According to IGN, Paris-based Reissad Studio has launched the first major update for its Unreal Engine 5 FPS Bodycam since its June 7, 2024 early access launch. The studio, which has grown to include more than 100 people, detailed the changes in a Steam community post after spending recent months gathering feedback. The update aims to tackle a “massive amount of bug fixes” and improve performance while adding new content like the Village zombie map and CQB Powergun multiplayer map. Studio director Luca Dassier says they’ve migrated to Unreal Engine 5.5 and established a dedicated internal QA team to strengthen their development foundation. This comes after the game received a disappointing 5/10 review from IGN upon launch, being called an “interesting proof of concept” with little substance beyond its visual novelty.
Too Little, Too Late?
Here’s the thing about early access games promising major updates: players have notoriously short attention spans. Bodycam launched over a year and a half ago with that brutal 5/10 review hanging over it, and they’re only now getting to their “first major update“? That’s a dangerously long gap for a multiplayer shooter trying to build momentum.
And let’s be real – migrating to Unreal Engine 5.5 and adding an internal QA team should have happened before launch, not as a reaction to poor reception. When your studio director admits optimization and stability were “non-negotiable for our community,” it basically confirms they launched with fundamental technical problems. Now they’re playing catch-up while the initial hype has long since faded.
Zombie Mode Distraction
The update heavily promotes new zombie content, including what they call their “biggest Zombie map to date” and a new crossbow weapon. But Reissad themselves admit Zombie Mode is “secondary to the core multiplayer offering.” So why focus resources there?
It feels like they’re throwing content at the wall to see what sticks rather than addressing the core issues that earned them that mediocre review. When your game’s main selling point is being an “ultimate visceral FPS experience” but reviewers say the novelty wears off quickly, maybe zombie maps aren’t the solution. Shouldn’t they be fixing the fundamental gameplay first?
Structural Challenges Ahead
Look, growing from a small team to over 100 people sounds impressive, but rapid scaling often creates more problems than it solves. Now they’re promising servers, anti-cheat, and a “full UI rework” as “very high priority” future items. Those aren’t nice-to-haves – those are foundational elements that should have been solid from day one.
The gaming landscape is littered with ambitious early access shooters that promised regular “game-changing updates” only to deliver sporadic content drops between long periods of radio silence. Bodycam’s success now depends entirely on whether they can actually deliver consistent, meaningful improvements rather than just talking about them. Given their track record so far, I’m skeptical.
