SEGA's new free-to-play football sim trends on Steam amid wave of negative reviews

While SEGA Football Club Champions has climbed the "New & Trending" list on Steam quickly, it's struggling to win over early players. This new free game currently has over 100 reviews, among which 20% are positive, making it hold the "Mostly Negative" overall rating.

One thing most negative reviews point out is the heavy reliance on a mobile-game-like gacha system. Many are even questioning its management simulator categorization, as the progression is mostly tied to the randomized player cards and duplicates for limit breaks. The layered systems of this free game on Steam further amplify the spending pressure.

Among the critical reviews, one is even calling this free-to-play game "an insult" to SEGA's long-running Sakatsuku legacy. Given that SEGA is a high-profile developer and publisher, it's understandable why players might have expected more out of this football simulator, but not all the reviews are negative.

A small group of players has responded positively, particularly those who might have approached the game with mobile expectations. Some are seeing it as a decent hybrid between Football Manager and eFootball, while others are referring to it as a successor to older SEGA management titles.

Beyond the reviews, SEGA Football Club Champions has both PvP and regular career modes. The match controls include map-based attacks, dynamic play influenced by the team players, and style shifts. As some reviews highlight, the core loop can get engaging when the initial systems click.

Getting back to the backlash the free game is receiving at the moment, SEGA can course-correct Football Club Champions through updates, but as of now, there's a high gap between the visibility and expectations. Check out the video below to learn more about this currently trending freebie on Steam.