games account is required the first time you play online.
Usually, once you sign in for the first time, you will not need to sign in again.

You can sign in to your Epic Games account or register for an account from within the game app.
Or you can create an account in advance and sign in.

Click here to learn how to register for an Epic Games account.
https://www.epicgames.com/help/en-US/c-Category_EpicAccount/c-EpicAccountServices/epic-games-a000088522

While less impactful than a Sony account requirement, with Epic Games only unavailable "where prohibited by US law" according to their FAQ, it has left a sour taste for those previously excited for the game. This kind of third party account requirement is a first for the series, with many frustrated users on Steam commenting that it should have been optional for those wanting to use the new crossplay features, or at the very least disclosed so that they could have made an informed decision prior to their purchase.

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Thanks to Steam's refund policy extending to two weeks after a pre-ordered game has launched, those particularly disgruntled by the situation are able to get their money back.

Earth Defense Force 6 currently sits at a "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam after 1300 reviews.

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