After a rough launch, Empire of Sin director Brenda Romero says updates are coming

Empire of Sin
(Image credit: Romero Games)

We had high hopes for the crime-time management game Empire of Sin, but they were brought low by the rough state of the game at release. "The potential is obvious," we wrote in our 49/100 review, but it's overwhelmed by conflicting systems and bugs. "There's definitely a version of it in there somewhere that's good, and the allure of all those dense and malleable systems is strong, but they all come with massive caveats that dwarf what it does well."

The upside to a game with potential is that the design can be tuned and bugs can be fixed, and in an update posted on Twitter, game director Brenda Romero said that's the plan. While Romero didn't acknowledge any specific criticisms of Empire of Sin, she did say that updates, apparently with a focus on fixes, are on the way.

"We are dedicated to making this game as great as it can be and that's why the feedback we have been getting from you is so important to us," she wrote. "Over the coming weeks and months, we will be working on delivering patches to improve your experience with the game."

Romero also confirmed that new content is on the way as well. "You're going places and meeting new people. I can't share much more than that at the moment, but we think you'll enjoy it."

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There's no time frame on the first patch at this point, but for Empire of Sin players who want to report technical issues, publisher Paradox Interactive has opened a bug reports forum here.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.