The people behind the panned XIII remake apologise, blame pandemic Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. The people behind the panned XIII remake apologise, blame pandemic Unlucky. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 14 Nov 2020 83 comments The people behind the panned XIII remake have apologised for the state of the game. The remake of XIII, a cult-classic 2003 cel-shaded first-person shooter, came out this week and it wasn't long before it saw an "overwhelmingly negative" user review rating on Steam. Character designs are noticeably different, and there's been criticism of how the game's iconic cel-shading has been changed. Footage from the game shows various bugs in the launch version, such as missing animations that see you go to garrotte an enemy and then simply fall to the floor, or projectiles clipping through models while still seemingly striking them. Why... why... WHY pic.twitter.com/XHdu5wVo9e- Summer of Thomas (@ThomasOnTheWeb) November 10, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings In a joint statement, developer PlayMagic and publisher Microids admitted the heavily criticised remake did not live up to expectations, blaming the coronavirus pandemic for development troubles. "Unfortunately, players' expectations have not been met by the launch version and we hear loud and clear the legitimate criticism and disappointment," they said. "First and foremost, we would like to offer our most sincere apologies for the game's technical issues. In its present state, XIII does not meet our quality standards and we fully understand players' frustrations. The pandemic has impacted the game's production on many levels. Pivoting to home working for the teams has added unexpected delays in the development schedule and the QA process. We hoped we would be able to provide a Day One patch fixing all the issues but the development of this update is taking more time than expected." Watch on YouTube Do the PS5 and Xbox Series X launch lineups matter? PlayMagic is working to turn things around now, although the damage may already be done. "We want to assure you that PlayMagic is working hard to solve all the game's issues," the statement continues. "With live monitoring and multiple patches in the upcoming days and weeks, we hope to reach the quality level we all expect for the optimum gaming experience." The first update goes out soon and aims to fix urgent issues regarding the controls, framerate, collisions, rendering and sound. A roadmap is being worked on that will reveal free content due out at some point, including new levels, weapons, skins and modes for the local multiplayer. "We are aiming to please all the XIII fans and we'll work relentlessly to achieve our goal," the statement concludes. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store