Square Enix Makes ‘PlayStation Splatoon’ Shooter Foamstars Free-to-Play, 8 Months After Launch [IGN]

Foamstars, Square Enix’s take on Nintendo’s mega-hit Splatoon series, is set to go free-to-play just eight months after launch.

The four versus four online party shooter launched across PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 in February 2024 as a premium product (and straight into PS Plus for a month). IGN’s Foamstars review returned a 6/10. We said: “Foamstars’ combat mechanics are unexpectedly engaging, but confounding time-gated modes and aggressive monetization make them harder to enjoy.” It goes free-to-play starting October 4, 2024.

Currently, a PlayStation Plus subscription is required to play Foamstars, but after going free to play, all PS4 and PS5 owners can play for free. “Your continued support of Foamstars would be greatly appreciated,” Square Enix said in a post on its support site.

Square Enix said it plans to give existing Foamstars owners a free “Legacy Gift” that includes these exclusive in-game items:

• 12 exclusive color-variant Bubble Beastie skins
• 1 exclusive Slide Board design
• 1 title: “Legacy”

Foamstars is one of three recently released Square Enix games to disappoint sales wise. In May, Square Enix admitted Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 16, and Foamstars all failed to meet its expectations for revenue and profit, resulting in an overall hit to operating income for the business. Square Enix has yet to announce a sales figure for Foamstars.

It did, however, announce a significant company reboot amid tumbling profits. Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and Foamstars launched on PS4 and PS5 only, but Square Enix said it will now “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs.”

Overall, it’s a tough time for Square Enix, with a number of layoffs across its western business amid extensive restructuring. Dawntrail, the expansion for ongoing MMO Final Fantasy 14, launched in late June. Square Enix also has Kingdom Hearts 4, the third game in the Final Fantasy remake trilogy, and Dragon Quest 12 in the works. In January, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17.

As for Foamstars, it seems unlikely a sequel will be developed any time soon.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.