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Latest Sweet Baby Inc Game "South Of Midnight" is a Flop: Only 496 People Playing the game in early acces.


Introduction

Having developed under the Compulsion Games mantle with much fanfare and promise, the action-adventure title South of Midnight has had a rocky debut in Steam Early Access, presenting numbers that currently stand at just 345 players, a peak of 481 in the last 24 hours, and an historical peak of 496. This unfortunate showing on April 5, 2025, can be blamed on the controversies surrounding artist allegations of racist statements and the consequential involvement of Sweet Baby Inc., the consultancy firm for the game's narrative. The article will thus investigate the reasons for its poor reception and draw sweeping statements on its relevance to the game industry.


Player Engagement on an All-Time Low and Data Insights

According to South of Midnight player count trends described on SteamDB.info charts, the stats are worse: player counts have been in the range of 200-400 since March 30, 2025, with hardly any spikes. Standing with 345 players currently, this was a big letdown according to the expectations of any Early Access title coming from a studio such as Compulsion Games, formerly known for We Happy Few. The all-time peak of 496, recorded just two days earlier, shows only marginal interest, indicating a massive disengagement of gamer interest in generalized terms. Such a statement can posit that the game performance is being hindered by some other factors except gameplay and marketing.


This table below shows South of Midnight's significantly lower perfomance linked to the high controversy level, including racist statements and Sweet Baby Inc.'s involvement.

Game

Current Players

24-Hour Peak

All-Time Peak

Controversy Level

South of Midnight

345

481

496

High

Typical Early Access

1,000-5,000

2,000-10,000

5,000-20,000

Low to Moderate

Player Count Data

The following table summarizes the player count statistics from the SteamDB.info graph:

Metric

Number

Players Right Now

345

24-Hour Peak

481

All-Time Peak (2 Days Ago)

496


Controversies Leading to Backlash

Indeed, a multi-pronged assault against the spotlight on South of Midnight and its alleged sins concerning racial comments by the developers, trending concerns over the narrative development involvement of Sweet Baby Inc., and said firm hiring under various mandates of DEI vision have become louder forces in pressuring the reputation of the title. Some claim that the actual woke agenda being undermined by Sweet Baby Inc. would be to promote diverse accounts. Moreover, some gamers oppose the race-swapping of Hazel as a matter of interest. As the backlash against Sweet Baby has followed the same discussion in the industry regarding DEI, an increasing number of followers have joined the Steam curator group "Sweet Baby Inc. detected" to encourage a boycott of games associated with that company.


Impact on the Gaming Community

This has led to an atmosphere of toxicity, with harassment being reported against Sweet Baby Inc.'s employees and supporters, somewhat reminiscent of the Gamergate timespan. Such factors have presumably warded off potential players along with that directly contributing to the game's awfully low numbers. Allegations of internal mismanagement involving Sweet Baby Inc.-sustained promotion of unqualified staff and chaotic project management have also arisen from ex-developers. The furtherance of a common narrative of distrust among gamers, with agitation VS perceived ideological shifts, has widened the gap with the game's target audience.


Wider Industry Implications

A troubled South of Midnight signifies an enduring scrimmage within the gaming industry over representation and creative control. There are those who support Sweet Baby Inc's DEI endeavors, and there are those who feel that such efforts compromise artistic integrity, leading all sides to a polarized reception towards the title. The negative response also warns developers fighting through such debates to maintain transparent communication.


In order to have a better understanding on the impact of their words and actions lets compare a typical early acces game with South Of Midnight


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