•Facepunch Studios is rolling out sweeping changes to s&box, its game creation platform and successor to Garry’s Mod, after a troubled April launch that drew negative reviews, complaints about AI-generated content flooding the user library, and rapidly declining player numbers.
According to a report by PC Gamer, creator Garry Newman is reversing several decisions made at launch, including adopting a “greenlight type system” for user-generated games and bringing forward the platform’s switch to free-to-play.
“Our focus has been on the engine and the development experience. That’s what we love, that’s what turns us on—but we’re not selling an engine, we’re selling a game,” Newman said this week. “So we need to do much much better on the game, we need to shift our focus to what players are experiencing, not developers.”
Newman said the platform will now concentrate on improving sandbox mode by adding more NPCs, vehicles, and customization options.
“I’ve let everyone down that was expecting that. I accept that, and I’m sorry—we are going to do better,” he said.
The developer also addressed concerns about players struggling to find quality games among what it described as a “ton of shit games” uploaded by creators.
“The player is overwhelmed by choice,” Newman said. “They choose a game, it takes a while to download, and it’s immediately shit. How many times will they try games until they find one they like?”
“My idea of a Netflix for games doesn’t work. It’s not feasible. It’s not how people discover games. You can’t land people on a menu of 60 games and say, ‘have fun’.”
My idea of a Netflix for games doesn’t work. It’s not feasible. It’s not how people discover games.
Garry Newman
Game creators who wish to participate in the platform will now need to apply, rather than automatically earning money based on which games have the most maps and players. Newman said Facepunch wants to discourage “clickers, idler, slop and UI based games” and has already removed numerous games and maps it felt did not meet a higher standard.
The platform will also become free-to-play before the end of 2026. Everyone who paid for s&box will automatically receive exclusive Steam inventory items, with additional rewards for those who bought the $20 version over the $10 one.
“Everyone who has paid for the game will automatically get a bunch of exclusive steam inventory items (extra if you bought it at $20 vs $10) that I hope will justify the purchase price,” Newman said.
Finally, the sausage-shaped character model known as “The Citizen” or “Terry” has been retired in favor of generic human characters. The model still exists within games using it but is no longer visible in the menu or avatar editor.
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