100-player shooter Enlisted: Reinforced halts sales on Steam due to anger over pricing and a bug that 'completely breaks' account linking

Enlisted: Reinforced screenshot - F6F Hellcat fighter bombing a battlefield from low altitude
(Image credit: Gaijin Games)

Gaijin announced in January that its 100-player WW2 shooter Enlisted would be coming to Steam as Enlisted: Reinforced, an updated version of the standalone game that went into open beta in 2021. The early access Steam release finally happened on March 28—and later that same day, sales were halted due to a mix of technical problems and player dissatisfaction.

Enlisted: Reinforced is essentially identical to the standalone version available through Gaijin's launcher, but access to it is restricted to players who purchase an "early access pack," which includes various sorts of premium game content.

This apparently caught some players by surprise, either because they didn't realize it was available free from Gaijin, or because they expected a different, more enhanced version of the game than what they got. Others complained that the premium items offered in the access packs on Steam are actually cheaper when purchased through the Gaijin launcher, although Gaijin said the contents and pricing of the content packs are the same.

An even bigger issue is that some players have been unable to link their existing Gaijin accounts to the Steam edition. That's left dedicated players who want to use Steam to access the game cut off from their existing progress, and the more advanced weaponry and vehicles they've previously earned or purchased.

The mess sparked an influx of negative reviews, although it's not a complete catastrophe: Enlisted: Reinforced is currently sitting with a "mixed" user rating, with 56% positive user reviews. Still, the blowback was strong enough that Gaijin apologized for the mess and halted sales of Enlisted: Reinforced the same day it went live. Anyone who purchased the Steam version of the game can continue playing it, while developers "assess what we can do to address the issues raised."

It may take some time to sort out. Gaijin didn't provide any sort of time frame for a fix or return to Steam but described the account linking issue as "a significant technical obstacle" that occurs when players link their Steam accounts to other Gaijin games—the popular military MMO War Thunder is also available on Steam—with a different email address than the one they used for Enlisted: Reinforced. "This completely breaks our linking procedure," Gaijin said.

There's no mention of refunds in the update, but in response to negative user reviews a Gaijin developer said players can obtain refunds through the regular Steam procedure.

Despite the trouble, Gaijin moved ahead with an Enlisted: Reinforced April Fool's joke about "elite squads" whose performance is enhanced by the use of chemical "motivators." The use of stimulants to keep soldiers in the fight was relatively common during the Second World War and I was almost fooled as I quickly scanned through the update, until I got to this final image, purportedly taken from historical databases:

(Image credit: Gaijin Games)

The Steam launch definitely hasn't gone well, but the April Fool's effort? Yeah, that's not bad.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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.

Read more
plane from Winged lions update
War Thunder players take a break from leaking classified information to review bomb their beloved game for adding an auction house
helldivers 2 killzone crossover
Helldivers 2 players rip into Arrowhead for 'straight-up ridiculous' Killzone crossover prices, CEO defends the choice: 'The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free'
overwatch 2 stadium mode
Overwatch 2 achieves the improbable, clawing back a 'Mixed' rating in recent Steam reviews after a well-received perks update
A large blue factory complex in Industrial Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation successor has a bumpy landing on Steam, and the backers aren't happy: 'So bare bones that it's basically an asset show without a game'
A girl in a school uniform pilots a giant robot
Steam Next Fest's most-played demo is a game almost everybody hates
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced screen - Trevor setting fire to somebody's big dumb truck
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced launch is going poorly or well depending on how you look at it: It's got a 'mixed' rating on Steam and is one of the most-played games
Latest in FPS
An evil-looking demon with red eyes and horns
You can theoretically beat Doom: The Dark Ages without using a gun, but 'You'd have a hard time, that's for sure,' says the game's director
Official Doom Guy art superimposed over Vault 666 Fallout-themed background.
Fallout-themed Doom mod Vault 666 has multiple endings, an OP Dogmeat companion, and a Ron Perlman-impersonating narrator so good, I was worried it was AI-generated at first
The Doomslayer in armor
Doom: The Dark Ages won't end with the Slayer in a coffin waiting for the start of Doom 2016: 'That would mean that we couldn't tell any more medieval stories'
Doom: The Dark Ages art
'I think only the shotguns are the same,' says Doom: The Dark Ages director, otherwise the guns are brand-new or significantly transformed
zoomed in concept art of the Agadon Hunter, a new enemy appearing in Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages already sneakily revealed its 'new Marauder,' and the devs hope he'll be just as challenging, but a little less frustrating
Doom: The Dark Ages art
The sickest gun from Doom: The Dark Ages' trailer is called the 'Skullcrusher' and does such horrible things to demons, the game's lead dev boasts id has 'the best gore in the industry'
Latest in News
Staring eyes in a face covered in oil
Death Stranding 2's PS5 release date is in June, let's hope it doesn't take eight months to hit PC this time
An evil-looking demon with red eyes and horns
You can theoretically beat Doom: The Dark Ages without using a gun, but 'You'd have a hard time, that's for sure,' says the game's director
Official Doom Guy art superimposed over Vault 666 Fallout-themed background.
Fallout-themed Doom mod Vault 666 has multiple endings, an OP Dogmeat companion, and a Ron Perlman-impersonating narrator so good, I was worried it was AI-generated at first
The Doomslayer in armor
Doom: The Dark Ages won't end with the Slayer in a coffin waiting for the start of Doom 2016: 'That would mean that we couldn't tell any more medieval stories'
Path of Exile 2 showing the Warbringer ascendancy class bludgeoning his way through a pack of hyenas
Path of Exile 2 speedrunner dominates official race with the game's 'worst' class
Atomfall screenshot
Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'