Star Wars Attack Squadron, the F2P multiplayer space shooter being developed by Area 52, has been the victim of a blast from the Death Star, and is no more.
The developer made the abrupt announcement on the Attack Squadrons site earlier today. “We want to thank all of the fans who participated in the closed beta of Star Wars: Attack Squadrons,” Area 52 said. “After much consideration, we have decided to cease development so that we can focus on other Star Wars game experiences. We truly appreciate the time you spent engaging in the beta.”
There’s no hint as to what the cause of the project’s death was, no what Star Wars game Area 52 has moved on to. It’s a rather peculiar situation, the game canned out of the blue and the developers handed another game. Maybe the studio will be helping DICE with the Battlefront space combat.
Matt took the game for a spin a few months ago, and while it did sound like fun – if not quite X-Wing or even Rogue Squadron levels of fun – the business model sounded poorly implemented, requiring lots of grinding to upgrade ships.
“The system does feel balanced heavily against the pay-to-win template, but at the expense of demanding a high time commitment,” Matt said. “Its 8v8 game modes are fun but shallow; the kind of experience that would benefit from a level playing field rather than a prolonged, unlock based career.”
Cheers, Eurogamer.