Square Enix’s Foamstars will launch next month via PlayStation Plus

Square Enix has announced that its 4v4 shooter Foamstars will launch on February 6 as a PlayStation Plus monthly game.

The game will be available for subscribers to redeem at no additional cost until March 5, after which it will be sold on the PlayStation Store for $30 / £25.

Speaking to VGC ahead of the announcement, producer Kosuke Okatani said Square Enix decided to negotiate a PS Plus deal because “with a PvP game like this, the biggest risk for us is that there aren’t enough people playing it”.

Rich Briggs, Square Enix’s executive director of publishing strategy, called the PS Plus deal “an easy win” for Foamstars, and said he hoped it would help the game quickly establish a community of players.

“It’s a big part of how we can build that Foamstars community right out of the gate – making sure that we can have the entire PS Plus install base have access to the game for free for a full month, and you can keep it as long as you’ve got a valid subscription,” he said.

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“When we get those players experiencing it, that becomes our community for the long-term. Having that really big launch just felt like an easy win.”

Square Enix has also announced details on Foamstars’ post-launch content model.

The game will receive free themed seasonal updates over the span of one year, including new playable characters, maps, and game modes. Everyone will receive gameplay items such as characters for free, but players can opt for a $6/£5 Premium Season Pass to unlock characters immediately and earn additional cosmetics.

Square Enix told VGC that while there is an overall plan for Foamstars’ first year of content, the team wants to take into account feedback from players and make adjustments based on that.

“The key thing here is making sure that anything that’s tied to core gameplay – a new character, mode, or map – having the dual season pass structure means that every user will get those for free, so we’re not segmenting the players, and then for those who want to take it a step further with more cosmetic items, or the ability to unlock characters faster, we do offer that option,” said Briggs.