Square Enix has announced that the forthcoming season of Foamstars, its 4v4 online party shooter, will be the final one for the game. This decision was revealed on Thursday, with the new content season titled “The Party Goes On” set to launch on December 13 and run until January 17, 2025. Although seasonal updates will be discontinued after this final installment, the game will remain accessible to players.
Final Season Announcement
In an update released on its official website, Square Enix expressed appreciation for the Foamstars community while outlining the timeline for the game’s concluding season. “Following the ‘PARTY GOES ON!’ season from December 13, 2024, to January 17, 2025, season updates for FOAMSTARS will conclude,” the statement noted.
While updates will cease, the game will continue to operate online. “All online services will be available following the conclusion of the ‘PARTY GOES ON!’ season. Furthermore, we intend to host the FOAMSTARS CUP, a series of in-game events themed around various characters,” Square Enix added.
Players will also have the opportunity to access previous season passes again. “Users can switch between Season Passes freely to navigate through the desired Season Pass track and collect items from earlier seasons. This approach will allow players to gather all collectibles from every season,” the company stated.
The final seasonal update is expected to introduce enhancements, including the option to customize character shots, alongside new gameplay elements like Prism Gems. Square Enix emphasized that these improvements are meant to maintain the game’s enjoyment for players in the long term.
Foamstars was launched as a PlayStation exclusive in February, debuting as part of the PlayStation Plus subscription service for both PS4 and PS5. The company had initially promised a year of free themed updates featuring cosmetics, characters, maps, and gameplay modes.
Challenges for Live Service Games
Despite its promising start, Foamstars did not meet Square Enix’s sales projections, as indicated in the Japanese company’s quarterly earnings report from May. The latest titles from Square Enix, including Foamstars along with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI, have not achieved the anticipated revenue, prompting a reassessment of financial forecasts and a shift towards a multi-platform release strategy.
The decision to stop updates for Foamstars highlights ongoing challenges faced by live service titles in 2024. For instance, Concord, another live service title from Sony, struggled to garner a player base on both PS5 and PC before being taken offline just two weeks post-launch in August. Subsequently, Sony shut down Firewalk Studios, the developer behind Concord.
In a related development, Ubisoft announced earlier this week that it would be discontinuing XDefiant, its free-to-play live-service shooter, with plans to shut down servers in June 2025. The publisher also revealed the closure of its studios in San Francisco and Osaka and the scaling back of operations in Sydney, which will impact 277 employees.
