Esports is big news nowadays. In fact, oddschecker, which provides offers and odds on esports events, has identified competitive gaming as the world’s fastest growing sport by betting volume. But crafting a successful esports title is not straight-forward. Unlike casual multiplayer experiences or solo games, esport titles must appeal to a critical mass of hardcore gamers in order to establish themselves. This is no mean feat, especially when the top games, from League of Legends to CS:GO, have ruled the roost for years.
In light of this, Squadrons was always going to be fighting an uphill battle. But with the right support and investment, it had every chance of succeeding thanks to its novel team-based starfighter combat, and the $70 billion Star Wars name attached to it. So, why did it fail to live up to the hype? Below we will cover some likely reasons.
Brand Damage
Hitching your wagon to a larger franchise can be both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it associates your game with a huge multimedia legacy, and will automatically win you advocates and new players from among the franchise’s committed fanbase.
But the knife cuts both ways—following the widely publicized failings of Star Wars Battlefront 2, a hugely anticipated game that launched in an incomplete state and leaned too heavily on loot crates for most people’s liking, players were likely cautious to try out a new Star Wars title.
Even though 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was well received, Squadrons is the first major multiplayer-focused title to launch under the franchise moniker since Battlefront 2.
Not Live Service
Surprisingly for a modern esports title, Squadrons lacked the kind of live service features that have become normal across the sector. This resulted in a game that lacked a steady stream of new content to keep players engaged, and, through its lack of a season pass model, also failed to guarantee ongoing development funds for the project past its initial sales period.
Lack of Support
More than any other factor, EA’s lack of support for the game following its release is thought to be the reason the game failed to gain traction.
Esports require an enormous level of investment in order to cultivate their competitive scenes. Riot Games, the developers behind League of Legends and VALORANT, have invested over a hundred million dollars in cultivating the tournaments for their esports.
Squadrons publisher EA, and developer Motive Studios, never seemed particularly concerned with promoting the title as a competitive event.