I strongly recommend researching the background of this project before purchasing. This is not a new game, it is a rebranded version of the failed crypto project "Worldwide Webb", which was originally released back in 2020. The developers have already executed a "Slow Rug" and scammed their original community out of millions of dollars. Despite being in development for over 6 years, the project remains fundamentally broken, relying on frequent wipes and rebrands to reset expectations and trap new victims.

The full investigation regarding the project’s history, funding, and development cycles is available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/comments/1tn4gd6/before_you_wishlist_soulbound_online_on_steam/
(Or, if you don’t trust the link, simply search for the thread on Reddit: Before You Wishlist "Soulbound: Online" on Steam, Read Its History)

The studio’s history is a record of massive cash grabs, followed by tactical project abandonment, dead silence, and constant rebranding to wipe their slate clean. In 2021, they launched NFT sales for avatars and "Apartments", pocketing nearly $5 million in one phase. Their collections generated over $91 million in trading volume, netting the developers an estimated $4.5–9 million in royalties (figures fluctuate significantly due to the volatility of cryptocurrency exchange rates).

After securing a $10 million investment led by Pantera Capital in 2023, the developers abruptly shut the game down, citing a "hack". They wiped all progress and overhauled the game, promising to restore player items and assets. They failed to deliver, leaving those who invested significant time and money with nothing.

On April 11, 2024, they staged a "Tactical Relaunch" with the "Landholder Alpha" to lure original NFT holders back. They explicitly promised no wipes, yet released a broken, buggy product. It was a tactical distraction: a limited "Alpha" to keep the community hooked while the studio pivoted away from Web3.

In June 2024, just before the Discord App Pitches, they rebranded from "Worldwide Webb" to "Soulbound". Their win was not an indie success; it was a coordinated exploitation. They used their existing fanbase to manipulate public voting, sidelining indie developers without a multi-million dollar crypto-funding war chest.

Development continued until September 2025, then simply stopped. For months, the only answer in Discord was a dismissive "Soon". In May 2026, they announced the pivot to Steam and rebranded as "Soulbound: Online". They effectively abandoned their community. Long-term backers and newer Discord players were left with nothing as the developers wiped the slate clean.

To manufacture this "clean slate" for Steam, they systematically scrubbed years of history from Discord, X, and YouTube. If they were proud of their work, why erase their existence? They actively censor and ban anyone who mentions their crypto past. Having already exploited their community for millions, it is highly likely that this pattern will repeat with Steam players.

What we are witnessing is a classic crypto "Slow Rug": a long-con where developers keep a failing project on life support just long enough to trap new users. They use temporary spikes in activity and fake transparency to build trust, only to drain the community of value before executing their exit.

Don't let the Early Access label fool you. While the art and music are genuinely good, they are just a mask for a technical disaster. The game is riddled with server instability, jittering, rubber banding, and desync that renders combat unplayable.

Many players with high-end hardware still struggle with frame drops and severe input delay. The netcode is widely considered the worst in the genre.

Progression is non-existent due to infinite loading screens, broken tutorials, and failing systems. High RAM usage and constant crashes make the game fundamentally unplayable.

The core design is equally broken. Quests fail and the economy is entirely random. The founder even bragged about it: "I vibecode like crazy, if it works it works." After 6+ years, they are still writing code without any structure, leaving us with an unstable, buggy mess.

Don’t be fooled by the indie label. This is a 25-person studio running a coordinated campaign of paid Reddit ads, Starfall PR services, and bought-out media coverage. If you check the news, you will find dozens of sites running identical articles; this is not organic interest, but a manufactured marketing machine.

Their claims are blatant fabrications. While the press kit boasts over 1,000,000 players, the reality is pathetic: the Steam Demo peaks at 450 users with an average of only 200. This massive gap exposes a simple truth: their "million players" is either a total lie or a dead retention rate. They claim they abandoned their browser-based Web3 version because it was "not sustainable", which is nonsense. If they truly had a million active players, they would never have pivoted. The reality is simple: they are abandoning their old Web3 ship to cash in on a fresh audience on Steam, using paid creator bounties to manufacture artificial hype and mask a long history of deception.

The developers are promising "Genesis Founder Packs" (exclusive cosmetics/in-game currency) to NFT holders as a consolation prize. This is dust in the eyes. These digital items cost the developers nothing to generate. They are using them as a marketing shield to appear "fair" to new Steam players while buying silence from their former victims.

The team knows exactly what they are doing. This is not an attempt to save the game; it is a calculated cash grab. The founder is well aware of the project's technical failures and broken economy. They are pushing this Steam release to squeeze one last revenue stream from a fresh audience before they inevitably "ride into the sunset". If the game doesn't hit their profit targets, they will wipe the servers and vanish, just as they did with their Web3 backers. You are not safe; your progress is temporary, and you are just funding their exit.

---

Just a heads up: This is only the tip of the iceberg. The full picture is much worse than it seems on the surface. The studio employs professional moderators and community managers specifically trained to gaslight anyone who asks difficult questions. They excel at weaponized editing, pulling quotes out of context and carefully curating information to frame legitimate concerns as "hater attacks" rather than the testimony of victims speaking the truth. Don't let their orchestrated PR narrative fool you, as they are paid to ensure you only see what they want you to see. Take a look at the facts for yourself before supporting them with your time and money.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I refuse to stay silent while new players are being misled. I have spent months documenting this project's history, and I will not stop exposing the truth until the community is fully warned and protected. If you have any additional questions or want to see further proof regarding specific claims, feel free to reach out to me directly in private messages as I am always open to discussing the details with those who genuinely want the truth.

Quoting a different review because I think everyone should see this before buying the game.

Don't Buy This if You Don't Want to Support Crypto Scammers

I strongly recommend researching the background of this project before purchasing. This is not a new game, it is a rebranded version of the failed crypto project "Worldwide Webb", which was originally released back in 2020. The developers have already executed a "Slow Rug" and scammed their original community out of millions of dollars. Despite being in development for over 6 years, the project remains fundamentally broken, relying on frequent wipes and rebrands to reset expectations and trap new victims.

Research Before You Buy
The full investigation regarding the project’s history, funding, and development cycles is available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/comments/1tn4gd6/before_you_wishlist_soulbound_online_on_steam/
(Or, if you don’t trust the link, simply search for the thread on Reddit: Before You Wishlist "Soulbound: Online" on Steam, Read Its History)

A History of Broken Promises & Exploitation
The studio’s history is a record of massive cash grabs, followed by tactical project abandonment, dead silence, and constant rebranding to wipe their slate clean. In 2021, they launched NFT sales for avatars and "Apartments", pocketing nearly $5 million in one phase. Their collections generated over $91 million in trading volume, netting the developers an estimated $4.5–9 million in royalties (figures fluctuate significantly due to the volatility of cryptocurrency exchange rates).

After securing a $10 million investment led by Pantera Capital in 2023, the developers abruptly shut the game down, citing a "hack". They wiped all progress and overhauled the game, promising to restore player items and assets. They failed to deliver, leaving those who invested significant time and money with nothing.

On April 11, 2024, they staged a "Tactical Relaunch" with the "Landholder Alpha" to lure original NFT holders back. They explicitly promised no wipes, yet released a broken, buggy product. It was a tactical distraction: a limited "Alpha" to keep the community hooked while the studio pivoted away from Web3.

In June 2024, just before the Discord App Pitches, they rebranded from "Worldwide Webb" to "Soulbound". Their win was not an indie success; it was a coordinated exploitation. They used their existing fanbase to manipulate public voting, sidelining indie developers without a multi-million dollar crypto-funding war chest.

Development continued until September 2025, then simply stopped. For months, the only answer in Discord was a dismissive "Soon". In May 2026, they announced the pivot to Steam and rebranded as "Soulbound: Online". They effectively abandoned their community. Long-term backers and newer Discord players were left with nothing as the developers wiped the slate clean.

To manufacture this "clean slate" for Steam, they systematically scrubbed years of history from Discord, X, and YouTube. If they were proud of their work, why erase their existence? They actively censor and ban anyone who mentions their crypto past. Having already exploited their community for millions, it is highly likely that this pattern will repeat with Steam players.

What we are witnessing is a classic crypto "Slow Rug": a long-con where developers keep a failing project on life support just long enough to trap new users. They use temporary spikes in activity and fake transparency to build trust, only to drain the community of value before executing their exit.

Technical Failures & Chaotic Design
Don't let the Early Access label fool you. While the art and music are genuinely good, they are just a mask for a technical disaster. The game is riddled with server instability, jittering, rubber banding, and desync that renders combat unplayable.

Many players with high-end hardware still struggle with frame drops and severe input delay. The netcode is widely considered the worst in the genre.

Progression is non-existent due to infinite loading screens, broken tutorials, and failing systems. High RAM usage and constant crashes make the game fundamentally unplayable.

The core design is equally broken. Quests fail and the economy is entirely random. The founder even bragged about it: "I vibecode like crazy, if it works it works." After 6+ years, they are still writing code without any structure, leaving us with an unstable, buggy mess.

Engineered Hype vs Reality
Don’t be fooled by the indie label. This is a 25-person studio running a coordinated campaign of paid Reddit ads, Starfall PR services, and bought-out media coverage. If you check the news, you will find dozens of sites running identical articles; this is not organic interest, but a manufactured marketing machine.

Their claims are blatant fabrications. While the press kit boasts over 1,000,000 players, the reality is pathetic: the Steam Demo peaks at 450 users with an average of only 200. This massive gap exposes a simple truth: their "million players" is either a total lie or a dead retention rate. They claim they abandoned their browser-based Web3 version because it was "not sustainable", which is nonsense. If they truly had a million active players, they would never have pivoted. The reality is simple: they are abandoning their old Web3 ship to cash in on a fresh audience on Steam, using paid creator bounties to manufacture artificial hype and mask a long history of deception.

The "Founder Pack" Bait & Exit Strategy
The developers are promising "Genesis Founder Packs" (exclusive cosmetics/in-game currency) to NFT holders as a consolation prize. This is dust in the eyes. These digital items cost the developers nothing to generate. They are using them as a marketing shield to appear "fair" to new Steam players while buying silence from their former victims.

The team knows exactly what they are doing. This is not an attempt to save the game; it is a calculated cash grab. The founder is well aware of the project's technical failures and broken economy. They are pushing this Steam release to squeeze one last revenue stream from a fresh audience before they inevitably "ride into the sunset". If the game doesn't hit their profit targets, they will wipe the servers and vanish, just as they did with their Web3 backers. You are not safe; your progress is temporary, and you are just funding their exit.



Just a heads up: This is only the tip of the iceberg. The full picture is much worse than it seems on the surface. The studio employs professional moderators and community managers specifically trained to gaslight anyone who asks difficult questions. They excel at weaponized editing, pulling quotes out of context and carefully curating information to frame legitimate concerns as "hater attacks" rather than the testimony of victims speaking the truth. Don't let their orchestrated PR narrative fool you, as they are paid to ensure you only see what they want you to see. Take a look at the facts for yourself before supporting them with your time and money.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I refuse to stay silent while new players are being misled. I have spent months documenting this project's history, and I will not stop exposing the truth until the community is fully warned and protected. If you have any additional questions or want to see further proof regarding specific claims, feel free to reach out to me directly in private messages as I am always open to discussing the details with those who genuinely want the truth.

Let's assume the shady history of these devs wasn't a factor, and the game was free, I still wouldn't recommend it.