• News

Frontier Developments CEO apologizes for Elite Dangerous: Odyssey launch issues

Odyssey has gotten a wave of negative reviews for a number of major bugs and issues following its launch.

TJ Denzer

May 24, 2021 7:11 AM

1

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey was meant to be an all-new era for the spacefaring freelance sim from Frontier Developments, letting players put their foot down on planets for the first time ever. It recently launched on PC, but the launch was less sturdy than perhaps expected. A number of major bugs and issues plaguing the expansion’s launch has pushed the studio to roll out some hefty hotfixes, resulted in a wave of negative reviews, and even drawn Frontier Developments CEO and Founder David Braben to offer a personal apology to players.

Braben put his apology and the immediate plans of the Frontier Developments team in a recent post on the developer’s forums. In the post, Braben begins by aplogizing for the launch state of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, which came out on PC on May 19 and has been met with mostly negative reviews due to its ongoing issues.

“First and foremost, I would like to apologize wholeheartedly to those who have been suffering from these problems,” Braben wrote.  “I would like to reassure you that we take these issues very seriously and that they are our top priority and focus.”

A new hotfix is now live for Elite Dangerous: Odyssey which includes a number of stability improvements and further support for those experiencing Orange Sidewinder errors.

Click here for details: https://t.co/odJFNjybn1 pic.twitter.com/sV6jmPI0qc

— Elite Dangerous (@EliteDangerous) May 21, 2021

Indeed, alongside Braben’s apology, a new hotfix update for Elite Dangerous: Odyssey launched on the same day, aiming to fix some of the more egregious issues currently plaguing the game. The first major hotfix included efforts to address stability, an ongoing “Orange Sidewinder” error, and issues with docking on restricted areas, to name a few. A second hotfix has been issued since regarding Engineering Materials. Even so, Braben suggests the team’s effort to shape up the game will be ongoing and constant, with regular communication to fans about what’s ahead.

It’s a tough thing to see with how hotly anticipated Elite Dangerous: Odyssey was, and this was already after a delay. With the console version of Odyssey already delayed further back to focus on PC, we expect that particular delay isn’t getting any shorter as Frontier shapes up Elite Dangerous: Odyssey as it is on PC. Stay tuned as we await further info and updates on the game.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.