While definitely not a live service game, Star Wars: Squadrons is getting more DLC this holiday season, including a ship called the TIE Defender.
The game’s development team announced two more free updates coming to the game over on EA’s website, and provided preview of what players can expect to find added to the game later this month and beyond. In short, more bug fixes are on the way, but so is more content. More dashboard bubbleheads weren’t the extent of Squadron’s post-launch ambitions after all, but rather just the beginning.
The first bit of DLC set to arrive on November 25 includes a new, much-requested Fostar Haven map from the main campaign, where players can duke it out bathed in the twilight of twin stars. It’ll also be accompanied by four new component types—booster extension kits, ion rockets, prototype piercing torpedoes, and anti-material rocket turrets—and a 3.0 patch to continue tweaking the game’s balance.
A second update is scheduled to come out before the end of the year, in December, and will add two new ships: a B-Wing bomber on the Republic side and a TIE Defender fighter for the Galactic Empire. The first features a gyro-cockpit and the second benefits from more powerful shields. The studio said it’s trying to make each new ship distinct while still keeping it balanced against the rest of the existing classes players have been using.
Finally, the December update should finally add custom matches, giving players the freedom to create private games with restricted ship options and modifiers to stuff like hull strength, damage output, and shield strength.
All of this comes as somewhat of a surprise given prior comments by creative director Ian Frazier that EA Motive wasn’t planning to keep updating Squadrons with new content. “Never say never, so to speak, but as far as our philosophy goes we’re not trying to treat the game as a live service,” he told UploadVR in October. That was shortly after the game was released. Weeks later it seems the game’s success and positive reception have inspired EA Motive to add a few more things.
Wrote Frazier in today’s announcement, “Your enthusiastic support for Squadrons has enabled us to expand upon it further in all the ways outlined above, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”