Active Matter has launched, but early access veterans are already slaughtering newcomers.

p>In our previous update, we reported that *Active Matter* was set to launch on September 15 for Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The schedule was met, and the game—developed by Gaijin Entertainment and their internal Matter Team—is now available for purchase at €29.99.Critical reception has been decent—with a 74% positive rating based on around 590 Steam reviews—but player numbers suggest a rather quiet launch for a PvPvE shooter: just over two thousand concurrent players, with an all-time peak of 2,784.

The real issue isn't the player count, but the experience of those just starting out.Gaijin chose not to reset progress made during the game's Early Access period on their own store; consequently, newcomers arriving via Steam find themselves facing veterans who are already fully geared up.Compounding the problem are reports of cheaters—some of whom, according to online accounts, reached the maximum level within an hour of launch. The presence of these "maxed-out" accounts has already driven some players to uninstall the game and request refunds.

This comes as no surprise to long-time followers of Gaijin; community trust in the publisher has been low since 2023, when changes to *War Thunder*'s economy sparked the formation of a player association with over 13,000 members and triggered a massive wave of negative reviews.

Active Matter's gravitational anomaly system remains its true strong suit—it's easy to see why the latest review calls it a "genuine mechanical differentiator"—though a launch like this risks spoiling the first impression for newcomers.