Fan backlash forces RPG studio to remove new launcher after 19 hours

Owlcat has pulled a new launcher it introduced for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader after just 19 hours. The Owlcat Launcher was meant to be a pre-game hub collecting news and updates; the studio said, "Instead of searching across multiple platforms for updates, news, and announcements, now you can find them all gathered in one convenient place whenever you launch the game." Players reacted negatively almost immediately.

Owlcat insisted the launcher was "unobtrusive," required "no mandatory registration," did not collect player data, and could be turned off, but the Rogue Trader subreddit and Steam forum filled with complaints.

owlcat, owlcat launcher, rogue trader, warhammer 40k, game launcher, steam forum, subreddit, player backlash, no registration, player data