After eight months as a paid game, Square Enix Foam stars will be available for free from October 4th.
The developer also revealed that it will be removing the PlayStation Plus requirement for the foam shooter that same day. In short, it's effectively giving the game away for free to anyone who's interested.
Foam stars released in early February for PlayStation 4 and 5. While the price was $30, PS+ subscribers received the game included in their subscription, similar to how PlayStation handled the launch of Stars of Destruction in 2021.
Reading between the lines, the move to free-to-play indicates Foam stars was a non-starter for Square Enix. His post concludes by saying that supporting the game after its transition to free-to-play would be “much appreciated.”
The game faced an uphill battle during its initial reveal, which was then exacerbated by mediocre reviews and a backlash to having art in the game made by generative AI tool Midjourney.
Going free-to-play can be a godsend for online gaming, as we've seen with Autumn boys AND Destiny 2. But the pin can also indicate that a title is not yet long for this world, and it is in the foam that Foam stars will fall within that spectrum.