Garry Newman Responds to s&box Criticism: 'I Am Stubborn'

Ever wondered how a game developer handles harsh criticism? Facepunch founder Garry Newman just showed us. He posted a lengthy mea culpa in a YouTube comment, responding to Eridium's video "S&box's Free To Play Weekend Isn't Enough." And he didn't hold back.

S&box is Facepunch's user-generated content platform, meant to be a spiritual successor to Garry's Mod in the Roblox era. But after five months on the market, it's been struggling. Eridium, an s&box-focused creator, laid out the biggest problems in his critical video.

First up: the player character models, known as "the citizen." Even with their new necks, they're unpopular. Eridium called out Facepunch's refusal to replace the design, calling it "intransigence." He argued the game's poor first impression means it probably should have been delayed.

Then there's the flood of low-quality games, especially AI-generated ones, which are ruining discoverability for the good stuff. Newman had previously downplayed this issue in an interview, but Eridium sees it as a major problem.

Finally, Eridium pointed out a lack of outreach from Facepunch. He said he already acts as an informal community manager and could do the real job better than Facepunch currently is.

Newman's response? He didn't dodge. In a pinned comment under Eridium's video, he gave an emphatic, extensive mea culpa to the s&box community. He admitted, "I don't like giving up on things, I am stubborn." It's a rare moment of vulnerability from a developer known for his blunt honesty.

So what does this mean for s&box? Newman's willingness to engage with criticism is a good sign, but the challenges remain. Will Facepunch address the character models, the AI slop, and the community outreach? Only time will tell.

What do you think? Is Newman's response enough to turn things around, or does s&box need bigger changes? Let us know in the comments.