Frag Lab’s new free-to-play FPS game Shatterline has entered early access on Steam, following several years of development and plenty of complications along the way. Frag Lab says on the company website that the team is made up of industry veterans, but Shatterline is the studio’s first project. Developing and launching a game is difficult enough at the best of times, though Frag Lab faced several additional, even life-threatening challenges along the way.
Frag Lab is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the team had to contend with not just the difficulties of finishing development while war raged across the nation, but once development ended, they faced the challenge of publishing the game themselves. Frag Lab originally partnered with Wargaming, a publisher known for MMOs and free-to-play games, but the partnership apparently ended, as the team posted on Twitter that they finished the game and launched it in early access without assistance from a publisher.
Frag Lab describes Shatterline as a hybrid FPS arena game with roguelike co-op and multiple PvP modes, including conquest and escort. It features eight operatives and a staggering 25 customizable weapons.
Shatterline’s early access debut was a bit rocky, as all such ventures are, but just hours after the Steam game launched, Frag Lab already has fixes and changes in the works based on community feedback. The main issue is dealing with server shortages, the team said on Twitter, as Shatterline is proving to be more popular than the team expected.
Other issues include the usual balances, along with adjustments to progression. The game will be offline for a while on September 9 while Frag Lab issues Shatterline’s first hotfix.
The response to the game was more enthusiastic than Frag Lab expected, and so far, responses to the problems and fixes have also been fairly positive. In a situation similar to when Splitgate first launched, the development team is working closely with the community to help tailor the experience and address the most pressing concerns that players have as they get used to the game.
With Splitgate’s exit from early access now missing all the major features 1047 planned, Shatterline may be worth checking out as a contender for the next big multiplayer FPS.
If you’re looking for something else to play while the Shatterline servers are down, our picks for the best multiplayer games and best free games on PC should help you while away the time.