The tweet that just arrived from the official Halo account recognized Obsidian and the victory of the Outer Worlds 2 launch, nothing more, nothing less. Tweet said Achievement Unlocked along with the small party emoji and everything. It seems pretty clear, right? But the replies… They tell a story that is completely upside down and inside out.
Let us say at the very beginning that the sequel game has phenomenally launched. The Halo communication network praised Obsidian, which is quite logical because they are both on the Microsoft/Xbox side. It is inter-studio camaraderie, the gaming industry’s version of it. But at the same time, the moment the tweet went public, the internet did what it does best – completely lost its considerable mind all at once.
The reactions are like a buffet of foods, a collection of all sorts. Some are delighted, for instance, the user’s Shaga ☁️🎮 comment “They cooked with this one!” which translates as “They did a good job” in gamer language. Mike Mills has mentioned an already existing game that is receiving good reviews while responding to someone else’s comment “It was awesome 😎.” So, it is clear that some gamers have liked it and are already playing it. HIDEO_BOJIMA (a probably mocking account) tweeted “Another successful launch” together with a bizarre photo. The vibes around are positive for sure.
And then… My God. The negative comments are super aggressive and very fast. User Bunker was really frank with his statement calling it “starfield, but worse, with more genderless blob” which is… pretty specific? Norman Lemming reacted with “Racially Ambiguous Lesbos in Space! Finally! I can’t wait” which sounds sarcastic but who knows anymore really. PcBendeden2 bluntly stated “I just played it. OMG, what woke trash again.” And edqs1956 went on a long rant condemning “Another woke garbage coming” and “ugly DEI hires self-inserted themselves into the game.”
A peculiar trend on social media is that quite a number of accounts are calling the game “woke” as if they were reading from the same script. Grummz even used the opportunity to remind everybody about a scandal concerning an Obsidian art director, thereby dragging something irrelevant to the actual game launch into the discussion. Quite a typical move on Twitter.
At the same time, there are discussions about the game having technical issues. Xbox Serious X reported that there was a downtime for Azure and as a consequence, gamers could not even buy the game during that period. Paultemps confirmed that there was an issue with Microsoft’s servers. So even if you were willing to play, there would be obstacles.
The weirdest conversation of all is about Halo and the DHS? Users like Crystal Jack and Kyiroh particularly want the Halo account to clarify “DHS propaganda using your IP” and “racist propaganda.” They act as if Halo is a business that has the power to take legal action. Then troubleshot keeps replying “Halo is an idea, not an organization 🤭” and this only adds to the confusion of the whole discussion. What is happening here? Are we still discussing The Outer Worlds 2?
Some users are reaching their breaking point. Gabriel Wraith was very terse with his reply “IDGAF!!! 🤮🤮🤮” which accurately portrays a certain slice of gaming Twitter’s mood these days. Void ostracized them insisting they should “Address the dog whistles” without clarifying what those might be. And LiquidDogMan dissed both companies saying “Crazy how both of these studios fell off,” which is an unnecessarily severe remark but to each his own.
What is astonishing is the dividedness of the reactions. You have those who are very excited about the game, others who are already judging it without even playing it, technical issues complaints, unexpected political demands, and just chaotic disorder. It is like the perfect storm of modern gaming discourse all happening in the comments section of one tweet.
The whole “woke” criticism has become such a standard setting that some gamers now apply it to everything. On the other hand, the actual game – you know, the thing meant to amuse the public – is nearly totally drowned out by the noise. There are important dialogues around character representation and creative direction that should occur, but the vast majority of the noise is simply the sound of people screaming into the void.
Meanwhile, the Halo account is just…quiet. They issued their congratulatory tweet then vanished. No engagement with all the chaos that was happening on PlayStation and other platforms.
