Square Enix announced this week that Foamstars is going free-to-play in October — eight months after it launched as a paid game. The online 4v4 foam party shooter was released in early February on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 for $29.99; however, PS Plus subscribers got the game for free.
Foamstars will be completely free-to-play starting October 3rd at 6:00 p.m. PDT. As part of this shift in business model, you'll be able to play it with or without a PlayStation Plus subscription.
Those who download the game before the free-to-play transition will be rewarded with a "Legacy Gift" which includes 12 exclusive color-variant Bubble Beastie skins, one exclusive Slideboard design, and one title: “Legacy.”
The game is currently in the midst of its seventh season, Golden Beats, which will run until October 3rd.
In GOLDEN BEATS, players can look forward to the debut of new Foamstar, Bublo, and two new seasonal events including RANKED PARTY where players compete to climb the ladder of one of the seven ranked modes with teams or solo and EXTREME PARTY which features multiple events, all with special rules!
As is the case with most of these live-service online games, there is a Golden Beats Season Pass containing Bublo, as well as the Ramzey foam gun skin, and the Coiff Guy character skin for free. By completing battles, missions, and Weekly Challenges, player scan advance through the season tiers and earn additional rewards like skins and items. The Premium Season Pass, available for $5.99, unlocks even more rewards.
Foamstars received mixed reviews upon release and currently sits at a 57 on Metascore. The game was praised for its colorful and vibrant style, quirky characters, and fun twists on the shooter genre. However, it received criticism for aggressive monetization and microtransactions — which does feel a bit excessive given that it launched as a paid game.
Drawing comparisons to Nintendo's Splatoon, players in Foamstars use foam to build terrain and create slippery surfaces to surf around the arena at high speed. Using this foam, players can defend themselves from enemy attacks or create vantage points to take out opponents.
With so much competition in the online shooter space— with many of them free options — it's really no surprise that Foamstars is going free to play. Square Enix probably figures it's better to grow the player base and then try to continue to monetize it through season passes. Having that $30 price tag as a barrier to entry was probably a bit too much to ask from gamers.