‘Post-launch’ is a double entendre here
Ironically enough, you have to go all the way to the hard vacuum of outer space for this breath of fresh air: Star Wars: Squadrons isn’t trying to be a live service game. That’s right, an entry in a major media property from a major publisher isn’t trying to monopolize your time with an endless roadmap.
In an interview with UploadVR, creative director Ian Frazier explains how EA took an “old school approach” to development on Star Wars: Squadrons. “Never say never, so to speak, but as far as our philosophy goes we’re not trying to treat the game as a live service,” Frazier says. “We don’t want to say, ‘It’s almost done!’ and then dribble out more of it over time, which to be honest is how most games work these days.”
Frazier elaborates that the message behind Star Wars: Squadrons is “You’ve paid the $40, this is the game and it’s entirely self-contained. We’re not planning to add more content, this is the game, and we hope you understand the value proposition.”
My, how far we’ve come that this constitutes an old school view of big market video game consumerism. It’s nice to start a game knowing that truly experiencing it won’t require making it a part of your weekly schedule for years to come. Sometimes no DLC is a thousand times more enticing than three years worth of DLC.
Don’t think even for a second that this isn’t an edge case, though. If this weren’t a semi-budget title in a semi-niche genre (with the neatest version being on a mostly-niche platform), it’d have just as much post-launch content as Battlefront 2.
EA Has ‘No Plans For Star Wars: Squadrons DLC, New Modes, or Oculus Quest Port [UploadVR]
