Uh-huh, to make it a little clearer, Xbox Game Pass has stopped presenting a fresh update for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 which they label as ‘The Thank You Update’ and is also associated with The Game Awards. What about the tweet that has proclaimed it? It’s just all very expressive of ‘a young Verso’s playful hide-and-seek with a rainbow emoji.’ Looks cute, huh? A nice little post-launch gift to the players. Then follows a very loud silence of replies. To put it differently: the community’s reaction was not solely based on the game’s content.

To start with, the good news. The update for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is referred to as ‘The Thank You Update’, is already available. The Game Pass Twitter account has a tweet that features a very colorful and bright hideout area with the hashtag #TheGameAwards. This probably indicates the existence of a new section of content for the players who have been exploring the game to find, perhaps some endgame or post-story materials. A user with the username JMulls Gaming even commented in the replies asking if it was mandatory to be in Act III to play it, and another person confirmed that it was indeed Act III content and that saves could be transferred if one opted to get it separately. So, the point is new free content for a game that is on the service. A nice gesture indeed.

But, keep me on track here, what was I saying? Oh right, the rainbow. The tweet used a rainbow emoji 🌈 in its text and the picture is very colorful. Moreover, in a specific online community of gamers that was a red flag to a bull. The argument in the comments starts immediately.

On the one hand, we have players who are overjoyed with the new game. ‘DLC drop? Count me in,’ said Guo Jun. ‘more expedition 33 for me yes please,’ commented AD Gaming. ‘Excited to dive back in!’ exclaimed Creator AI Hacks. This is the usual and relaxed gamer response. They notice an update, and they are content.

And right after, the other side. Comments like ‘stop putting gay colors to my fav game, you’re disgusting’ from a user going by the name Tayker became quite common. Another user replied, ‘No gay ok.’ Someone else even rant, ‘there’s no need to raise LGBT issues in a video-game post.’ It was a whole drama. Gladdened by the colorful palette, people were directly associating it with the rainbow flag of the LGBTQ+ community and were getting upset about it.

And of course, that was the trigger for the opposing reactions. Other gamers basically told the ones who were against them that it was just colors dude. ‘It’s a rainbow. It’s not a flag. Do you freak out when you see a rainbow after it rains? Your mind is really messed up man,’ one user argued. Another simply responded to one critic saying, ‘Lol just picture the scenario of you being such a little loser. Cope.’ The debate was… quite heated for a game update announcement.

It is absolutely amazing how a technical decision in a video game screenshot can get such a polarized response. Some players were taking the fun and magical art style. Others were accusing the artists of pushing the agenda. A user called dawaischnitzel even said, ‘WTF is this? Why are they turning the game into a Willy Wonka factory?’ which at least is a more imaginative criticism, I suppose? But the sentiments were similar to others—no one was ready to welcome the huge change in bright colors through the dynamic art style.

Amidst all this noise, there were still the gamers’ practical requests. One player was posting ‘PLEASE MAKE IT 60 fps….’. Another from Brazil suggested making the game available in the core Game Pass tier since the price of Ultimate is too expensive there. These are the real, everyday concerns that often get overlooked.

So what’s the story of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? It’s the stylish, turn-based RPG that came out at the start of the year, to be exact? The game can’t be missed with its painterly graphics and time-loop mechanic. Winning some awards or at least being a part of The Game Awards it totally makes sense. This update looks like the developers, Sandfall Interactive, giving back to the community that supported it. A ‘thank you’ in the form of a new colorful area for exploration. A great treat.

But the online debates, dude. It is a reflection of contemporary gaming culture. A gaming company posts something bright and cheerful, and a section interprets it as a political statement. Honestly, it’s exhausting. While the others are trying to figure out if their save file is going to work. The priorities are… totally flipped.

Eventually, the update has been released. If you have been playing on Xbox or PlayStation, you can check it out now.