<s>
Outriders	B-Device
is	O
an	O
online-only	B-Application
cooperative	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
third-person	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
People	O
Can	O
Fly	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Stadia	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outriders	B-Device
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
mixed	O
with	O
elements	O
from	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
cutscenes	O
a	O
dialogue	B-Application
tree	I-Application
allows	O
to	O
decide	O
the	O
outcome	O
of	O
some	O
conversations	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
affect	O
the	O
story	O
's	O
progression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Outriders	B-Device
,	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
elite	O
soldiers	O
tasked	O
with	O
scouting	O
the	O
landing	O
zone	O
and	O
paving	O
the	O
way	O
for	O
the	O
colonists	O
,	O
are	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
land	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Outriders	B-Device
attempt	O
to	O
warn	O
the	O
ECA	O
to	O
abort	O
the	O
colonization	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
ECA	O
leadership	O
instead	O
send	O
their	O
own	O
security	O
forces	O
to	O
silence	O
the	O
Outriders	B-Device
by	O
purging	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
Outriders	B-Device
,	O
having	O
survived	O
exposure	O
to	O
the	O
Anomaly	O
,	O
is	O
mortally	O
wounded	O
during	O
the	O
fighting	O
and	O
is	O
put	O
back	O
into	O
cryostasis	O
by	O
Shira	O
Gutmann	O
,	O
an	O
ECA	O
engineer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
signal	O
the	O
Outriders	B-Device
had	O
followed	O
all	O
this	O
time	O
was	O
the	O
Caravel	O
's	O
automated	O
distress	O
beacon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outriderss	O
gameplay	O
reveal	O
caused	O
critics	O
to	O
compare	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
other	O
live	O
service	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Destiny	B-Application
and	O
Tom	B-Application
Clancy	I-Application
's	I-Application
The	I-Application
Division	I-Application
,	O
though	O
People	O
Can	O
Fly	O
affirmed	O
that	O
Outriders	B-Device
is	O
not	O
a	O
live	O
service	O
title	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
players	O
can	O
"	O
start	O
and	O
finish	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
designed	O
with	O
cooperative	O
gameplay	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
team	O
put	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
emphasis	O
in	O
writing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
lead	O
writer	O
Joshua	O
Rubin	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Apocalypse	O
Now	O
and	O
Heart	B-Application
of	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
narrative	O
features	O
a	O
much	O
more	O
serious	O
tone	O
than	O
Bulletstorm	B-Application
as	O
the	O
studio	O
wanted	O
to	O
prove	O
that	O
it	O
can	O
also	O
write	O
a	O
mature	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
at	O
E3	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
Stadia	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Stadia	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
on	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
after	O
being	O
delayed	O
from	O
its	O
late	O
2020	O
timeline	O
due	O
to	O
impacts	O
from	O
the	O
ongoing	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
15	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
version	O
would	O
be	O
available	O
at	O
no	O
additional	O
cost	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outriders	B-Device
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
summary	O
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
does	O
n’t	O
innovate	O
in	O
any	O
huge	O
way	O
and	O
its	O
many	O
flaws	O
are	O
tough	O
to	O
ignore	O
,	O
but	O
Outriders	B-Device
is	O
a	O
blast	O
from	O
a	O
simpler	O
past	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
he	O
criticized	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
"	O
lackluster	O
"	O
,	O
despite	O
appreciating	O
"	O
genuinely	O
intriguing	O
twists	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jordan	O
Forward	O
of	O
PCGamesN	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
7/10	O
writing	O
:	O
"	O
Outriders	B-Device
 '	O
fast-paced	O
combat	O
and	O
imaginative	O
sci-fi	O
setting	O
make	O
it	O
a	O
journey	O
worth	O
taking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
Outriders	B-Device
was	O
the	O
sixth	O
best-selling	O
retail	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
all-format	O
charts	O
,	O
the	O
second	O
best-selling	O
retail	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Switzerland	O
all-format	O
charts	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
debuted	O
at	O
the	O
ninth	O
and	O
twentieth	O
position	O
of	O
the	O
Japan	O
individual-format	O
charts	O
;	O
with	O
6,596	O
and	O
2,431	O
physical	O
copies	O
sold	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Xbox	B-Device
,	O
Outriders	B-Device
was	O
the	O
best-selling	O
digital	O
game	O
during	O
launch	O
week	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
launch	O
month	O
of	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
placed	O
within	O
the	O
top	O
ten	O
best-selling	O
digital	O
games	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
,	O
and	O
within	O
the	O
top	O
five	O
best-selling	O
digital	O
games	O
on	O
PlayStation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
launch	O
was	O
plagued	O
with	O
server	O
issues	O
,	O
it	O
attracted	O
nearly	O
100,000	O
concurrent	O
players	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
period	O
between	O
February	O
28	O
and	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
Outriders	B-Device
was	O
the	O
third	O
best-selling	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
based	O
on	O
dollar	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Square	O
Enix	O
,	O
releasing	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
launch	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
subscribers	O
"	O
worked	O
in	O
their	O
favour	O
"	O
as	O
it	O
helped	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
build	O
an	O
install	O
base	O
in	O
a	O
short	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
unclear	O
if	O
Outriders	B-Device
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
or	O
not	O
,	O
because	O
while	O
Square	O
Enix	O
stated	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
on	O
track	O
to	O
become	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
next	O
major	O
franchise	O
"	O
,	O
People	O
Can	O
Fly	O
have	O
yet	O
to	O
receive	O
royalties	O
as	O
of	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
leading	O
them	O
to	O
suggest	O
it	O
has	O
n't	O
yet	O
turned	O
a	O
profit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
Outriders	B-Device
won	O
the	O
Technology	O
award	O
at	O
the	O
Central	O
&	O
Eastern	O
European	O
Game	O
Awards	O
(	O
CEEGA	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
annual	O
award	O
ceremony	O
aimed	O
at	O
recognizing	O
and	O
promoting	O
the	O
best	O
video	O
games	O
from	O
Central	O
and	O
Eastern	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
