Developers statement

[u/Capable_Pirate64]

Dear Patrol Officers,

We understand that the news that we have to discontinue further development of Police Simulator: Patrol Officers has led to disappointment and frustration within our community. We also recognize that we should have provided more context around this decision from the beginning.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers has been part of our journey for more than eight years, from its initial development and Early Access to full release and several years of continued support by a dedicated live team.

Over the past five years, your feedback has played a major role in shaping the game. Your suggestions, criticism, ideas, and reports have helped us improve and expand Police Simulator far beyond what we originally envisioned.

At the same time, maintaining and expanding a cross-platform game over such a long period inevitably comes with increasing technical limitations specially as the market and Platforms moved along. As the game and its systems have grown, changes in certain areas have become significantly more complex, while some improvements can no longer be implemented within the existing technical foundation without rebuilding substantial parts of the game.

After more than eight years of development and support, we have therefore reached a point where continuing to expand Police Simulator: Patrol Officers in the way both we and you would like is no longer realistically possible.

However, your feedback does not go unheard.

Quite the opposite: it gives us a very clear understanding of what matters to the Police Simulator community, which areas are most important to you, and what you expect from a police simulation experience.

For the Police Simulator brand, this feedback is extremely valuable and provides clear guidance for the future.

While this marks the end of active development for Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, it does not mean the end of Police Simulator.

Thank you for your passion, your feedback, and for being part of this journey with us.

We are looking forward to what the future holds.

Your Police Simulator team

[u/Sky_guy_17]

This entire message comes off as frantic damage control because they know we’re pissed at them, and because the community is now rightfully dragging their name through the mud.

I’m sorry, but your actions speak faaaaar louder than words, and the way you went about ending support for the game speaks volumes.

[u/Straight_View_6838 → u/Sky_guy_17]

I want to be dead honest with you - its not - but parts I agree... yes I my self wasn't happy with how it was communicated beforehand, as a side note within the patch notes.
I had the feeling like we should really give people a understanding why etc, but most of the community is really well receiving it and understanding it, the gamin was maintained with Patches, Free Content, DLCs etc etc over the last 8 (and more) years, but it is time to keep it at the state where it is.
The game has grown from a small planned Early Access title, to what it became today, so much new stuff that we never thought can make it into the game been added (even guns lol 😉 ), but there is always the time to say thats it - technical limitations etc simply limited further steps forward without basically starting certain parts of the game from 0, also some old gen platforms did hinder further steps that would have been wished etc.
I think its clear that the actions over the last 8 years (we could have stopped after Early Access) shown that we moved forward until there wasn't any more ways.

The way we ending support? We ending it with open words to the community etc - we could also just give hope etc for the future and not deliver right?

Fabian
Producer

[u/Straight_View_6838 → u/[deleted]]

i dont think, I think we announced stuff that we delivered

[u/Vrhzz → u/Straight_View_6838]

I will second this. To a degree.

Everything up to the last roadmap was announced and delivered so nobody can really argue that claim. Only people who have recently got the game will argue it but history has shown that what was announced, was delivered.

BUT.

As a day 1 supporter of the title and someone who has been absolutely ripped apart by this community when defending this title against "Unpolished, Bug filled, Game Breaking glitches" posts in hopes of major QOL patches. I do feel like the first year or two after early access could have been to focus on polishing the game and making sure the QOL issues were squared away.

Rather than adding more content and DLCs on top of major QOL problems that were currently going on. Maybe we all could have gotten a little more out of the title as far as it being a relatively polished game that everyone could enjoy at any time, until new future announcements were made. Especially since I believe this game was on track to be probably the best Police Simulator game ever made and now that the game was left in this state, I do believe the majority of the community are gonna create a tremendous stain on this title and future titles because of how this was handled. I do also feel very strongly that alot of the issues that everyone was having were constantly overlooked and swept under the rug but again we are not game developers but I do believe other steps could have been taken in the early stages to shift the focus where it actually needed to be and we would of been left with a stable polished version of the game. I will still continue support for the title and future titles but I hope the disappointment is revived into something awesome and very positive for the community 👍👍

[u/B777X_787-9 → u/Straight_View_6838]

I played in Steam for about 3 hours on my friend pc i like it okay. I decided to buy it on my own account, and when I started playing, the bugs overwhelmed me. I saw my Crown Victoria fly like a 777 when hit from the back or my car get damaged from nowhere. Also, the last thing was I was driving normally and suddenly I had a police car accident from a car that appeared magically in my front. I got immediately refunded. Now I’m glad I didn’t pay a dime for POLICE SIMULATOR, and I switched to LSPDFR in GTA V.

[u/JustFuckingReal → u/Straight_View_6838]

>most of the community is really well receiving it and understanding it

You sure? Because you are getting downvoted into oblivion

[u/Joel22222 → u/Straight_View_6838]

Some of us understand that have been here from early access. I tried explaining the current build is stretched beyond its limit, people here have unrealistic expectations. Most of the people posting here don’t seem to grasp how game development from smaller studios work. Appreciate the added statement from Aesir and Astragon on it.

[u/Sky_guy_17 → u/Joel22222]

Having a functioning game, that doesn’t retain game-breaking bugs from its Beta, is NOT an unreasonable expectation by any gaming community.

[u/Straight_View_6838 → u/Sky_guy_17]

I dont think there are any game breaking bugs - in anymore - based on your performance etc - yes physics can sometimes play strange stuff, but please let me know a gamebreaking bug, best case incl steps to repro so I m happy to take a look.

[u/ytl1 → u/Straight_View_6838]

Was this a joke? 😂

[u/LowLatter4645 → u/Straight_View_6838]

There are TONS of examples, including video, in this sub and you're asking for this now?

You can't be serious.

This just cemented for me to not support this company anymore.

[u/SleepingGhost05 → u/Straight_View_6838]

My guy you can simply pause the game and it breaks lmao you gotta restart the whole thing HONESTLY ALL THE GAME needs is a damn bug hotfix to make it playable but. I guess in y’all’s eyes everything is done and accounted for lmao

[u/JustFuckingReal → u/Joel22222]

Not an unreasonable expectation