Sloclap just dropped Rematch, their slick new 5v5 brawler-meets-sports sim, into early access—and it’s already breaking Steam with over 1 million players on day one. But instead of celebrating with friends across platforms, a lot of us are side-eyeing our friend lists… because there’s no crossplay. And the kicker? They told us literally hours before launch.
This Was Supposed to Be the Game You Played With Your Friends
Look, crossplay isn’t just a checkbox anymore—it’s table stakes. Especially for a multiplayer game built on synergy, draft meta, and sweaty 2v2 saves that require voice comms and shared trauma. You don’t launch a game like Rematch without it unless you’re willing to eat some heat.
Sloclap dropped the news via Discord on June 16th, just ahead of the early access rollout. The reasoning? “Unforeseen technical complexities.” Okay, fair. Stuff breaks. But the real sting is the timing. A community member nailed it on Reddit:
“Announcing it 1 hour before release is really ridiculous… Refund request of the Elite Edition already done from my side.”
Honestly? Hard to blame them. Rematch isn’t free-to-play. It’s a paid experience. You drop $30–$50 expecting to squad up across Xbox and Steam Day One—and suddenly, you’re stuck in solo queue with that one guy who never passes.
Sloclap’s Crossplay Woes (and Promises)
To their credit, Sloclap didn’t vanish. They owned it with a public apology and laid out the situation clearly: a basic crossplay prototype exists, but it’s not ready for prime time. The UI needs cleanup, bugs need squashing, and certification across PlayStation and Xbox is… well, a console-cert nightmare.
“We did our utmost to include crossplay at launch… this is the studio’s first crossplay title,” they said.
And that’s fair! Crossplay sounds simple to players, but under the hood, it’s a mess of matchmaking syncs, party invites that work across ecosystems, and Microsoft/Sony red tape. Still, Sloclap swears it’s their “absolute highest priority.”Internal estimates point to late summer, maybe August-ish, if things go smoothly.
But… The Game’s Still Crushing It?
Here’s the weird part: Rematch is kind of a banger despite the bumpy launch. On full release day, it pulled in 93K concurrent players on Steam alone. That’s not just good—that’s “your servers better be fireproof” good.
The gameplay? Smooth. Fast-paced 5v5 action with tight passing lanes, chaotic power-ups, and that signature Sloclap flair from their Sifu days. If Rocket League and Absolver had a super athletic baby, this would be it. And yeah—when the momentum hits and your team starts flowing? It’s pure dopamine.
I’ve already sunk 12 hours into Steam solo queue and… I can’t lie. I’m mad I can’t bring my Xbox buddy, but I’m also grinning like an idiot every time I land a tackle into a perfectly-timed rebound flick.
What’s Next: Patching, Playlists, and Maybe a Comeback?
Sloclap’s already rolled out hotfixes for match stability and hinted at upcoming features: bots, tournaments, leaderboards, and ranked tweaks. Their tone feels genuinely responsive—not defensive. Which matters.
But here’s the real risk: momentum is fragile. If crossplay doesn’t land soon, casual players will bleed out. Streamers move on. And matchmaking—especially for niche comps—starts to suffer. Remember Knockout City? Yeah… we do too.
Final Word
Rematch is a blast to play. A seriously fun, mechanically sharp game with style and depth. But it launched with a social system that feels stuck in 2015—and that’s hard to ignore.
If you’re a solo grinder? Dive in. There’s gold here.
But if you bought in to play with your squad across platforms? You’ve got every right to be annoyed.
Let’s just hope Sloclap sticks the landing before that beautiful momentum turns into a missed shot off the post.
