Steam Drama as Player Complains About a Game They Never Bought

Farthest Frontier developer responds with a blunt and honest comeback

Searching online for solutions to game-related problems is something every gamer does. However, a recent incident on Steam quickly turned into a heated discussion across the community when one player repeatedly complained about issues in a game despite not having legally purchased it in the first place.

The incident involved Farthest Frontier, a medieval city-building and survival game developed by Crate Entertainment, the studio behind the acclaimed action RPG Grim Dawn. The game blends settlement management, farming, and survival elements reminiscent of Oregon Trail and has maintained a Very Positive reception on Steam since its release in October.

A Steam user under the name BigBadAss33 posted a series of aggressive complaints, criticizing everything from map clutter and trading systems to what they felt was overly complicated inventory management. The situation escalated when the user began reporting crashes and expressed strong frustration, demanding that the developers urgently fix the problems.

On December 21, the player directly questioned the development team and received a short but sharp response from Zantai, one of the game’s creators. The reply simply asked the user to purchase the game instead of using a non-Steam version, after which the thread was immediately locked. This response made it clear that the player was using a pirated copy of the game.

Zantai later expanded on the situation on Reddit, explaining how he identified the issue. According to him, the player referenced using a “non-Steam” version of Farthest Frontier—something that does not officially exist. He firmly stated that anyone who does not respect or support the work of developers should not expect to be welcomed as part of the game’s community.

While some observers felt the response was overly strict, Zantai acknowledged that piracy is a complex issue and not every case should be treated the same way. Still, he emphasized that if an indie game brings enjoyment to players, supporting it legitimately is the bare minimum. At the very least, he argued, players should not complain directly to creators while refusing to value or support their work.

This incident highlights a growing tension in modern gaming communities, where entitlement sometimes overshadows respect for creators. Farthest Frontier’s developer response may have been blunt, but it sends a clear message: constructive feedback starts with genuine support, and no community thrives when its creators are taken for granted.