Code Violet launched with mixed reception, but it also triggered a larger argument about who games are really meant to serve.
The PS5-exclusive survival horror title from TeamKill Media has been getting dragged by early reviews, with critics painting it as a rough, frustrating experience that struggles to justify its price and hype.
Aggregates reflected the mood fast: on major review trackers the game landed in the low-score range, and coverage almost instantly shifted from “new release” to “is this already one of the year’s first big flops?”
A number of the most pointed write-ups framed it as more than disappointing, mocking it for being confused and poorly structured, and focusing on its clunky, tedious play experience over its intended concept.
What Did Teamkill Media Say About Critics?
TeamKill Media didn’t respond like most studios do and instead pushed back online, saying they’re making games for their customers, not for critics.
They thanked supporters, called Code Violet their biggest success so far, and argued that fans had pushed the game to “number one,” saying players were enjoying its intentionally “dated,” old-school style.
The studio’s “number one” claim appears to reference a PlayStation Store best-sellers/new releases ranking, where Code Violet was positioned at the top and even sitting ahead of other recognizable titles in that specific chart view.
It is a classic split-screen situation where people online cite the review scores as proof the game flopped, while the developer highlights the sales charts and insists they are winning where it counts.
Are Only Critics Hating Code Violet?
The story becomes more tangled because the backlash isn’t only critic-driven, and the player reception isn’t fully united either.
On the PlayStation Store, verified-owner ratings were far from glowing, with a noticeable chunk of low-star reviews that suggest plenty of people who actually bought the game aren’t thrilled with it.
The data shows polarization more than unity, and the overlap between player complaints and critic reviews, especially around bugs and jank, weakens the argument that the backlash is only coming from picky outlets.
In other words, TeamKill Media is framing the conflict as critics versus real gamers, but some of the harshest criticism is also coming from real customers who expected something stronger.
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