The developer of Steam hit Once Human has responded to a backlash about how cosmetics work and promised changes to the game.
Once Human is a free-to-play multiplayer open world survival game from Starry Studio, a developer owned by Chinese games company NetEase. It launched on PC on July 9 and quickly found an audience, with an impressive peak concurrent player count of 148,968 on Steam.
But Once Human also has a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with some players expressing concern about everything from the game’s privacy policy to the use of the NetEase Launcher. In gameplay terms, players have hit out at mandatory seasonal resets and how they can affect your sense of progression and attachment to your character, as well as cosmetics being tied to individual characters.
In a tweet from the official Once Human account, NetEase acknowledged this feedback, and promised to make all purchased cosmetics accessible across multiple characters within the same account by August. “If you have already purchased the same cosmetic on different characters within the same account, we will refund the consumed Crystgin or other in-game currency for the additional purchases once the cosmetics are account-wide,” NetEase explained.
NetEase had already published a post on the Once Human Steam page addressing the backlash to the mandatory seasonal resets. In it, the company insisted players do not lose their in-game progress every six weeks. Some in-game content will be retained no matter how the seasons and servers change, NetEase promised. This includes important currency, gear blueprints, cosmetics, and main story and side story task progress. However, some content and resources will only be partially carried over when you enter a new season.
“In each new season, your character begins at Level 1, and all exploration progress on the World Map is reset,” NetEase said. “This ensures a level playing field for all players in the new season. Additionally, the new scenario will present a different map for exploration and rewards. Each seasonal server will also feature fresh challenges, tasks and rewards.”
And earlier this week, NetEase addressed the privacy and launcher concerns. It said it only uses personal data "if we have a legitimate legal basis, such as providing requested services or acting with your expressed consent."
"We will only use your data lawfully and reasonably and in accordance with local legal compliance requirements, while practicing the data privacy principles such as data minimization, purpose limitation, and transparency," NetEase continued.
And on the NetEase Launcher, NetEase said it offers broader access to games published by NetEase Games, similar to launches from the likes of Blizzard Entertainment. "Like some of our industry peers who run multiple games simultaneously, we hope that the launcher can provide convenient access to multiple NetEase's games for our users," the company said.
"However, please note you would only be required to download the launcher if you download Once Human from our official website. Players who play the game from Steam or Epic will NOT need to download or use the launcher."
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
