It seems that the recent #SaveTF2 campaign, which spread across social media sites such as Reddit and Twitter, has finally reached the ears of Valve itself.
The online campaign’s main goal was to remind the company that Team Fortress 2 is still a well-beloved game across the globe, but is currently suffering from a major bot problem and what users say is a painful lack of updates. Many players came to share stories and memories of why this game meant so much to them and the community at large, using the hashtag #SaveTF2 (opens in new tab) to amplify the message.
As a result of the campaign, the official Twitter account for Team Fortress 2, which hasn’t put out a status update in two years, responded to the campaign. According to its statement: “TF2 community, we hear you! We love this game and know you do, too. We see how large this issue has become and are working to improve things.”
TF2 community, we hear you! We love this game and know you do, too. We see how large this issue has become and are working to improve things.May 26, 2022
This message, though simple, could lead to some big changes in the free-to-play title. Back in 2020, the source code was leaked which resulted in a surge of aimbots as well as a malware scare. Since then players have been clamoring for a fix.
Analysis: A game worth saving?
An argument could be made that Team Fortress 2 is simply too old of a game to receive any more regular updates. After all, it came out back in 2007, well over 10 years ago, and until recently received plenty of new content and updates.
However, the incredibly strong userbase is undeniable. This is a title that regular hits 75,000 concurrent players on Steam and, at the time of this writing, is currently ranked 11 under Most Played Games on Steam.
A game with this much consistent support from its fans, despite how old it is, deserves to be supported. Especially when the issue at large is one that has such a major impact on gameplay and enjoyment.
Hopefully, Valve’s statement will be a sign of future action, one that fans have been clamoring for years.
