EA have been surprisingly willing to drop their monetization and live service models for certain games these last couple of years. They did it in 2019 with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and now once again with Star Wars: Squadrons. Developers Motive Studios have stressed time and again that they’re not treating this as live service release, and what you’re paying for with your $40 is the full experience right out the gate.
So does this mean that there will be no DLC for the game whatsoever? Given its multiplayer-centric nature, Squadrons is a game that would thrive on an ongoing multiplayer component, with things such as additional ships, locations, modes, and cosmetics being added into the game over time.
However, it seems like that isn’t part of the plan as far as the developers are concerned. Speaking in a recent interview with Upload VR, Star Wars: Squadrons creative director Ian Frazier said that there are no plans to add more content to the game.
“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 said when asked about DLC. “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. So we’ve tried to treat it in kind of an old-school approach saying, ‘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.”
As I mentioned earlier, last year’s Jedi: Fallen Order was also a one-and-done release, though that was a single player-only game. A recent report suggested that Fallen Order might be receiving DLC soon- read more on that through here.
Star Wars: Squadrons is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In our review, we called it “an excellent spiritual successor to the X-wing series that captures the look and feel of Star Wars.” You can read our full review through here.