Masters of Albion Stirring Confusion Over Steam Deck Compatibility

Masters of Albion, the latest creation from Fable’s mastermind Peter Molyneux, is stirring up quite the buzz, particularly regarding its compatibility with the Steam Deck. As the game gears up for its early access launch later this April, the development team at 22cans took to their blog to shed some light on how well it plays on Valve’s handheld.

In their post, the studio confidently declared, “Yes! Masters of Albion is Steam Deck Compatible.” They mentioned that they’ve put in considerable effort to ensure a smooth gaming experience on the Deck. However, they also noted that the game was still in Valve’s verification queue at that time.

The blog highlighted some of the optimizations they’ve worked on for the handheld version, including trackpad support and full Steam input compatibility. Despite their confidence in passing Valve’s compatibility checks, they cautioned gamers that until the official “Verified” label is received, the game might show up as “Unknown” or “Playable.” Nevertheless, they firmly believe it’s ready for handheld play.

But here’s the twist. After giving the game a spin right after its release, my experience on the Steam Deck was a mixed bag. At the lowest graphics settings, I found it struggling to maintain 30 fps, frequently dipping into the mid-20s, and occasionally even dropping to the late teens. While using the Deck’s built-in controls was manageable, I’d highly recommend utilizing the trackpads, given how reliant the gameplay is on precise mouse movements.

So, while it can technically be played on the Steam Deck, I wouldn’t recommend doing so in a docked setup—unless you managed to snag a Steam Controller. The overall experience was lackluster, and I can’t say I’d recommend it. Ironically, many games that have received the “Verified” or “Playable” tags on Steam aren’t exactly providing stellar experiences either. Titles like Oblivion Remastered or The Outer Worlds 2 have been known to run poorly, yet they still get the green light.

22cans acknowledged Valve’s judgment regarding performance, emphasizing that optimization remains a top priority for their team. They plan to continue assessing the game’s performance against Valve’s criteria and aim for re-verification once updates are rolled out.

Interestingly, this situation highlights a growing frustration among Steam Deck fans about Valve’s inconsistent verification process. Many gamers are questioning whether a game truly “fits” the Deck if it’s performing poorly, especially when some games get a pass while others like Masters of Albion don’t. Valve has yet to specify a clear minimum performance standard for the Steam Deck, which makes the whole situation feel even more ambiguous. Perhaps it’s time for them to clarify what that means for gamers eager to enjoy their titles on the go.