Why is REMATCH struggling to retain its players? One of my favorite online games is still missing the most crucial feature of all

After only a few days of closed beta testing, I knew I'd be hooked on REMATCH. I paid £29.99 ($39.99) for three days of advanced access to this "Rocket League without cars" title before its proper launch in June. Yes, it's a silly way to describe five-a-side football, but it was always the easiest way to pitch this simplified version of the beautiful game, and it makes sense when you see it in action.

REMATCH (yes, in all caps) came from a small team at Sloclap, the French developers behind the brilliant cinematic beat-'em-up Sifu and an even earlier martial arts-themed online fighter, Absolver. So, it's not as though multiplayer netcode was ever a completely alien concept, but adding Rematch to Xbox and PC Game Pass gave its exposure a shot in the arm and a rise in popularity.

Still, even with a similar jumping-off point as Rocket League — its spiritual predecessor — REMATCH has exhibited a continuous downward trend, both in its player count and its reputation among the community. To be fair to its development team, the game is technically in "Season 0", acting more as a precursor for what's to come, but there are unsettling trends and a missing feature on a roadmap that feels too distant.

To be crystal clear: I don't want to join the insufferable bandwagon-jumpers who cry "dead game" at any title that drops off from its initial peak. There's plenty of evidence to show how social media and livestreaming can have an effect on indies during their initial launch window — it's whether or not the developers can harness that hype and wrangle it into long-term success that counts.

That said, my concerns started growing when REMATCH rushed into branded cosmetic partnerships for in-game outfits alongside real-world players marketed as microtransaction-powered extras. Yes, "Ronaldinho joins REMATCH" was a real event before the game had left its beta state, requesting around $9.99 for the minimum amount of in-game currency you'd need to buy him.

On the other hand, servers aren't free — especially not global servers — even if the quality varies depending on your location, echoed by repeated complaints about infrastructure issues for REMATCH in South America and others. I can't realistically expect Sloclap to pay its developers with non-existent funds, but the game doesn't feel like it has its fundamental mechanics nailed down well enough to already be launching high-profile cameos.

I know I'm not imagining things, because I see the same complaints in the 'recent' reviews for REMATCH on Steam. My saves as a goalkeeper are bafflingly brushed aside for the priority of an opposing striker launching themselves into the air for a gymnastic volley. Users lament, with just a hint of hyperbole, "This feels like I'm playing in a server locally hosted in a school basement."

Nevertheless, this remains one of my favorite games of the year (so far), and I've already experienced a few unforgettable moments. I'll keep playing, even if it's taking longer to find a game, in defiance of the peak player number dropping further every day.

Mercifully, the developers opened up this week about their internal progress with the start of a 'mini dev update' series, which addresses some common community complaints, like dysfunctional achievements, but the most-requested feature is still a work in progress.

While I'm sure it's likely a logistical nightmare, the lack of crossplay connecting players from any platform, including consoles and PC (via Steam and PC Game Pass), feels like the most controversial issue in the community right now. After all, Steam players only account for one slice of the game's entire playerbase, and there are countless others on Xbox, PlayStation, and Game Pass.

Well, it's the most controversial after the hair-pulling frustrations of movement exploits, collision-free ball glitches, and utterly toxic players that you'll almost always be paired with in public games. It's still in a vague state of "coming soon", but Sloclap has at least started to directly address the crucial feature in its new style of little-and-often messaging.

Again, there's nothing concrete behind the crossplay messaging, but the latest word is, "We’re now shifting our efforts toward final stabilization and bug fixing, with a special focus on polishing the Social features." It's something, but take a moment to read into the lawless hive of replies on X and you'll see how little faith some players take in this — particularly on the topic of fixing bugs — yeesh.

I'm no coder. Not even a vibe coder. Crossplay probably has far more intricacies than 'where is player X right now', but it's felt like the most criminal omission from REMATCH since it left beta and launched into full availability. There are people in my circle who play games exclusively on PlayStation and want to group up with me on Steam, but I still don't know what to tell them.

Attention spans are at an all-time low, and I'm already looking for my next dopamine fix for when the Battlefield 6 Open Beta ends, so I'm hoping REMATCH has a resurgence of sorts when (or if) crossplay finally drops. Game on(?)