Square Enix’s latest live service venture should have been called “Flopstars” instead.
Earlier, we covered and criticized “Foamstars,” a Splatoon knock-off exclusively launched on Sony PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles in early February. Developed by Toylogic and published by Square Enix the game, essentially a desolate team shooter, tried to entice Sony users with a brief free-to-play offer for PlayStation Plus Subscribers, which concluded on March 5th.
It heavily relied on intrusive in-game microtransactions, including cosmetic bundles priced at $45. Now, players must fork out $30 to access a subpar imitation of Nintendo’s Splatoon, drenched in vibrant pink and teal aesthetic.
In its pursuit of a live service model, Square Enix not only offers underwhelming content riddled with monetization but also boldly demands $30 for access to a game doomed from the start.
Similar to Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Foamstars was destined for failure, with its online services inevitably facing termination.
As of its official release on February 6th, the game offered a free-to-play trial for PlayStation Plus subscribers. However, in the past few months, its player base has plummeted dramatically. According to research by TrueTrophies, analyzing PSN gameplay data, Foamstars has seen a staggering 95% drop in its player count since launch.
Such declines are catastrophic, but are mainly commonplace from peak player counts for any game, after some time consumers have simply finished the game and have completed all that there is to offer from the product, so they simply move on with their lives.
Which is primarily why I hate the concept of reporting upon single player titles such as Starfield or Hogwarts Legacy in terms of percentage drops of their player counts respectively. Players spend days playing the game, are finished with the product and move on with their lives.
But Foamstars is a live service game, retaining players is vital for its survival, a 95% drop spells death, leaving only a fraction of players left. With such minimal engagement, revenue generation becomes nearly impossible.
Two days before the release of Helldivers 2, Foamstars hit the scene. Even though Helldivers 2 is a $40 live service title, Foamstars initially had more players during its debut week, thanks to a free PS+ trial period. However, its glory was short-lived as it lost 54% of its players within two weeks, despite being free-to-play for subscribers.
It’s unlikely Square Enix will foot the bill to maintain servers, rendering the game redundant. Recovering from such a colossal failure is near impossible unless Square Enix opts to make the game free, but that seems improbable.
Considering Square Enix’s track record of axing numerous mobile games annually, the fate of Foamstars seems clear. Despite its upcoming third season with added content, including a new playable character, it’s unlikely to attract back dedicated players.
I amusingly predicted the game’s demise within a year, which aligns with Square Enix’s typical lifespan for failed live service mobile games. My assessment might just prove accurate.
