Summary
Developer Embark Studios has announced that it has disabled a game mode in its hit multiplayer shooterThe Finals, as part of the game’s latest update. The in-game event, called “Dead Go Boom,” frustrated many players ofThe Finalswith its punishing mechanics.
When it debuted in December 2023,The Finalsmade a big splash among players, with more than ten million people downloading the free-to-play game within its first few weeks. Players were attracted toThe Finals’high-quality visuals and lively game show framing, and many stayed after experiencing its emphasis on teamwork and spectacular environmental destruction mechanics.
One such tweak was includedin the version 1.7.0 update toThe Finals,which went live on August 01, 2025. That update, among other things, included a note that the infamous “Dead Go Boom” game show event would be disabled. According to the dev note, Dead Go Boom was proving too hard on players who prefer melee attacks and very close-range combat. As such, Embark Studios decided to shelve the mode temporarily pending a rework of its mechanics.
Dead Go Boom is a game show event that causes recently defeated players to explode violently. Such explosions can have frustrating consequences for any players who are too close to someone that gets killed. The temporary disabling of Dead Go Boom falls in line with Embark Studios' responsiveness to player complaints. Late in January,Embark adjusted the Recon Senses ability inThe Finals,reducing its effective range and giving players detected by it a warning indicator.
The reaction to Dead Go Boom’s departure inThe Finalsplayer community was mostly positive. Some players celebrated the disabling, with a commenter on the game’s subreddit calling Dead Go Boom “the worst thing about this game.” Others noted that the shelving was only temporary, and proposed tweaks that could see it brought back toThe Finalswith less frustrating effects. For example, one proposal suggested lowering the damage a Dead Go Boom explosion does to players while increasing the damage it does to buildings, allowing it to still cause chaosin line with the massive destruction mechanicsThe Finalsofferswithout feeling unfair. Another even requested that an opposite version of Dead Go Boom be added, called “Dead Go Goo,” where recently killed players become Goo, a substance that can form new cover points and block bullets and projectiles.
Other changes in the 1.7.0 update included a new UI element allowing partied players to quickly queue for a new match, as well as adjustments to in-game voice chat to encourage more team play. For progression, the XP amounts for contracts and other activities was increased, which should make it easier for players tolevel up and unlock new weapons inThe Finals.
The Finals
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Viewers at home, here’s the news you’ve been waiting to hear: THE FINALS is accepting new contestants, and that means YOU! That’s right, soon the world could be watching YOU tear apart our newest dynamic arenas and seize everlasting fame!As you know, THE FINALS is the world’s greatest free-to-play combat game show! Our contestants plug in to our virtual world and join teams in escalating tournaments. They fight it out in our beautifully-rendered arenas based on real-world locations that they can alter, exploit, and even destroy.Sure, you can aim and shoot, but contestants that add our carefully curated virtual environments to their arsenal are more likely to advance, so do anything you can imagine in the name of victory! Burn arenas to the ground! Send wrecking balls crashing into your opponents! Don’t just pull triggers - pull down buildings!
