
Square Enix is essentially ending support for Foamstars, the quirky live service shooter that launched for PS5 and PS4 in February.
The game's final season — called 'The Party Goes On!' — begins on the 13th December, and runs through to the 17th January. After that, there'll be no more seasonal updates — although Foamstars itself will remain online, so it's not being shut down completely.
For what it's worth, previous season passes will be made available again so that players can go back and unlock stuff that they might have missed.
Foamstars isn't quite dead and buried, then, but this kind of announcement has been coming. The game went free-to-play back in October — no doubt in a bid to renew its appeal — but it's clear that the change in business model hasn't done enough to keep support ticking.
Have you tried Foamstars? Did you see this coming? Stop blowing bubbles in the comments section below.
[source square-enix-games.com]
Comments 66
I played a few matches back when it first released and was almost immediately bored of it. I'm surprised it took as long as it did to shut down.
I liked Foamstars well enough to say it was one of the better live service games I’ve played this year, but that’s also not saying much (also, I liked Concord better than Foamstars, so there’s that too). Got to be real: outside GTA, Fortnite, Minecraft, CoD, and the gatchas, I don’t think many of these live service games have a shelf life anymore. It seems that these games need an authentic and unique hook now to have any type of shot, and even then, it’s not a guarantee. It certainly feels like, not only are gaming companies consolidating, but there’s the potential that games themselves may be shifting toward consolidation, as these long-standing service games aren’t giving up space to new-comers in the genre.
@Mintie As the article says it's not shutting down, there will just be no further seasonal updates after the upcoming season.
To their credit, Square Enix was unusually upfront when Foamstars came out about it having only one year of post-launch support.
The party goes off!
Good get rid of these crap live service games and get on with some fantastic single player made for this new generation games only.
Let’s hope they have all learnt their lesson now 🤣🤣🤣
Predictable.
Who's wanna bet that SE gonna blame Sony / PS exclusivity for Foamstars failure?
It's just really weird that SE didn't learn anything from their live service games flops like Babylon's Fall, FF7: The First Soldier, Chocobo Racing, and tons of mobile-live service games that they shut down pretty quick over the past 3 years. Not to mention their unsuccessful effort with NFT's.
Then they has surprised Pikachu that their financial took a fking nose dive while blaming PS exclusivity and unrealistic target sales toward exclusives games that actually has good quality like FF XVI and Rebirth for their failure.
I guess Square just unlucky with bad management. Since their merge with Enix, i don't think any of their president like Yoichi Wada, Yosuke Matsuda, or the current one Takashi Kiryu really knows how to properly handle SE business and management. It's just constant bad decisions after bad decisions.
A certain Queen song springs to mind.
@OldGamer999 They didn't learn jacks* from their failure with Babylon's Fall, FF7: The First Soldier, and who knows how many mobile-live service games that they killed in less/over a year. So i doubt they learn anything from this except they gonna blame the failure at Sony / PS exclusivity.
Ah the impermanence of a soap bubble...
Sqaure Enix keep making the same mistakes. Come on, get a clue.
My nephew is getting a PS5 for Christmas, I actually saw this is list of many free to play games, and think I’ll still mention it to them to try out. Who knows, maybe they’ll like it. 🤷🏻♂️
@PuppetMaster
Sunsetting a live service game + Square Enix.
A pair made in heaven.
Square's problem over the last two decades can be boiled down to bad decision making and horrible management.
@MaelysLeFleau true, but even though we knew it was only getting a single season of updates knowing when that happens might as well be the first peal of the death bell.
“Mom, can we have Splatoon?”
“We have Splatoon at home.”
Splatoon at home:
@somnambulance There have been SO many promising looking free to play titles out over the past few years, but people have limited time to stretch out among all these releases, including actual "1 and done" games. It's far too saturated, but most people don't seem to realise- or their games have been in production too long to get ahead of the curve. Even more unique F2P titles have sunk. The fact is, no one is gonna shake up the industry or take the crown from the big titles you mentioned. Their fanbases are way too entrenched and loyal to give up and jump ship, so new releases are immediately fighting an uphill battle. Might be time to stop chasing the trend...
@PuppetMaster I'm not sure I'd even state FF 16 as being a quality title. It looks pretty, sure, but the combat feels like a janky DMC, because it practically is, and it doesn't "feel" like a Final Fantasy title, although the atmosphere is there. Overall, the entire game plays like a giant fetch quest, with a few cinematic battles thrown in.
I'm trying to slog through it, but it feels tedious to me, and a far cry from the highs that the series used to hit. Discounting the remakes, 15 felt much more like a true modern FF title... 16 is just a medieval action game.
@PuppetMaster
I sort of meant all other developers as well.
But good point you made.
I hope the people that mercilessly stomped newbies like me are happy that they continuously scared away any new players. Congratulations, you're the best players...of a dead game.
Maybe they'd have had more players if the game was available on more than one storefront. Releasing a paid multiplayer-only title solely on PlayStation? What did you expect, Squeenix?
It's really at the point where I find it baffling that these games keep coming out.
I can't see any of them taking off to be honest, I think between your already established games, as @somnambulance mentioned.
@PuppetMaster I don't know how much it contributed, but, speaking personally, I lost all interest when I realized I'd have to download this on my PS4. Should've been on PC day one. It's a multiplayer game, for goodness' sake!
Might've still pulled a Concord, but I doubt the exclusivity antics helped any, and Square-Enix is very right to back away from such arrangements going forward.
Also should've been F2P from the start.
@ATaco Sounds like a matchmaking issue. Are people supposed to throw matches against newbies? lol
A shame. I liked this game and I so wish it was just a regular $40-$50 game with offline, single player content, unlockables, etc. It probs wouldve still failed but who knows for sure. One day this'll be offline completely. Like I wonder how long it'll be till these bozos actually get the picture and understand that live service games just arent the way to go
@J2theEzzo Totally agree, even though I sort of personally want a live service game to hook me, as I’ve totally derailed from playing online multiplayer the last two years or so and would like to have something to play with friends. I mean, a decade or so ago, we’d bounce from game to game and sometimes even go back to games, but now, most of my friend group doesn’t even bother with online gaming beyond maybe CoD (and I really don’t want to go back to CoD because the fanbase is far too invested, so it’s not very casual friendly when you play with am-pro tier players in your party). Nowadays though, it feels like a waste to even support these styles of games too because, if they aren’t massive out of the gate, they’re done in months. I am not joking when I say my friends and I were discussing finally getting the band back together for Concord, but we all paused when we saw the Steam numbers during the beta. We thought, “Why get into a game that’ll be taken from us?” I probably won’t play another online multiplayer game til the next Bungie game, and who knows how that’ll turn out? I mean, Halo Infinite was the last time we had the band together. I can’t be alone in my experience. I mean, I know I’m not alone because I have my friends, but I mean, others have got to be feeling this way about online multiplayer games.
I hate to say it, but Fortnite and GTA Online sort of ruined multiplayer gaming.
I'm at least glad that it will remain online because what I did play of the game was actually really fun, but I will be honest and say that after the first few times I played it I never ended up coming back to it. At least it can still be played at the very least so an entire game with said purchases made in it don't have to go away, at least currently
@CielloArc Yeah they're unlucky when comes to management.
@J2theEzzo I'm talking about production quality here compare to other SE games like Foamstars, Babylon Fall, or Avengers. Yoshi-P and his team definitely doesn't half assed their works for XVI. So your personal opinion about the game or whatever your criteria for "a real FF game" isn't relevant.
@OldGamer999 I think Sony learnt some lesson from Concord failure. But for SE, as long as they got lead by a person who keeps chasing trend like NFT and live service, they will keep falling down in the same hole again and again.
@Ralizah I really doubt F2P from the start or day 1 release on PC will help this game. Look at XDefiant for example. It's F2P and multiplat with Xbox and PC release day 1 and next year it will be shut down.
Another one bites the foam.
I would've tried it if it came to Steam, but I knew this game wouldn't last. It just doesn't have the appeal like Splatoon.
Foamstars couldn't even last a year and Splatoon is nearing it's 10th Anniversary.
@Enigk all we hear is, radio gaga?
@PuppetMaster FoamStars isn't XDefiant, though, so that's not really an argument. They're different games.
I don't think FoamStars would've ever kicked off super hard, but it's easy to imagine it doing moderately well with a base that is more interested in this sort of game.
And, again, maybe not, but whatever chances it had were definitely quashed by S-E's choices.
Game looked stupid the moment I saw the trailer at Sonys SOP. Hell I didn't even claim it when they gave it to us for free on Plus, lol.
Not surprised at all. Again, most live service fails, yet people chase it looking for the next big thing.
I feel bad for the devs but at the same time I can't be the only one that is happy that all these multiplayer games are failing! Bring me solo story experiences and offline games, we have more than enough meh online games
Good ole Jim Ryan spent money on getting this game. More evidence Sony is clueless to live service at the moment still.
@Barryburton97 Fat Bottomed Girls.
The saddest part is the game was actually fun and much better than most current multiplayer games.
The biggest problem was the marketing, not its quality. And not being f2p.
@Shrek_Realista lol , sure it was
This game design was the worst it was a liveservice that happens to had a game in it not the other way around. The start took so long I gave up on it. The monetization was everywhere for anything slightly interesting. Square-Enix can get mad it failed on Playstation but the biggest issue was it failed as a game and would have failed on all platforms.
@PuppetMaster I do believe if they would release Chocobo racing with all content in the game that the game would be so much better.
@PuppetMaster Tbf, nowadays Chocobo GP is actually a decent pick up for Final Fantasy fans. They added back in all the content (even Cloud, who was Season 1 "exclusive") that can easily be unlocked just by playing and removed all the micro-transactions. It's got a ton of really good arrangements from older FF titles, the gameplay obviously isn't Mario Kart level but it's got lots of polish and Final Fantasy charm.
My only complaint is that it's a little "kiddy" and it lacks more modern FF representation but if you like old Final Fantasy and Mario Kart it's a seriously great buy at $20 on sale.
@Flaming_Kaiser I just commented about it right after you lol but Squenix completely "rereleased" (updated) Chocobo GP to include all the content without micro-transactions, including Cloud who was famously Season 1 Pass exclusive and really difficult to unlock. Great music, great gameplay, cool FF representation, easily worth the $20 whenever it goes on sale.
Another exclusive LIVE-SERVICE game going down in flames.
@MaelysLeFleau : How much longer you think Square Enix is going to keep the servers alive while not producing many new money for them through new content?
The writing is on the wall...
It was insane to me that they copied 90% of that squid game from Nintendo, but didn’t copy the best part of that game, which is painting the arena. I would’ve actually spent more time in it if they had, but that completely killed my interest.
Before you guys jumping on live service blah blah; this game, Ubisoft recently killed game and even notorious Concord are good if not great. It is just those who played live service games keep playing the same games. It also has a great impact on general game sales as people keeps playing same thing.
@Flaming_Kaiser Disagree. Monetization is almost entirely cosmetics in this game. A few new characters pass are very cheap, single digit. Yes the low player base and thus long matchmaking time is an issue.
@Enigk aaaaaaand another one bites the dust!
Yeeeeeah, live service definitely the way forward 🤔
I hate being that guy but this article is pure clickbait. The title implies that they’re not supporting the game at all anymore, aka, shutting the game down. Yet in the article you say they’re just stopping development for seasons and they’re still supporting the servers and online infrastructure.
I liked Foamstars, I've played 75 hrs of it. But I just said to yesterday to some friends thst I think I'm done with it. Seems I wasn't the only one. This game needed go multiplatform as well as f2p. But even then after a while you just kinda have your fill of it an move on. The Live service Curse is that you either catch gamers for the rest of thier lives or not at all.
@somnambulance Yeah, I'm enjoying the recent serving of coop games, indie or otherwise, but they're few and far between... Ravenswatch is a nice multiplayer roguelite, and previously, Helldivers had been doing us (my friends and I) well. Space Marine 2 has been fun, but is over very quickly, and then you're back at looking for the next game to play! It's clear why a title like CoD gets such avid support, but agreed, not friendly to dip in and out of!
Personally found this game amazing and spent over 125 hours in it and even competed in the official Foamstars PlayStation ESports tournament at the beginning of the year. It's my most played game of an amazing year for PS5.
Just want to say that I hate this articles tone, content and misleading title. I think we all need to come to realize this "Ha Gotcha, I Hate This Game, Let's all Dunk on it attitude" is half of the reason game industry is where it is. Push square is a huge culprit of this, but I understand because toxicity brings clicks, and clicks mean money and happy bosses, but why can't we just love and support wacky, fun videogames like the PS3/Wii/360 gen.
@Altaria_97 Yeah Im with you, I feel a weird bias against square Enix from push square writers, but I get it - clickbait brings in the big bucks. Just wish push square would be as positive as their sister sites like Nintendo Life about the games that make PS5 so great, even if they don't gain mass appeal.
@Ralizah Both are live service games and your argument Foamstars will be a lot better if it day 1 release for PC and F2P, when that's not always the case for many live service games hence why i gave you XDefiant as an example.
Heck, Foamstars launched as "free" for PS+ Essentials and it still failed to attract a lot of players.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/01/foamstars-releases-6th-february-as-a-ps-plus-essential-game
So day 1 release with PC and F2P aren't the solution for Foamstars. The game is just UNAPPEALING for many players. It's basically Splatoon clone but nothing unique about it.
@PuppetMaster If you're calling it a Splatoon clone then you've never actually played it.
If only it had more modes or better handled seasons or other factors but nope a weak live service game. Will not be missed. At least I got mode ideas out of it, that's as least something. People got their fan art or time with it I got ideas to creatively think up for a game. I'm satisfied and never played it, it's not my thing. XD
Really? We're not gonna talk about the Nier Outfits? Seriously!?
In any case, they've effectively ended the live service part everyone seems to hate so much and will just have it out in a more completed state. The next update allows FAR more customization with loadouts, modes, and passes that used to locked by time/special events. If the trailer was posted here, these details would be a lot clearer...
but I guess we "have" to be depressed for some reason even though the devs themselves put out a message with this news saying that they simply added everything they had planned and want everyone to have fun.
I downloaded it for free but could never get a game.
@MaelysLeFleau It is a Splatoon clone just like Palworld a Pokemon clone. Like come on now 🙄
Sad trombone noises.
Not so easy to copy Nintendo's success huh? 😉
Why are people getting salty over this? The road map was laid out before the game was launched so everybody knew the intention and nobody should be surprised. Its still going to be playable online but it's just going to have no more support.
I'm happy they are keeping it playable (no need for the dramatic black and white) another game that did this was Darwin Project which had a cool draw of battle royale with a player controlling the arena changes like areas closing, gifting supplies, and putting bounties on players etc.
Oh dear never mind, what's up next on the GAAS gravy train ??
@IceClimbersMain It's baffling to see that someone at Square-Enix is this clueless that they would release this game with Cloud Strife behind a paywall. It's like if Capcom would say yeah Ryu is available in the first seasonpass. I hope no suit from Capcom will read this i dont want give them any ideas.
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