Squadrons

As you might've heard, EA recently confirmed that the recently released Star Wars Squadrons will not be receiving any updates in cosmetics, levels, game-modes, or VR Support such as the Oculus Quest. It's unusual these days for an ostensibly Multiplayer focused game to not be a live-service, especially from EA, one of the most notorious companies attached to the practice.

When viewing the bigger picture however, this isn't too surprising. When EA announced Squadrons wouldn't be a live service, it's easy to see why they didn't host any long term plans for it. In the eyes of publishers, DLC models just don't come close to matching the enormous funding earned from microtransactions, so its not worth it.

While its disappointing we won't see a Clone Wars patch, I must admit, in an odd way, I'm rather intrigued. The last time I really enjoyed a Multiplayer game that was left alone after launch, may even go as far back as Xbox Live Arcade. 

One of Squadrons' strongest qualities, is its laser focus.

To know it won't be bombarded with feature creep, payments, subscriptions, and fundamental changes in the near future, is in an odd way, relieving.

My concern then doesn't lie with EA, for once.

It's actually the players.

One of the comments I received on my video discussing Multiplayer Population, expressed "I don't want my time to be wasted with a game that'll die."

Naturally, by virtue of Squadrons not getting new content to funnel consumers towards its paywall, the experience will slowly fade with time, as all Multiplayer games do in some capacity. The concern then, is the people with that mindset, won't take any step towards the game in the first place, and it'll fade without hope for a continuation or iteration.

And that'll be a shame, because ten years ago, the circumstances of a game like Squadrons succeeding would result in a sequel two years alter with refinements, improvements, and expanded features. Today however, without it setting the president that it holds something for you to come back to in three years time, the unique experience it offers will potentially stop and end here.

It used to be companies wishing for a game to be so successful, it would stand tall for years to come with no sequels, competitors, or large financial investments. Now, there are players carrying the same wish.