Alongside Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2, Team Fortress 2 feels like Valve’s neglected, less-loved child. It still pulls in players by the tens of thousands. A decade and a half since launch, the FPS remains one of the most accessible and (when it’s working right) enjoyable multiplayer shooters on PC. But TF2 has a bot problem, and the game’s community is pressuring Valve to intercede and implement fixes. The SaveTF2 petition has so far gathered more than 250,000 signatures. Now, the actor behind the Team Fortress 2 Medic offers a message of support, in the style of his beloved character.
Earlier this week, the petition to save Team Fortress 2 crossed a milestone, attracting 100,000 signatories. Only a few days later, it’s more than doubled that amount, as players call on Valve to fix a problem in the FPS game with aimbots, which, according to the SaveTF2 campaign, make the shooter “unplayable.” On Steam, Team Fortress 2 has been consistently review bombed, pulling its rating, based on 38,000 recent reviews, down to ‘overwhelmingly negative.’ Valve is yet to issue a response, but one of TF2’s most-loved performers has shared his sympathies – in the distinctive style of the Medic.
Robin Atkin Downes, whose credits also include Gears of War, the Metal Gear series, The Last of Us, Skyrim, and Tomb Raider, is the voice behind Team Fortress 2’s Medic. Sharing an image of the character, who speaks in an exaggerated, comedic German accent, Downes addresses the SaveTF2 campaign directly.
“It makes me sad to see so many of you upset about ze [sic] current state of Team Fortress 2,” Downes writes, in character. “As your medic I vish I could heal you all und heal ze game, Und #fixtf2. But remember, sometimes ze healing is not as revarding as ze hurting, meaning, you’re all feeling passion und a little pain for a game zhat needs a little help und it’s bringing you all togezer. Zat’s a good sing!
“Vun day my hope is zat vee vill #fixtf2. Ze connection you all have in your mission to correct ze game is more powerful zan ze final result. I have verked on hundreds of games und I have never seen such passion from a group of gamers. I sink it’s time for ze healing to begin. Ze fact zat you all are fighting for it after all of zese years surely must show Valve ze worth of ze amazing game zey created und ze possibilities for ze future. I send you all an Uber Charge.”
As of this writing, more than 72,000 people are playing Team Fortress 2 concurrently, and it sits just outside the top ten most-popular games on Steam, based on user count. By the same metric, Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 are the most-popular and second-most-popular games on Valve’s platform respectively.
If you need a change from Team Fortress 2, the other best multiplayer games on PC might have what you need. Or you can check out the best new PC games, to perhaps find your next favorite shooter.
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