‘Bioshock Infinite’ adds “quality of life” launcher, breaks game

The latest update to Bioshock Infinite has been met with criticism, after a “quality of life” update that added a new launcher and store has reportedly broken the game for Steam Deck users.

“This week’s update features various quality-of-life improvements,” reads patch notes for a “quality of life update” released on Saturday (September 3). However, the only additions to the game are an option for account linking, and “the addition of a new launcher which includes a store to purchase new content.”

Since the update was released, Bioshock Infinite has received hundreds of negative reviews on Steam criticising the patch, causing its recent reviews tag to drop to a ‘Mixed’ rating. “Ruined by the 2K launcher update. What was the purpose of adding it to a game they made almost a decade ago,” reads one review, while another expressed anger at the “garbage” launcher being added.

While the inclusion of the launcher alone has been enough to irritate fans, some have reported the update breaking Bioshock Infinite on Linux – and subsequently, Steam Deck. That’s because the Linux Native version of the game has been broken by the update and is no longer playable, which means Steam Deck or Linux users need to manually use Proton to make it work.

Some players on Windows have also found the game will no longer launch through Steam and instead needs to be opened via a specific .exe in the game’s files, while one modder said the update “killed” their mod.

Steam user ThraxxMedia has shared a fix for players who can’t launch Bioshock Infinite, which involves editing the game’s path to allow Steam to boot it directly.

In other gaming news, development for Splitgate is coming to an end, as 1047 Games has shared it’s going “all-in” on its next title.